About 70 people – some with their checkbooks in hand – helped kick off state Sen. Colin Bonini’s (R-Dover South) gubernatorial bid Saturday in Dover as he tries to overcome the Democratic machine that has controlled much of state government for years.
If elected, Bonini says he will immediately roll back executive orders propping up prevailing wage on state projects, implement right-to-work laws and keep the state budget at current levels.
One way to do that, he says, is by cutting public jobs through an early retirement buyout program.
Bonini notes he would also lower taxes, though he offered no specifics.
Since he was first elected to his South Dover seat in 1994, Bonini has never voted for the state’s budget, saying it’s grown to gargantuan proportions while the economy sits stagnant.
“If you think there’s a finance problem in Delaware state government, the way to fix it is grow the economy. We don’t need to raise taxes on people, we need 10,000 more high-paying jobs.”
He also called his primary opponent, former state trooper Lacey Lafferty, a fringe candidate and expects to face Congressman John Carney (D) in November.
Despite being outmatched in fundraising, voter registration and the backing of Delaware’s most powerful politicians, Bonini says he can win.
“This is not tilting at the windmill. There’s a real opportunity here. Delawareans are suffering and they’re upset and I’m going to give them a real choice…they deserve an election, not a coronation,” he said.
The Stanford, California native originally came to Delaware to study at Wesley College and was elected to his first term shortly after graduating.
Most recently, he shocked the state senate by revealing he'd support legalizing recreational marijuana, saying that it's effectively already legal.
"It's the only tax [I'll] ever propose," Bonini said, noting he'd want to funnel proceeds into addiction treatment and rehabilitation programs.
Carney favors decriminalization and wouldn't legalize the drug, while Lafferty balks at the thought.
Delaware's last Republican governor was Mike Castle, who left office in 1992 – effectively swapping roles with the next governor, Tom Carper (D).
The GOP's most significant victory in recent years came in 2014 when it elected its first new statewide official in decades.
The party also stripped a Democratic super majority in the state senate and gained seats in the House of Representatives that year.
Republicans have fielded candidates in several races in the hopes of a repeat performance this election cycle, with Bonini seeking to oversee a wave of red in an increasingly blue state.
