State of Delaware Archives: on Principles & Values
Chris Coons:
Described himself in college as a "bearded Marxist"
O'Donnell is facing allegations she used her campaign cash in 2009-2010 as her personal piggy bank, spending more than $20,000 when she was no longer a candidate.O'Donnell denies doing anything wrong, saying there is, "No truth to it."
To be fair,
O'Donnell's opponent is also facing scrutiny. Chris Coons finds himself having to answer questions about an article he wrote in college, where he described himself as a "bearded Marxist." He talked about it earlier tonight on CNN.
Source: Anderson Cooper 360 coverage of 2010 Delaware Senate debate
Sep 21, 2010
Chris Coons:
Focuses on his experience; will fight on Delaware issues
Coons appeared steady, if not a bit boring--something that could actually prove an asset in this general election contest. He emphasized his experience as county executive while drawing contrasts between himself and O'Donnell without truly going on the
attack. "This race is not about ideology, but about ideas," he said. "Not about a narrow social agenda, but about who is going to fight to get this country back on track."Coons noted the state's long tradition of "constructive and civil debate,"
emphasizing, "I have not been worried about who would come in from out of state to endorse me or not."
Borrowing a line from Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Coons suggested the race would be fought on issues important to
Delaware voters, rather than in the national media spotlight. "It's often said that this is Joe Biden's seat," Coons said. "It's not. It's Delaware's seat."
Source: The Hill coverage of 2010 Delaware Senate debate
Sep 16, 2010
Chris Coons:
I am not a bearded Marxist; but a clean-shaven capitalist
O'DONNELL: My opponent has recently said that it was studying under a Marxist professor that made him become a Democrat. So when you look at his position on things like not eliminating death tax, which is a tenet of Marxism...Q: You did once describe
yourself when you were in college a long time ago as a bearded Marxist?
COONS: [That was in] an article that I wrote the day of our commencement, and the title and the content of that clearly makes it obvious that it was a joke. My roommates in the
Young Republican Club thought when I returned from Kenya and registered as a Democrat that doing so was proof that I had gone all the way over to the far left end, and so they jokingly called me a bearded Marxist. It was a joke. I am not now, nor have
I ever been, anything but a clean-shaven capitalist.
O'DONNELL: You wrote that you learned your beliefs from a Marxist professor; that should send chills up the spine of every voter.
COONS: If it were true, I'd agree. But it's not true.
Source: CNN's Wolf Blitzer moderating 2010 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 13, 2010
Chris Coons:
There can only be reconciliation with repentance
Many of my Republican colleagues are now calling for healing and for us to come together. I'll tell you that there can only be reconciliation with repentance. I think the single most important thing that Republicans in Congress who helped facilitate
this widespread conspiracy theory that somehow the election was stolen can do in these remaining ten days is to stop those lies and to persuade their followers that President-elect Biden is the duly elected President.
Source: CBS Meet the Press on 2020 Delaware Senate race
Jan 10, 2021
Chris Coons:
We have to address the trust deficit in our country
We are at the beginning of the end of this pandemic, with nearly 300,000 Americans dead. That's a lot of empty chairs at tables at holiday time, and there's 16 million Americans infected, 850,000 filed for unemployment this past week for the first time.
We have to address the trust deficit in our country. Trust in science and vaccines. Trust in each other after this election. The Senate can lead and show that we can deliver the kind of relief that will restore hope to the American people.
Source: Meet the Press interview for 2020 Delaware Senate race
Dec 13, 2020
Christine O`Donnell:
Charged with spending $20K after campaign had ended
Christine O'Donnell is facing allegations she used her campaign cash in 2009-2010 as her personal piggy bank. Documents filed with the Federal Election Commission charged that she illegally spent more than $20,000 of her campaign dollars--when she was no
longer a candidate.O'Donnell denies doing anything wrong, saying there is, "No truth to it."
To be fair, Chris Coons finds himself having to answer questions about an article he wrote in college, where he described himself as a "bearded Marxist."
Source: Anderson Cooper 360 coverage of 2010 Delaware Senate debate
Sep 21, 2010
Christine O`Donnell:
I am not a witch; the Constitution is my guide
Q: Comments that you've made in the past, which are in your own words because they're on the videotape; you even released an ad that opened up by saying "I am not a witch". So what do you say to voters who are uncomfortable by these remarks O'DONNELL:
This election cycle should not be about comments I made on a comedy show over a decade and a half ago. This election cycle should be about what is important to the people of Delaware. My opponent has said that the statements that we made in our
20s should be off the table, and after he made that statement, days later, he started running ads, going back on his word using those statements to misrepresent my character. My faith has matured over the years but regardless of my personal faith, when
I go down to Washington, D.C., it is the constitution that I will defend and it is by the constitution that I will make all of my decisions.
Source: CNN's Wolf Blitzer moderating 2010 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 13, 2010
Christine O`Donnell:
Decision to black out national media from DE debates
Chris Coons says he's not ducking anything, and he's ready for the tough the questions. "I'm looking forward to any debate that allows Christine O'Donnell and me to have Delaware's voters get a better understanding of our ideas."
