The results of Delaware public school mock elections were released today, and I am pleased to say that I won with about 64.5% of the statewide student vote.  Why am I so excited about this?  Because the political pros in Delaware, believe it or not, have always watched the result of this student mock election as an indicator of the public mood just prior to an election.

Things are looking up!

Amid all the ugliness of the campaign, I had a great experience on Monday.  One of the perks of serving as Insurance Commissioner is that I get to participate in the state’s Principal for a Day program.  The schools that I have visited over the last four years have had the good sense not to actually give me any principal-like responsibilities, but they have given me a chance to spend a lot of time observing classrooms and talking to teachers and administrators who are trying to make our schools better.

There were three things that really struck me about my school for the day, North Dover Elementary.  First of all, the teachers all seem to work very well as a team.  The day that I was there they were trying to explain the presidential election to first and second graders, and they had all come up with a lesson plan together and were sharing materials.  (I contemplated steering the discussion to the Lieutenant Governor’s race, but thought it probably violated the Principal for a Day Code.)  Second, there was one teacher I met—and I am embarrassed to have forgotten her name, because she made such an impression on me—who was teaching for the first year after spending many years working as a teaching assistant at North Dover.  I asked her how she was enjoying being a teacher, and she absolutely glowed—it was something she had wanted to do for years, and now that she had fulfilled the requirements and been hired by the same school where she had spent years as an assistant, she was having the time of her life.  It was great to see someone who was so visibly inspired by the opportunity to teach.  Finally, I walked into the cafeteria with the principal Suzette Marine, and she was literally mobbed by adoring students—students waved at her from their tables unprompted and called out her name, others ran up to her to hug her.  I told her it was like walking in with Elvis.

It was great to see teachers and administrators working so hard to help their kids.  North Dover, thank you for letting me visit—it recharged my batteries to fight for this last week to stand up for the kids of our state.

The election is one week from tomorrow!

Yesterday, we participated in the final parade of the campaign season, the Newark Halloween Parade. This one is the boys’ favorite, because all of the kids watching the parade are also dressed in costumes. For them, it’s almost like being on an amusement park ride. The boys were still sporting their firefighter uniforms, which at $50 a pop I am already lobbying for them to wear next Halloween as well. A few photos are on our Flickr page.

Zach and I also embarked on an interesting journey on Saturday afternoon—since it was raining out, we decided to visit every bowling alley from Dover north and greet the rainy day bowlers. We had to cut Dover off the list when Zach started to fall asleep in the car, and then we had to cut one more off when we realized that The Candidate had left the house without The Candidate’s Wallet. But all in all, it was a great trip—we met a ton of people, and as always Zach dazzled them.

We’ve had some fun with our links this year and hope our regular readers have enjoyed them - from sports sites to music videos to recipes to, well, more random offerings. Feel free to visit the Link of the Week archive. Please skip the posts predicting an outstanding season for the Eagles.

But now it’s time for what it’s all been about: Election Day. If you are looking for information about me and have some serious time to kill, you can see my hour-long candidate profile by WHYY Channel 12 (you’ll need RealPlayer). If you are supporting me (P.S. - Thanks!) and want to help get out the vote for me and our Democratic team on November 4, please volunteer and we’ll plug you in to our efforts. Or if you are just itching to go vote, you can find your polling place.

The News Journal, October 21, 2008

Education and spending were the main topics discussed Monday at a debate at Hockessin Memorial Hall for candidates vying for two state Senate seats and lieutenant governor.

Candidates for the 4th and 6th Senate Districts fielded questions from the Hockessin Area Development Association, before the candidates for lieutenant governor, Republican Charlie Copeland and Democrat Matt Denn, addressed health care and education.

“In respect to public education, dealing with those issues has a lot to do with the economy, both in the short term and the long term,” Denn said.

Both candidates said their campaign has been positive, and focused on the issues.

“I’m the only candidate of the four running for lieutenant governor or governor that has actually created jobs in the last 15 years,” Copeland said. “That’s what we need to turn our economy around, someone who can create jobs in Delaware.”

When asked about health insurance for children, the lieutenant governor candidates had different outlooks on providing government assistance.

Copeland cited programs in other states that have insured children by providing assistance to parents who are unable to afford the insurance costs and assistance for health issues that are common. He also suggested assisting small businesses by providing monetary aid to companies that can’t afford coverage.

Copeland supports allowing people to purchase insurance from companies based in other states, a move he said increases competition among providers, and lowers costs.

Denn said he has introduced a plan to insure all of Delaware’s children, including increasing enrollment in the state’s CHIP program and allowing parents to insure their children, but not themselves, through employer coverage.

Denn said he disagrees with Copeland’s stance on deregulating health care coverage by allowing people to purchase it out-of-state. He said this could cause problems for people seeking claims to be paid and finding doctors…

Brandywine East Community News, October 21, 2008

Hockessin, Del. — With 15, maybe 20 debates under their belts, the candidates for lieutenant governor have been asked just about everything.

So it’s no surprise that both Republican Charlie Copeland and Democrat Matt Denn seemed well-rehearsed for their 40 minute face-off Monday at Hockessin Memorial Hall.

In the forum, sponsored by the Community News, both focused their remarks on education and the economy, and both touted their experience and achievements in their previous roles – Copeland as state senator and Denn as Insurance Commissioner.

On the subject of education, Denn said the state had to do more to recruit and retain teachers, and said he would support financial incentives for teachers whose students excel and for those who are willing to teach in troubled schools.

If elected, he said he’ll convene a group of parents, teachers and administrators to help define what are considered classroom expenditures and what are administrative costs. Only after that is determined, can the state set criteria as to how much of its funding must go directly to the “classroom.”

