Blue Hen Conservative: Will the NRA Pull the Trigger for the Delaware GOP, or on the Delaware GOP?

In less than one week, delegates will convene to vote on who should lead the Republican State Committee. The race for party chair is between Michael D. Protack and John C. Sigler. Mike is an airline Captain and previous statewide candidate, while John Sigler is an attorney, previous Kent County party official and the immediate Past-President of the National Rifle Association.

Protack is running on his detailed plans on technology, communications, outreach, by laws, open process and party structure. Sigler rests his case on him being the immediate Past-President of the NRA. The evidence below shows his supporters are overlooking the NRA's lack of commitment to Delaware.

While John Sigler was President of the NRA from 2007 to 2009, the NRA Political Victory Fund committed a paltry $7,045 to Delaware candidates. Of that $7,045 gave $350 to the Delaware Democratic Party and $200 to the House Democrats of Delaware during the 2008 election cycle. The Republican State Committee of Delaware, nor did neither Delaware House nor Senate Republican caucuses receive any monies from the NRA Political Victory Fund in 2008.

During the most recent 2010 election cycle where Republicans garnered victories nation-wide, the NRA Political Victory Fund contributed a paltry $1,025 to Delaware candidates. The House Democrats of Delaware received another $150 during the 2010 election cycle. The Republican State Committee of Delaware, nor did neither Delaware House nor Senate Republican caucuses receive any monies from the NRA Political Victory Fund in 2010.

With respect to individual candidates, the NRA Political Victory Fund committed $6245 to Delaware candidates during the 2008 election cycle, and $875 during the 2010 election cycle. In 2008, the NRA gave $4,820 to Delaware Republicans versus $1,425 to Delaware Democrats. Noteworthy Democrats who received financial contributions in 2008 include Delaware Senate Pro Tempore Anthony DeLuca ($200), Bethany Hall-Long ($100), and David McBride ($100). In 2010, the NRA gave $575 to Delaware Republicans versus $300 to Delaware Democrats. In this election cycle, Delaware legislators John Atkins, Bruce Ennis and Valerie Longhurst each received $100.

Surely, the National Rifle Association could have done a better job to electing Delaware Republicans to the Delaware General Assembly in 2008 and 2010. The recent performance of the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund in Delaware leaves a lot to be desired, and remember in during the 2008 election cycle the NRA President was from Delaware.

For comparison, the financial commitment to Delaware candidates and party committees by the NRA Political Victory Fund in 2008 and 2010 was significantly lower than in previous election cycles. Check out this graph:

Based on the above graph, the best year was during the 2000 Presidential election cycle, followed by the second best year in 2006 (when the U.S. House and U.S. Senate flipped to the Democrats). From a financial perspective the last two elections for the NRA Political Victory Fund Delaware were sub-par based on contributions during the 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006 election cycles.

The NRA Does not Stand for the National Republican Association

During the review period of election cycles from 2000 through 2010, the NRA Political Victory Fund is not loyal to the Republican Party organizations, and also has contributed to the Democratic Party organizations and even Democrats over Republicans during these election cycles. See chart below on the 10-year NRA-PVF Delaware contributions to party committees and organizations:

To summarize over a ten-year period of five election cycles from 2000 through 2010, the NRA Political Victory Fund Delaware contributed $11,150 to Republican Party organizations and $6,900 to Democratic Party organizations in the State of Delaware.

The last time the NRA Political Victory Fund Delaware gave to the Republican State Committee or a Republican caucus in the Delaware General Assembly was in 2006. It's absence during the 2006 and 2010 election cycles have impaired the Republican State Committee from being financially competitive with the Democratic Party in General Assembly races. As a result, the Democrats have secure a super-majority in the Delaware State House, and the Republicans only have seven seats in the Delaware State Senate.

