The popular full-color one-page elect-me mailers have been piling up in mailboxes this month as a host of Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and Congress make their pitches.
The level of interest in the lieutenant governor’s post is especially striking and points to a logjam of ambitious and qualified public servants with few chances to climb the job ladder.
Cynics might see the flock of candidates as a sign of a job search for a cushy, low-stress position. On the minus side, the pay is not that good at less than $80,000.
Again, cynics might suggest this means we will see candidates coming from government agencies, nonprofits or education entities with generous leave policies. The days when private sector employers would allow such things are long gone.
A half a dozen Democrats are running with one declared Republican candidate. The GOP has not held the post since the 1990s.
Of late, the ascension path to governor has become less predictable
State Treasurer Jack Markell jumped in front of Lt. Gov. John Carney and became governor for two terms. Carney pivoted and easily won a congressional seat.
Meanwhile, Matt Denn moved over from Insurance Commissioner to take the post.
Denn, with a wealth of experience in state government, did help Markell, who was facing the worst economic downturn in the state since the banking and high-tax rate crisis that took place four decades ago.
As Markell’s final term wound down, the late Attorney General Beau Biden was poised to jump to the front of the line in the gubernatorial race.
The Biden vacancy led Lt. Governor Denn to run for the post of Attorney General in this Delaware version of musical chairs.
With Denn’s departure, the lieutenant governor’s post has been vacant since 2015, under a quirk that does not allow for an election or appointment to fill out the term.
Democrats were in no hurry to change the law since Republicans could have offered a credible challenger who could capitalize on the current unhappiness with a changing economy.
In the past, Delaware voters were not afraid to split their tickets when it came to the governor and lieutenant governor posts.
Markell, an energetic governor, who works weekends and a few nights, has sailed along without a lieutenant governor. He does not support the abolition of the post.
I’m stating the obvious here, but why does a state with slightly less than a million residents need the post?
As one friend suggested, simply adding succession duties, should the governor die or become ill to the job description of the secretary of state would be sufficient.
