The News Journal, September 12, 2008

A standing-room-only crowd packed a 300-seat auditorium at the Jewish Community Center in Talleyville on Thursday night to see the first encounter between statewide candidates since the state primary that drew a record 103,000 voters to the polls Tuesday.

They saw some firsts and heard some boos.

They saw the gubernatorial field shrink when Mike Protack, the nominee of the Independent Party of Delaware, announced he was bowing out of the race because it was “the right thing to do” and left the platform after his opening remarks.

They saw Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee, who beat Protack in the GOP primary Tuesday, make his first appearance in a forum with other gubernatorial candidates.

They heard Democrat Jack Markell tweak his comments a bit, steering clear of any mention of the Minner-Carney administration, which he had often used in his primary campaign against Lt. Gov. John Carney, instead urging Delawareans to “join together” to make Delaware stronger.

And they heard some boos when Republican U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell explained why she had changed her position on abortion from pro-choice to pro-life.

They did not see O’Donnell’s Democratic opponent, six-term Sen. Joe Biden, because Biden was in New York City attending 9/11 observances with his running mate, presidential candidate Barack Obama. Instead, Biden’s niece and Senate campaign manager, Missy Owens, read opening and closing speeches Biden had sent. Owens took no questions.

“And so there is no explanation for his inconsistent voting record,” O’Donnell said. “He has spent 35 years getting away with saying one thing on TV and doing another in Washington.”

Lee vs. Markell

Lee took several opportunities to jab Markell — saying Markell’s support of charter schools was not wholehearted because the state teachers union opposes charters.

He also wondered if the three-term state treasurer is the one to bring real change to the state.

“We need real change, not just the same people in different jobs,” Lee said.

Markell spoke again of his respect for Carney, his opponent in the 15-month primary campaign, and noted that they had appeared in more than 20 such forums, perhaps a subtle reference to Lee’s absence before the primary.

“I was really impressed with him,” said Annette Chason, 80, a Brandywine Hundred Democrat. “He was right on target and he didn’t hesitate.”

Bernard Malik, a Republican from Newark, said he thought Lee did OK, but “could have done much better. He came on a little slow, but this is his first debate.”

Markell’s defeat of Carney, though, could be a big boost for Lee’s candidacy, Malik said.

Both men said they would do away with the unpopular Delaware Student Testing Program and replace it with a test that provided results and opportunity for change during and after the school year.

Malik liked what he heard from O’Donnell.

“Christine said all the things I think,” he said. “She was the only one to take the unpopular stand on the pro-life issue.”

The stand was quite unpopular with Chason.

“She just made me think of [Republican vice presidential candidate] Sarah Palin, and I don’t like her,” Chason said.

U.S. representative

U.S. Rep. Mike Castle and his Democratic opponent, Karen Hartley-Nagle, sparred over his voting record.

Hartley-Nagle said 90 percent of Castle’s votes in Congress were with President George Bush. Castle handed her a copy of a recent Congressional Quarterly article that tallied his votes with Bush at 59 percent.

Lieutenant governor

In questions about prison health care, state Sen. Minority Leader Charlie Copeland, R-West Farms, who is running for lieutenant governor and had been a vocal critic of the Minner administration’s handling of problems in the prison system, focused his comments instead on treating drug abusers and addressing job issues for those who leave prison.

His Democratic opponent, Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn, said the state must consider changing its health care provider for the prison system, and must do a better job of addressing the more than 82 points in the state-signed consent agreement.

Insurance commissioner

Karen Weldin Stewart, Democratic candidate for insurance commissioner, noted her experience in associations with insurance commissioners and said she is most qualified for the job. She promoted such initiatives as real-time electronic approval for tests and procedures.

Sussex County attorney John Brady, Republican candidate for insurance commissioner, stood up on the platform so the audience could verify that he was “the biggest candidate.”

“And I will give you more per square inch!,” he said.

He also noted his record of trimming costs in the Recorder of Deeds office, while holding fees steady and giving raises to staff.

Tom Savage, the Independent Party of Delaware’s candidate for insurance commissioner, focused his comments on a single-payer health care system that is not administered by insurance companies.

The debate was sponsored by the Wilmington Chapter of Hadassah and the Jewish Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Delaware.