The eyes of Pennsylvania are on Delaware County. At least those that keep tabs on Keystone State politics.
The political website PoliticsPa has labeled the race for Delaware County Council the third most interesting race on the November ballot, trailing only the Superior Court race that pits Democrat Jack McVay Jr. vs. Republican Vic Stabile, and a battle for Lehigh County executive.
So why is Delco being anointed such lofty status in what otherwise appears to be a pretty routine municipal election, without the sizzle - and the turnout - that is guaranteed during a presidential election?
We've been hinting at it for months now. Democrats have made inroads in many towns and school boards in the county.
At the same time, the GOP's once insurmountable edge in voter registration has disappeared. Their nearly 3-1 edge in the glory years has vanished. Democrats now actually have a 600-voter edge in registration. But while the county has now consistently gone Democratic in presidential votes in the past decade and more, there remains one impenetrable fortress. That would be the Media Courthouse, where a Democrat has not sat on the County Council since the Home Rule Charter was adopted in the mid-'70s.
That's the task Bill Clinton and Pat Worrell are facing as they challenge Republican incumbents Mario Civera and Dave White for two seats on council.
While Democrats may have a slight edge in registration, whether or not they can get those voters to the polls remains very much in question. County GOP leader Andy Reilly points out that among "active" voters - those likely to actually vote in a municipal election - the Delco Republicans still have a healthy lead.
Like most off-year races, this will come down to turnout, which party can get their voters out of the house to exercise their vote.
But it's clear that people are talking about the shifting political tides here in Delaware County. Which makes a decision by the Dems yesterday a little odd. For years Democrats bemoaned the fact that incumbent Republicans routinely ignored their calls to debate. Now it seems like the Dems are doing the same thing.
Clinton and Worrell yesterday said they would not debate their Republican foes unless their entire slate - including candidates for the Court of Common Pleas and county row offices, was included.
As a result, the forum being sponsored by the League of Women Voters was cancelled.
You would think the Democrats would be taking advantage of every opportunity to take on their Republican Council foes.
They say that's in fact the case, but only if their entire slate is included.
Sounds to me like an opportunity missed.
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