Coons has agreed to eight debates before November 2nd. He says he rejected a debate hosted by the 9-12 Patriots for one reason only. "The 9-12 Patriots Group has endorsed her and is an issue group.
We're looking for and have accepted opportunities for debates at independent venues like the University of Delaware, the Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters."
And when it comes to
Christine O'Donnell's decision to black out national media, Coons says she can do whatever she wants. "That's her choice. If my opponent decides to stop answering questions from the national media, I hope Delawareans will take that into account."
Source: WDEL 1150AM coverage of 2010 Delaware Senate debate
Sep 22, 2010
Gene Truono:
Seek common ground solutions using dignity and respect
Gene pledges to conduct himself with dignity and respect. Congress has been plagued by scandal.
Too many promises have been made and broken. Gene pledges to seek common ground to solve the longstanding problems facing our nation.
Source: 2018 Delaware Senate campaign website VoteTruono.com
Apr 4, 2018
Jack Markell:
Unleashing the potential in every Delawarean
Unleashing the Potential in Every Delawarean- The Opportunity to Work: Only 20% of our kids graduate from high school ready for college or a career.
- A Culture of Innovation: It's time to write a new chapter in our rich history of invention.
-
Investing in Delaware: Unleashing the potential of our economy demands world-class infrastructure.
- Opportunity to Learn: Quality education is essential for anyone seeking to unleash his or her potential.
- A New Day in Delaware Downtowns: Much of
our success as a state will depend upon whether our cities are safe and vibrant.
- The Opportunity to Contribute: We cannot meet our potential if we give up on a great number of our people.
Years from now--after the roads have been built; after
today's kindergartners have retired from jobs we helped create; after our cities thrive and our waters run clean; the people of Delaware may not remember us by name. But they will know that our focus was to unleash the potential of every Delawarean.
Source: 2014 State of the State Address to Delaware legislature
Jan 23, 2014
Jack Markell:
Religious tolerance is cornerstone of US value system
The recognition of the discriminatory sins of prior generations presents an opportunity to reflect on whether we have learned history's lessons--whether we are living up to our core values of opportunity & equality for all people. The suggestion by some
that one's eligibility to enter this country should be subject to a religious test represents a dangerous path. Because while racial and religious tolerance may not always have been our history, that is the future in which we want our children to live.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Delaware legislature
Jan 21, 2016
James DeMartino:
Our government exists to protect our God given rights
Our government exists to protect our God given rights. I am a firm believer and supporter in our Constitution's fundamental principles of limited government, separation of powers, individual liberty and the rule of law.
Our rights are not subject to interpretation by public opinion but rather by the Supreme Court. I will support the nomination of judges that interpret the constitution as written and intended by our founding fathers.
Source: 2020 Delaware Senate campaign website VoteDeMartino.com
Aug 20, 2020
James DeMartino:
Family man, Citadel grad, former Marine Judge Advocate
I was flattered when my friend James DeMartino, Esq., asked me to nominate him to run against that incumbent pink-o Chris Coons, who has been moving our state and nation to the left since 2015. I was happy to let loose and let the 200 or so patriots
there know what I really think. Jim is a great guy: Family man, Citadel grad, former Marine Corps Judge Advocate, intelligence officer and now an attorney-at-law in private practice. He'll make the kind of senator America and Delaware need.
Source: WGMD 92.7FM-Delmarva on 2020 Delaware Senate race
Jul 29, 2020
Jan Ting:
Profession: Law professor and immigration commissioner
Ting is a Michigan native who moved from Philadelphia's Main Line to the Alapocas neighborhood west of Wilmington in 1984 when his wife, a physician, opened a Delaware practice. Ting has long been a tenured professor at the Temple University law school i
Philadelphia and is currently a visiting professor at Widener University School of Law in Talleyville. Under the first President Bush, he was an assistant commissioner - one of the top 10 officials - in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Source: Cris Barrish, The Delaware News Journal, "Republican issues"
Sep 3, 2006
Jan Ting:
Things are broken in Washington DC, and I'm outraged
I'm in this race because I'm convinced that things are broken in Washington DC. The people that are there, both Democrats and Republicans, have been doing nothing about it. I'm concerned about the big problems that exist in our society-Social Security,
Medicare, & healthcare generally-all of which are headed for a train wreck. The problems are much more serious, even, than we perceive them to be. I'm convinced that this current partisan atmosphere is not one that is conducive to the big solution needed
Source: Delaware 2006 Senate Debate, hosted by WHYY-TV
Oct 20, 2006
John Carney:
Delawareans are willing to chip in and help, if all do
I know that all of you in the General Assembly are tired of sitting here year after year talking about how we can climb out of another budget hole. Some things are beyond our control, but this one is not. It's within our power to put ourselves on
a more sustainable financial footing. My budget does that, and I look forward to working with each of you on your ideas to do the same. What I will not do is use budget gimmicks or one-time fixes to bail us out, only to be right back here next year
giving the same speech.At our budget town hall in Milford, a gentleman stood up and said to me, "As long as government's cutting costs and doing more with less, I'm willing to pay a little bit more. But it's got to be a fair trade."
