New Poll Shows Mike Protack is Republican Favorite for County Council President

Founders Values is a well known Delaware educational group that focuses on the founding principles of our nation. They strive to educate the electorate and children on those founding principles and on the Constitution and related documents. They have been active for about 18 months and they have organized many events including a number of TEA Parties across the state. Their members have been an active force in the recent political landscape in Delaware and have even impacted legislation in the state and nationally.

In June of 2010, Founders Values administered a survey of likely Republican voters in the U.S. Senate primary between longtime Congressman Mike Castle and Conservative activist Christine O'Donnell. The poll found O'Donnell leading Castle by nearly a 3-1 margin. It was the first (and almost only) poll that found O'Donnell in the lead among likely voters until her upset victory on Sept. 14th. While laughed at initially by local media personalities, the poll proved to foreshadow the results of the Republican Primary.

The group obtained the names of the two front runners for the Republican nomination in the Special Election for New Castle County President. Delta airlines pilot Mike Protack, who ran for Governor in 2008 and former State Representative Tom Kovach are the names who have been mentioned as the leaders for the spot. Protack ran unsuccessfully in a Republican Primary in 2006 against eventual nominee Jan Ting who faced Tom Carper(Christine O'Donnell was also a write in candidate in that Primary Election). He then ran in the GOP Primary for Gov. in 2008 but left the race to run as the Independent candidate. Protack ran in 2010 for the 3rd County Council seat but faced a primary opponent in Janet Kilpatrick who was seen as Mike Castle's personal nominee to oppose Protack who was backed by the TEA Parties. Kovach ran in the 2008 special for the 6th district Representative seat in Brandywine Hundred. He narrowly defeated the Democrat (by just over 100 votes) in the race but lost this year to Debra Heffernan.

The telephone poll conducted on 11/12 & 11/13 and was a survey of more than 300 likely Republican voters in the New Castle County Council President special election. 60% of the respondents chose Protack where just 40% chose Kovach as their desired nominee. See the Founders Values Press Release for more information.

Founders Values Executive Director Jon Sherman said "We believe that these poll numbers represent the mood of the Republican electorate and we hope that the leaders of both parties will understand that this is an important process that should be left to the people to decide."

Mike Protack has been tied to the Patriot movement in recent years. He was an early supporter and helped to organize the Wilmington TEA Party events in 2009 and 2010 and earned the endorsement of the conservative group Common Sense Communities Society in the Republican Primary. He has a very good name recognition and being a card carrying union member helps him with with a voting bloc that does not often fair well for Republicans. He has been plagued by the notion that he is a perennial candidate for one office or another but even that stigma appears not to hurt him among members of his party when compared to Mr. Kovach.

Tom Kovach is a contrast to Protack as he is the hand picked candidate by Mike Castle. Castle is the long term Congressman who was ousted by Christine O'Donnell and the TEA Party groups in Delaware. Castle and Kovach all but endorsed Chris Coons and publicly were quite critical of O'Donnell and her "TEA Party supporters" despite the fact that those supporters contained a majority of the Republican Party voters. Kovach is rumored to be a supporter of the policies of Chris Coons including the Stoltz development of the Barley Mill Plaza location that citizens group CRG has been a staunch opponent to. This could pose problems for Kovach when it comes to raising money and garnering votes from the Greenville and Elsemere areas affected by the development. Many Republicans believe that Congressman Castle has waged his own personal war against the majority of party voters who ousted him in September and considers those who supported O'Donnell his enemies. He has built a coalition of current and former legislators and party officials and some see Mr. Kovach, a staunch supporter of Castle, as yet another example of Castle's personal war with the electorate.

Only time will tell who the Republicans support. What's a near certainty is that the Democrats will choose AFL-CIO Vice President Tim Sheldon. He will be backed by Paul Clark and Clark's wife Pam Scott who is an attorney with Stoltz in the Barley Mill case. Though Sheldon, the Democrat would be the party's first choice, it's not inconceivable that they could work out a deal with Castle to bring in the more moderate Kovach as Council President. If Protack or a more conservative candidate were to get the nod, it's likely that they would face off in a heated blitz with Sheldon. The date of the election has not yet been set but the Democrats are due to announce their choice this coming Friday.

O'Donnell wins - Party Bails

Well, at least the NRSC bailed. The problem is that O'Donnell won the nomination (as Dana Perino said) "running away with it" in the Republican Party. Many of Christine's supporters were Independents who had already walked away from the Republican Party. I have spoken to dozens of Democrats in Delaware and they have told me that Chris Coons is not the icon they want to bill him as. I laid out the case for why Christine can win last weekend. You can see that here.

