Sen. Tom Carper defeats progressive challenger in Delaware primary elections

[George II]

Source: CBS News

A battle between Delaware's senior senator and an upstart challenger riding an antiestablishment wave within the Democratic Party highlighted the state's primary elections Thursday.

Democratic Sen. Tom Carper, 71, hasn't lost a race in more than four decades in politics, including on Thursday. He successfully defended his seat against a primary challenge from political newcomer and community activist Kerri Evelyn Harris, 38. Carper won with 64 percent of the vote.

Carper, who famously says he always campaigns as if he's 20 points behind, took no chances against Harris, an Air Force veteran trying to stage one of the most shocking upsets in modern Delaware political history.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/delaware-primary-2018-09-06-election-results-kerri-evelyn-harris-challenge-senator-tom-carper-today-live-updates/

[Peakaboo]

1. Glenn Greenwald won't sleep well

Link to tweet

?s=21

[George II]

2. Hah, Greenwald is talking about "ossified"? That's ironic.

[Me.]

4. He Needs To Be Intercepted

[Equinox Moon]

3. Nice, I enjoyed that.

[RhodeIslandOne]

5. Good n/m

[Recursion]

6. I've got zero against Harris, and zero against Carper. Both are great Democrats

Carper's one of the most reliable progressive votes we have, and Harris would have been too. I'm glad to see primaries getting contested. This is a good thing.

[treestar]

7. I voted for Carper

That seat should stay Democratic. There was no good reason to risk it. Carper campaigned that he works out every morning before getting on the train for DC. Overcame his 71 years with that obviously. Haha.

[Delarage]

12. I voted for Harris

There's no chance that some Repuke would have risen up and defeated her (although I live in northern Delaware, so my opinion may be skewed by my progressive surroundings). I like Carper, though, and have run in road races with him (5ks, half-marathons) and routinely bump into him at the YMCA and grocery store (usually after 9 pm) and various festivals and events. However, Harris made many good points and I think that, after a while, some politicians get too comfortable with the local corporate interests and lose their edge. Carper is not a great speaker and is very non-confrontational. I would have preferred a little more edge, but I'm not devastated that he won and will happily vote for him over whatever slime oozes up to take him on in the general.

[treestar]

13. I was reading there was this "gentleman's agreement"

that the state have one R and one D Senator. If so, the Rs screwed themselves with the O'Donnell nomination, and now the Ds have both seats. So I thought we might end up reversing that and giving them back "their" seat.

It seems once you are in one of the offices in Delaware you get to do your rounds of them. Though it was surprising that Roth had to retire. I think it was Carper who beat him? And Castle made the rounds and would have gotten the Senate seat but for the O'Donnell mistake.

[Delarage]

18. O'Donnell broke that

I don't think Repukes will get a statewide office again for quite a while. I remember bumping into Coons at a Blue Rocks game before O'Donnell took out Castle (much to the great pleasure of my wingnut sister in Florida) and telling him I supported him (but thinking that he was cannon fodder). When she won with her witchcraft and anti-masturbation nonsense, I knew it was over. Harris would have won. But, I think Carper is more than a DINO and I can live with him 1 more term.

[louis c]

8. I live in Boston...

...and Capuano and Pressley were both great Democrats. We should decide each election on it's individual merits. this is what I like to see. A contest in the primaries, but everyone, regardless of winning or losing, votes for the Democrat in the General.

We should all have learned our lesson in 2016.

[sheshe2]

9. Most excellent win.

[Gothmog]

10. Yeah

Link to tweet

[BumRushDaShow]

11. "riding an antiestablishment wave"

Philly provides much of Delaware's media market and I had little idea there was an election there yesterday.

And it's disingenuous to talk about some "antiestablishment wave". IMHO, as a result of the atrocity of 2016, you have a more engaged and enraged Democratic electorate enough to produce a much larger pool and wider variety of candidates running for office up and down the ballot, than in the past.

But then Les Moonves' infamous quote comes to mind - "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS", so stoking discord and controversy is good for CBS ratings (in their minds).

[George II]

14. Had many New Yorkers realized in June that there were Congressional Primaries....

....back then instead of next week when the Governor, Lt. Governor, AG, etc. primaries are being held, no doubt Democratic turnout would have been much higher than ~11% and part of the "antiestablishment wave" would have been a minor ripple.

Unfortunately many New York Democrats were unaware of there being two separate primaries.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. That's a bit nuts

I can see having a special election at a different date from the primaries but to have 2 primaries with different sets of candidates, is nuts (unless you maybe separate out federal vs state/local).

[George II]

17. Yes, the June primary was for Federal offices - the House and Senate (Gilibrand ran unopposed)....

....next week are state primaries. To be honest (I'm right over in CT), back in June I started checking results when the polls closed to see how Cuomo did. It was only then that I learned about the two primaries.

[woodsprite]

16. At 35%, Kerri Harris had a great showing in 'traditional' Delaware.

I certainly hope she stays in the political scene and runs again. I would have been happy with either.