“We need to tell the local school districts ‘you need to meet that [percentage] and then you can have some discretion as to where to use that money,’” he said.

But Copeland said he thinks there have been enough meetings, and said the next governor and lieutenant governor need to take the lead on pushing legislation that solves the problem. He said its time the state began implementing tenants of the Vision 2015 education proposal.

“We’ve heard from a number of teacher and administrators…and now its time to get something done,” he said.

Asked about development, Copeland said it was important for lawmakers to strike a balance between individual property rights and their responsibility to regulate uses and zoning. He said one of Delaware’s biggest shortcomings has been its failure to adequately fund open space preservation efforts.

“We’ve seen our budget frittered away on so many other areas and the growth of our personnel to 31,000 employees,” he said.

Denn said the state’s budget crunch is going to force officials to change the way they approach preservation.

“The days when we can buy our way out of the open space program if not over, are on hold for a while,” he said.

He said state planners have to do more to coordinate with county officials to make sure growth is slated for areas which already have the necessary infrastructure.

Perhaps the biggest contrast between the two candidates came on the subject of healthcare. With Medicaid costs rising by 14 percent per year in Delaware, Copeland said the state has to look at ways to make the program more affordable and more user-friendly for those who are enrolled.

He said Delaware should consider models like those in Oklahoma and Rhode Island, where Medicaid can pay an individual’s share of a policy when his or her employer is willing to pay the other portion.

Copeland called for less government regulation on health care and said instead, the state should be fostering competition that could drive premiums down.

Denn rejected that approach.

“I don’t think deregulation will help reduce costs, and it raises questions about how people who don’t get their claims paid will be able to have recourse,” he said.

Denn said he has a plan to cover every child in Delaware, by increasing enrollment in the federally-funded Children’s Health Insurance Program and by allowing families who may not be able to purchase a plan for their entire family to be able to purchase a policy for their children individually.

Throughout the evening, Denn linked himself closely with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Markell, while Copeland never mentioned Bill Lee, the Republican candidate. Copeland addressed that divergence in his closing remarks. He pledged to be independent, and said he would oppose “bad legislation” no matter who else supported it.

“I’m not going to be Bill Lee’s lieutenant governor or Jack Markell’s lieutenant governor,” he said. “I’m running to be Delaware’s lieutenant governor.”

WDEL 1150 AM, October 20, 2008

The Democrats running for Governor and Lieutenant Governor want to link businesses and schools to help create a strong workforce in Delaware.

Jack Markell and Matt Denn say the state can’t have a world class economy without a world class school system.

Under Denn’s leadership, they’ll ask business owners to encourage their workers to become mentors, giving school kids the help they need to be successful.

Chris Tigani, President of NKS Distributors says he’s on board since he knows it’ll help his business down the line. Video Here

Denn hopes to have 10 partnership in place during his first year in office.

News Journal Letter To The Editor, October 19, 2008

Matt Denn is one candidate who actually puts his money where his mouth is. He truly feels for the people of Delaware and fights for us when needed? I am a mom of two children with phenylketonuria, a genetic disorder where the body cannot break down the protein, phenylalanine. When not detected, or treated by dietary restrictions, people with PKU suffer catastrophic, non-reversible brain damage.

The only treatment for PKU is a low-protein diet and a special medical formula. The food and formula are unbelievably expensive. A box of low protein pasta is anywhere from $8-$12. Bread is $10 a loaf, formula can run from $400-$1,200 a month.

Most insurance carriers did not feel it was their responsibility to cover these medically necessary items? Delaware families affected by PKU have been fighting to get a law passed for 11 plus years.

With Matt Denn’s help, we finally got a law passed that makes the insurance carriers pay 100 percent for food and formula. Matt Denn was also there to help make sure the insurance companies complied with the new state mandate. His unwavering support was key in finally getting this legislation passed.

He has earned the loyal devotion of all of the PKU families here in Delaware. So if the people of Delaware weren’t sure how Matt Denn would hold up as lieutenant governor, they can set their worries aside.

Christy Schulze, Dover

News Journal Letter To The Editor, October 13, 2008

Matt Denn is for the people. When I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, the doctors needed a PET Scan to evaluate the extent of the disease.

I did not meet the “criteria” for the insurance company to pay for the test. When I called Matt Denn, he fought the insurance company, always staying in touch by e-mail or phone.

Due to the efforts of Matt Denn and my physician, the insurance company finally paid the $4,000 fee. This test proved to save my life.

Do I want a lieutenant governor who will go the extra mile? Do I want a lieutenant governor that will work for the individual? Absolutely.

Linda Pitrizzi, Milton

I had my WHYY debate with my opponent last night.  It was fairly uneventful, but for the first time in my life I got a full make-up job from a professional make-up artist (John Edwards side note—this was at the television studio’s insistence and expense, not mine).  I asked the make-up artist if trying to make me look good in ten minutes was part of some reality show, like that one on the Food Network where they tell a chef to make a wedding banquet in two hours, but she insisted that I wasn’t even her worst job of the day, as she had apparently been required to doll up some ill-tempered music stars for a tv ad earlier.  She put cocoa butter on my lips, wax in my hair, and scolded me for not using a more gentle razor for shaving.  It took a good five minutes for me to get washed down afterwards.

The only other oddity from the debate was that I apparently kicked the black covering off the table base while I was moving my feet around, so while I was trying to listen to my opponent talk and using my best “active listening” face (John McCain I am not), someone came up behind me and crawled under my chair, grabbed my feet, lifted them up in the air for about 30 seconds, and then placed them back on the ground and patted them reassuringly.