*Update* The NRSC has backtracked and said if support comes to Christine, they will also support her. Thank you NRSC. Thank you for being pragmatic and for seeing that the people have spoken. We look forward to working with you in the future. *New Update* AS of 12:00PM today, the NRSC has decided to support Christine and has donated the maximum amount allowed. This means Christine has added $42,000 to her campaign war chest in her head to head battle with New Castle County Executive Chris Coons. Thank you NRSC for your thoughtfulness and sincerity.

Now the question is, will the state party work with Christine. Castle has said he will not endorse her but perhaps that will heal over time as well. Anyone who knows Mike knows that he is a kind man but also a proud man. Last night the voters rejected him for the first time in his life. The campaign was brutal and things were said about him that no one in the campaign or who support the campaign condone. Congressman, let me make this plain and clear, I NEVER condoned the 3rd party who suggested that you had an affair. I was one of the first to publicly denounce that video live on the air with Rick Jensen. Christine also denounced it. This campaign was a referendum on the issues. The people of Delaware's Republican Party saw your votes on Cap & Trade, Financial Regulatory Bill, TARP, etc. as what is wrong with America today.

The time is at hand to "unite the clans" as William Wallace might say. Will the state GOP come to its senses and reach out to the people? Only time will tell, I for one hope that they do.

Governor Christie...Seriously?

So you said in your Weekly Standard video endorsement of Mike Castle (RINO-DE) that

"Mike understands that our nation's most urgent priority is the economy and that
the path to restoring America's prosperity requires making tough, responsible
decisions," said Governor Christie. "He is the strong voice that the people of
Delaware need in the Senate to get our fiscal house back in order and get
Americans back to work."

Really? I mean, have you even had a staffer SNIFF Congressman Castle's record or are you already willing to sell out those conservative values that got you elected? Here's why I ask that question.

I thought, maybe I'm WRONG about Congressman Castle. Maybe he IS a budget hawk. This is what I found:

FACT - Castle voted for TARP (the $700 Billion bailout of the financial industry in 2008

FACT - In 2008 the American Conservative Union and Club for Growth (Fiscal conservatism) rated Mike Castle at 28% and 26% respectively.

FACT - Castle voted FOR the Auto-bailout that resulted in GM being owned by the unions and taxpayers

FACT - American for Fair Taxation rated Mike Castle as a -1 against the FairTax measure

FACT - Castle Voted FOR permanently raising taxes on businesses

FACT - In 2008 the National Tax Payers Union gave Congressman Castle a D rating

FACT - Voted AGAINST making the Bush tax cuts permanent, capping discretionary spending at $973 billion and imposing a moratorium on earmarks

FACT - Congressman Castle supported the interests of the National Small Business Association 60 percent of the time from 2007-2008

FACT - Castle voted FOR the Obama Omnibus spending bill that increased spending 8% on TOP of the Stimulus packages

So again Gov. Christie, where is your consistency? Where is your intellectual HONESTY? Then again, I did find this interesting tidbit. Governor Christie plans to use Cap and Trade funds to pay down the New Jersey debt. This story cites his plan to do it using the state money. Why not also work to pass national cap and trade legislation so he can pump even MORE money into his scheme? Who better to support for U.S. Senate and to ensure Cap and Trade passage than the man who already voted for it in the U.S. House, Congressman Mike Castle? I guess the Constitution, limited government and lower taxes only matter to Gov. Christie when he needs votes.

O'Donnell picks up two more endorsements

First, here is a press release from the O'Donnell campaign that proclaims the endorsement of the Family Research Council PAC (FRC) which endorses conservative candidates across the country and who generally save their endorsements for those candidates who they feel stand an excellent chance of winning.

FRC Action PAC Endorses Christine O'Donnell for Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council Action PAC is endorsing Christine O'Donnell from the state of Delaware for the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden.
Also running in the primary to be held on September 14 is one of the most pro-abortion members of Congress ever to serve, Mike Castle, the key sponsor of a destructive embryonic stem cell research bill favoring the use of human embryos for experimentation. Congressman Castle has a 75 percent positive rating from the largest pro-abortion organization in the world, Planned Parenthood. He has a zero percent rating in FRC Action's annual scorecard.