I heard this sentiment echoed up and down the state. Delawareans are willing to chip in and help with our budget problem, as long as their neighbors are asked to do the same. My budget is built on this principle of shared sacrifice.
Source: 2017 Delaware State of the State address
Mar 30, 2017
Kevin Wade:
Challenges Carper to twenty Senate debates
Kevin Wade, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, is challenging Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) to a series of "twenty debates or thirty debates" in the upcoming campaign. He issued the challenge on WDEL radio Friday afternoon. Wade said that
Carper challenged then-incumbent senator William V. Roth (R-DE) to a series of twenty debates statewide in 2000. Carper defeated Roth in that election, and called the debate challenge "the Delaware way."
"There are 880,000 people in the state that
have questions they'd like to ask of Senator Carper" Wade said during his call-in to a popular Wilmington radio program. "Maybe we can get 500 at a time into a room and get the questions asked and he can describe his vision from his 35-year incumbency
standpoint," he continued.
Wade described Carper as "silent Tom down in the Senate." He said the debates in 2000, which he referred to as "the Carper rule," were a good idea then and are a good idea now. "Good ideas don't age," he said.
Source: Delaware Republican Examiner on 2012 Delaware Senate debates
May 26, 2012
Kevin Wade:
Sen. Carper accepts Wade's 10-debate challenge
Incumbent Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) publicly agreed to debate challenger Kevin Wade (R) 10 times in the coming 7 weeks before election day at Thursday night's Candidate Forum, hosted by Hadassah and the Jewish Community Center in North Wilmington.
Wade issued public statements in May and a written request to Carper's campaign in July asking the senator for "10 or 20 debates" across Delaware.
Carper is now in his second term as a U.S. Senator and previously served as State Treasurer, as Delaware's U.S. Congressman, and as Governor. When Carper campaigned against then-Senator William Roth in 2000, they engaged in several statewide
debates that Carper called "the Delaware way," setting a precedent that Wade seeks to exploit in un-seating Carper. Neither Carper nor his campaign office acknowledged Wade's debate challenge until last night's forum in North Wilmington.
Source: Examiner.com on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Sep 14, 2012
Rob Arlett:
I will vote principles and not party lines
"This campaign is about you," Arlett said. "This is a bipartisan campaign that is going to attract all people of all races and all religions." "I'm a person of the people,"
Arlett said. "That's the difference between our campaign and the others. I am you." "I will vote principles and not party lines," Arlett said on the windy, sun-spotted day.
Source: DelMarVaNow.com on 2018 Delaware Senate race
Apr 24, 2018
Rob Arlett:
Proud Christian man: fight for free practice of religion
Supporting and defending the Constitution means abiding by it as written. As a proud Christian man of faith, Rob will always fight for equality and justice for all Americans no matter their background. In his eyes, everyone is a child of
God who deserves the opportunity to thrive in our great country. Understanding the freedom to practice one's faith freely, as a Senator in Washington, Rob will fight to defend and preserve the natural right to the free practice of religion.
Source: 2018 Delaware Senate Campaign website RobArlett.com
Sep 1, 2018
Tom Carper:
I've built bipartisan coalitions in the US Senate
In the US Senate, what I've done is to build bipartisan coalitions, not only to address global warming, but to clean up our air. I've built bipartisan coalitions to better educate our children and introduce market forces into our schools. Bipartisan
coalitions to bring Amtrak and the Postal Service into the 21st century. Bipartisan coalitions to build a foreign policy that's strong and tough. My job in the Senate is to get people to work with each other. We're need more people like that, not less.
Source: Delaware 2006 Senate Debate, hosted by WHYY-TV
Oct 20, 2006
Tom Carper:
2000: Twenty debates are "the Delaware way"
Kevin Wade, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, is challenging Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) to a series of "twenty debates or thirty debates" in the upcoming campaign. He issued the challenge on WDEL radio Friday afternoon. Wade said that
Carper challenged then-incumbent senator William V. Roth (R-DE) to a series of twenty debates statewide in 2000. Carper defeated Roth in that election, and called the debate challenge "the Delaware way."
"There are 880,000 people in the state that
have questions they'd like to ask of Senator Carper" Wade said during his call-in to a popular Wilmington radio program. "Maybe we can get 500 at a time into a room and get the questions asked and he can describe his vision from his 35-year incumbency
standpoint," he continued.
Wade described Carper as "silent Tom down in the Senate." He said the debates in 2000, which he referred to as "the Carper rule," were a good idea then and are a good idea now. "Good ideas don't age," he said.
Source: Delaware Republican Examiner on 2012 Delaware Senate debates
May 26, 2012
Tom Carper:
We need bridge-builders in Washington
Carper, the incumbent, said he has worked across the aisle to accomplish things in Delaware. "We need bridge-builders in Washington,"
Carper said. "We need leaders who don't build themselves up by tearing other people down."
Source: Cape Gazette on 2012 Delaware Senate debate
Oct 19, 2012
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023