On Friday I issued a bit of a yellow light - for caution - to Delco Democrats.
They are certainly feeling their oats these days.
They are looking at things from a bit of a different view - from the winner's perch. In the November they did something they have been talking about doing for years - winning a countywide election.
Not only that, but they won both seats on Delaware County Council, as well as all three county row offices.
How Sweep It Was!
Then they set their eyes on the November mid-terms, in particular the 7th District seat held by incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan.
Then a funny thing happened. Meehan decided not to seek re-election after becoming mired in the details of using taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment suit.
Not only that, but the state Supreme Court followed that by blowing up the existing congressional districts and drawing up a new map of their own.
They put all of Delaware County into one district, the newly formed 5th. Gone was the ugly gerrymander that led critics to brand the 7th "Goofy Kicking Donald Duck," carefully twisted and contorted to pretty much guarantee Meehan or another Republican smooth sailing at the polling place.
Also wiped away was the old 1st District turf held for years by U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, D-1, who also decided not to seek re-election. The 1st included lots of Democratic votes in the city of Chester, as well as some towns along the river.
Now the entire county is included in the 5th, along with a sliver of the Main Line and a portion of south and southwest Philly.
Democrats could not wait to toss their hats in the ring for this new plum.
And a lot of them did.
But here's the rub. While county Dems have for years wanted to unify the entire county under one Congressional roof, they finally got what they wanted - and still might be on the outside looking in, in a manner of speaking.
That's because one of those seeking the nomination is Rich Lazer, from that Philly portion of the district. He's a former aide to Mayor Jim Kenney, has the backing - and money - of John Dougherty's powerful IBEW union, and last week picked up an endorsement from state Sen. Anthony Williams, D-8, and a host of local officials from the eastern end of the county who don't seem nearly as bothered by the idea of a Philadelphia candidate winning the seat as some of their other Delco counterparts.
The belief is that with so many Delco horses in the field, they could splinter the Delco vote, opening the door for Lazer to win the nomination.
What happened Sunday night did not help those who fear that scenario.
County Democrats gathered for an endorsement meeting, with party Chairman David Landau hoping to unite the party behind a single candidate, preferably one from Delaware County.
It didn't happen.
None of the 14 candidates seeking the endorsement won enough support.
That means an open primary.
Buckle your seat belts, folks.
This one could be a bumpy ride.
You can get all the details on last night's Dem endorsement meeting here.
And there is a bit of news on the GOP side as well.
The party recently united behind their endorsed candidate, Pearl Kim of Radnor. She's a former county assistant district attorney and former deputy state attorney general.
All of the other candidates stepped aside as the party rallied behind Kim.
All except one.
That would be Paul Addis, a corporate lawyer from Haverford.
Now it looks like there may be issues with some of the signatures on his nominating petitions. A court hearing is expected to be held on the matter this week.
The one challenger to the GOP-endorsed candidate gets a petition challenge? Coincidence. Probably not. Then again, if indeed it is as it appears and Addis has problems with some of his signatures, he should have seen this one coming.
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