"The Republican establishment might think they are backing a winner in Mike Castle, but they are only backing another Arlen Specter or Charlie Crist," said Tony Perkins, Chairman of the Family Research Council Action PAC. "We are proud of Christine O'Donnell for stepping into the race and challenging the candidate who has stood against life and the family consistently in his career on Capitol Hill. We will support her courageous effort every step of the way," concluded Perkins.
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FRC Action PAC is the political action committee connected to FRC Action, a 501(c)(4) membership organization. FRC Action is the legislative advocacy arm of the Family Research Council, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Paid for by Family Research Council Action PAC (www.frcactionpac.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

But the news doesn't stop there for Christine. Later in the day the Independence Hall T.E.A. Party Association released the following press release.

August 11, 2010


Dear Friends,

On Sunday (August 8), the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC Board of Directors unanimously voted to endorse Christine O'Donnell (R-DE) for the US Senate Seat left vacant by Vice President Joe Biden.

Like PAC endorsed candidate Anna Little (R-NJ), Christine O'Donnell clearly articulates the values of our organization--limited government, lower taxes, and free enterprise--in a way that makes us proud.

Like Anna Little, Christine O'Donnell is very capable of pulling off an upset primary win. O'Donnell will face Congressman Mike Castle (R-DE) in Delaware's September 14 Republican primary. O'Donnell is already polling ahead of her likely Democratic opponent in the general election.

If O'Donnell wins the general election, she'll be sworn in November 3rd and will take part in the lame duck session of the 111th Congress. Needless to say,
O'Donnell's votes, unlike that of her primary opponent, Mike Castle, will be reliable in stoppping the Obama agenda.

Independence Hall Tea Party PAC Executive Board

I'd like to as Miss Stephanie Hansen if she feels that the IHTPA or FRC endorsements are "like an endorsement from the Madhatter" as she said about the endorsement from the T.E.A. Party Express on WHYY. If you haven't checked out O'Donnell's campaign website I suggest you do so. It's not too late to through a few bucks her way, volunteer with her campaign or to tell your friends why she is the best candidate to help save America.

*UPDATE*
Christine O'Donnell has just recieved the endorsement from the Gun Owners of America association. Here is their press release:

August 2010

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is pleased to endorse Christine O’Donnell for U.S. Senate in the September 14 Republican primary.

Christine’s commitment to the right to keep and bear arms is unwavering. She understands that gun prohibitions turn law-abiding citizens into easier targets for violent criminals.

Christine O’Donnell respects the Constitution and will not support any laws that will disarm law-abiding American citizens.

The contrast between Christine and her opponent could not be clearer, as she is running against the most anti-gun Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mike Castle has been in the U.S. House since 1993, and the record he has complied voting against your gun rights could fill volumes. In his time in the House, Castle has voted:

* To allow the FBI to keep the names of lawful gun purchasers for months, effectively creating a registration list of gun owners;

* Against arming commercial airline pilots in defense of terrorism;

* For so-called campaign finance reform, which limits the ability of groups like GOA to communicate with the voting public about congressional legislation;

* Against repealing the gun ban in Washington, D.C.; and,

* Against repealing the gun ban on National Park Service land.

Mike Castle has not only voted consistently against your Second Amendment rights—he is an anti-gun leader as well. In 2004, Castle urged then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to extend the Clinton ban on semi-automatic firearms. Castle even introduced his own legislation to extend the gun ban for an additional ten years.

In the current session of Congress, Castle has authored a bill that will regulate gun shows out of existence. His legislation is cosponsored by over one hundred Democrats who are F-rated on gun issues.

This is a bill that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would love to pass. And if he were elected to the U.S. Senate, you can be sure that Mike Castle would team up with his old buddy from New York—Sen. Chuck Schumer—to push even more gun control.

Simply put, were it left up to Mike Castle the Second Amendment would be completely abolished.

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is working to keep this gun banner out of the U.S. Senate, and we hope you will join us.

Christine O’Donnell will stand up to the anti-gun leadership in the Senate. She will oppose any new anti-gun legislation, and work to repeal unconstitutional gun laws already in place.

On behalf of Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund, I urge you stand with Christine O’Donnell for Senate.

You can visit Christine on the web at http://www.christineodonnell.com to make a contribution to her campaign.

And please, make sure all your contacts know about the importance of this race and remember to vote.

It is time for a new way of thinking in Washington. We need legislators who respect our Constitutional liberties and who will stand up to anti-gun Senators like Schumer, Lautenberg and Feinstein.

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund urges all voters who support the right to keep and bear arms to vote for Christine O’Donnell for U.S. Senate in the September 14 Republican primary.

Thank you for your support if Gun Owners of America

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice Chairman

P.S.—Unfortunately, the Republican establishment in Washington is supporting anti-gunner Mike Castle. This makes it all the more important for gun owners to stand with Christine O’Donnell for Senate.