Attack ads, scrutiny dominate final days of competitive Democratic governor primary campaigns

DELAWARE - As Delawareans prepare to elect a new governor this fall, the Democratic Primary has dominated discussion, advertising and political mailers. The race has been especially tight between Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. 

Both candidates say they are uniquely positioned to benefit Sussex County. While Hall-Long cites her childhood in the southern part of the state, Meyer says his "outsider" approach to government would change how Sussex County is treated. 

Sussex County Priorities 

On climate and infrastructure 

Matt Meyer: "You're going to see sizable investments in infrastructure here, in roads and transportation and also in environmental protection," Meyer says of Sussex County if he is elected. "Making sure there's climate resiliency, making sure you're not reporting the flooding of the Indian River Inlet across roads a couple of times every year. That's not acceptable. There needs to be leadership that deals with these problems."

Bethany Hall-Long: "You've seen me on the streets of Sussex as that nurse who goes out, who cares," she says. "You're going to have that same leader who is not only going to lead in healthcare and also weather, housing and the arts and hospitality, our environment, which is so critical to Sussex [...] making sure that we have the investments for our coastline that are really important."

On housing

Hall-Long: "In Sussex especially, we have a shortage and really working on the housing crisis so that people have houses they can afford. That's where our focus is going to be in this budget, and that's where I'm ready on day one to lead that." 

Meyer: "We're going to work very hard on housing generally across the state, and particularly here in Sussex County, making sure we're able to grow appropriately, making sure that our workforce, our teachers, our police officers, our cooks and our waiters and waitresses have affordable places to live."

On healthcare

Meyer: "[There is] a lack of organization and allocation of resources to our health care system [...] Sometimes the stories you hear, it's downright pathetic. Individuals having to drive an hour, an hour and a half to get basic health care, to get MRIs, to see a specialist or wait six, eight, nine months. We are one of four states in the United States right now without a medical school. It is in our plan to invest in a medical school. My hope is to do it down here where I believe the need is much greater."

Hall-Long:  "Nobody's talking about the issues of health care and why we need more medical education and health providers," she says. "That [is what] I'm going to bring to Sussex County. That's where we should be focused."

About the candidates

On their accomplishments

Hall-Long: "I've vaccinated over 4,000 [people] over a five-month period. I brought food to the table when we were at the infant formula crisis. I brought that recently. You saw me at the Milton School. We brought the basic needs closets when children were hungry. We did that. [...] I fought for our state retirees when they did not want Medicare Advantage [...] When the insurance industry said telehealth will never happen, I brought that."

Meyer:  "I was elected in 2016 to my first governmental position. The first thing I did was hire the most diverse senior staff in local government history in Delaware. [...] We had a problem with homelessness that was growing in 2019. [...] We did something bold. We took money and bought one of the largest hotels in the state. I was told by numerous elected officials, 'don't do this,' including the governor. [...] We did it anyway because we had to solve a problem, and we haven't solved the problem, but we've helped to address it. That facility has now housed over 4,000 individuals."

On their leadership

Meyer: "I'm trying to be the first public school teacher ever elected governor. I'm also going to be the first county executive, a local government official [elected]. I understand local government issues here in Sussex County. They have the same challenges that we have in other places in the state, challenges with schools, challenges with the affordability of housing, challenges with healthcare, challenges with the environment and climate resiliency, the lowest lying region of the lowest lying state in the country. With Matt Meyer, you're going to get leadership. We've actually written a book with a plan. Our plan for the state is 100 pages long. You can get it on our website MattMeyer.org. We're not making promises. We're making plans. We're turning those plans into progress."

Hall-Long: "As a career educator, as a nurse who got her initial, at the age of 13, volunteer experience at Beebe Hospital, you know I've had that experience, not only as a state rep for Kent County and also as a senator for Kent and New Castle... for the past eight years of second in command, ready on day one, having led the National Lieutenant Governors Association. I'm thrilled to be running for governor to have a bold plan that's very innovative and it will really help attract folks to raise their families here [...] Four major things in four years: economics, education, healthcare and quality of life. And those are the things I'm going to fight for, for our entire state, that I'll bring that Sussex roots with me through and through."

A Bitter Campaign

Each candidate has been the subject of attack ads. Hall-Long's campaign finance "irregularities" -which she says was a bookkeeping mistake- has been under scrutiny for nearly a year. Meyer has called for a federal investigation into Hall-Long's campaign finances. Conversely, Hall-Long has highlighted two sexual harassment lawsuits against the New Castle County government to question Meyer's leadership. Each candidate tells CoastTV they are the subject of lies.

On attack ads

Hall-Long: "The negativity has been disgusting. The flat out libel, the slander against my family and me with my ethics and my credibility, it's been really disappointing. As the next governor, I'll work with legislature to change some of that campaign financing so that people like Mr. Meyer, who has a Change Can't Wait PAC that has put out vitriol and lies against me that's inaccurate and wrong, that we can't stand that and people can't hide behind that."

Meyer: "Nearly all the attacks in this campaign are coming from outside PACs, with the exception of some attacks on me from my opponent that are outright false [...] Not only is it false, it's a coordinated attack. [...] There's no place for these attacks. There's no place for someone to be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of a single entity spending hundreds from out of state, spending hundreds of thousand dollars to take somebody out. It's totally inappropriate." 

On the final moments of the campaign

Meyer:  "We've built a movement. We have over 2,000 volunteers. More people have signed up to volunteer for this campaign than anyone who's run for governor, I've been told, in decades. We're proud of what we've done. I want you to get involved [...] Every four years Delawareans get their say on the future direction of this state. I think [Tuesday] Delawareans are going to choose public service, not self-service."

Hall-Long: "With my endorsements, my commitment, my vision, I'm really excited for the future of Delaware and hope that folks will go out and vote early or vote on the 10th. And that when we wake up on the 11th, we're one strong community and one forward looking state."

Former National Wildlife Federation President and Chief Executive Officer Collin O'Mara is also running on the Democratic side. Three republicans candidates are running as well.