Even Republican Candidates Lose with the NRA

In reviewing the past ten year endorsements and financial contributions by The NRA Political Victory Fund Delaware, a trend of endorsing and supporting incumbents over strong conservative candidates did not help the Republicans in Delaware.

2002 Election Cycle
Race	Endorsed	Contributions	Result
DE Senate	Richard Dilberto over Liane Sorensen	$600 to Dilberto	GOP won
DE Senate	Anthony DeLuca		DEM won
DE Senate	James Vaughn over Mark Schaeffer		DEM won
DE Senate	Nancy Cook		DEM won
DE Senate	Thurman Adams over Esthelda Selby		DEM won
DE Senate	George Bunting over John Rieley		DEM won
DE Senate	Bruce Ennis	$600 to Ennis	DEM won
DE Senate	Robert Venables		DEM won
DE House	Bethany Hall-Long	$600 to Hall-Long	DEM won
DE House	Michael Mulrooney	$600 to Mulrooney	DEM won
2004 Election Cycle
Race	Endorsed	Contributions	Result
Governor	Ruth Ann Minner over William Lee	$1200 to Minner	DEM won
DE Senate	Anthony DeLuca		DEM won
DE Senate	David McBride	$600 to McBride	DEM won
DE Senate	Thurman Adams	$600 to Adams	DEM won
DE Senate	Robert Venables over Daniel Short	$600 to Venables	DEM won
DE House	Bethany Hall-Long		DEM won
DE House	John Vansant	$300 to Vansant	DEM won
DE House	Michael Mulrooney over Phillip Simkins	$550 to Mulrooney	DEM won
DE House	John Viola		DEM won
DE House	Bruce Ennis	$300 to Ennis	DEM won
2006 Election Cycle
Race	Endorsed	Contributions	Result
DE Senate	James Vaughn over John Feroce	$500 to Ennis	DEM won
DE Senate	Thurman Adams		DEM won
DE Senate	George Bunting		DEM won
DE Senate	David McBride		DEM won
DE Senate	Nancy Cook		DEM won
DE House	Bethany Hall-Long over Edward Colaprete		DEM won
DE House	Francis Murphy over Robert Valihura	$200 to Murphy	DEM won
DE House	Michael Mulrooney over David-Lee Osborn		DEM won
DE House	Robert Gilligan		DEM won
DE House	John Viola		DEM won
DE House	Bruce Ennis	$100 to Ennis	DEM won
DE House	Jeanine Kleimo over Donald Blakely	$400 to Kleimo	GOP won
2008 Election Cycle
Race	Endorsed	Contributions	Result
DE Senate	Bethany Hall-Long over James Weldin	$100 to Hall-Long	DEM won
DE Senate	Anthony DeLuca	$200 to DeLuca	DEM won
DE Senate	David McBride	$100 to McBride	DEM won
DE Senate	Bruce Ennis	$100 to Ennis	DEM won
DE Senate	James Venables		DEM won
DE House	Michael Mulrooney	$100 to Mulrooney	DEM won
DE House	Robert Gilligan	$200 to Gilligan	DEM won
DE House	John Viola		DEM won
DE House	Robert Walls over Harold Peterman		DEM won
DE House	William Carson over Karen Minner		DEM won
DE House	Valerie Longhurst	$100 to Longhurst	DEM won
2010 Election Cycle
Race	Endorsed	Contributions	Result
DE Senate	David McBride		DEM won
DE Senate	Bruce Ennis	$100 to Ennis	DEM won
DE Senate	Nancy Cook over David Lawson		GOP won
DE Senate	George Bunting		DEM won
DE House	Robert Gilligan over Vincent Ruff		DEM won
DE House	William Carson over Karen Minner		DEM won
DE House	Bradford Bennett over Beth B. Miller		DEM won
DE House	Robert Walls over Harold Peterman		DEM won
DE House	John Atkins over Gregory Hastings	$100 to Atkins	DEM won
DE House	Valerie Longhurst over James Van Houten	$100 to Longhurst	DEM won