A GUIDE TO THE CONGRESSIONAL RACES: DELAWARE

DELAWARE

Population (1994): 705,000 (up 6% from 1990), 0.3% of U.S. total Voting-age population: 534,000; 1994 turnout, 37%

Median age: 32.9 years

Median household income: $35,873 ($3,609 above U.S. median)

Unemployment: 4.5% (1.1% below U.S. average, March 1996)

Last presidential election: Clinton (D): 44% Bush (R): 35% Perot (I): 20%

Congressional delegation: One Democrat, two Republicans

Given its streak of choosing the winning presidential candidate 11 times in a row, Delaware would seem to be a perfect microcosm of America. It has ethnic neighborhoods, wide swaths of farmland, wealthy suburbs, military bases and resort towns. Candidates for statewide office actually meet a large segment of the electorate during the campaign, and in tiny Georgetown, the Thursday after the election, the losing candidate rides alongside the winner in the “Return Day” parade. This intimacy may explain why the major statewide offices are evenly split between the parties. It seems Delaware, the First State, pays more attention to personality than partisanship.

JOSEPH BIDEN JR. (D) JUNIOR SENATOR

BORN: Nov. 20, 1942, Scranton, Pa. EDUCATION: U of Delaware, B.A., 1965; Syracuse U, J.D., 1968 FAMILY: Wife, Jill; three children RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Lawyer POLITICAL CAREER: New Castle County council, 1970-72; U.S. Senate, 1972- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 371, Wilmington 19899. Tel.: 302-998-7400

Many remember Biden as the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee during 1991’s controversial Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, or as the presidential candidate who bowed out in 1987 amid allegations of plagiarism. But he has served four terms and amassed a strong liberal record, including drafting the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, co-authoring a bill to track and register sex offenders and co-sponsoring an early version of this year’s welfare-reform bill. He thought about not running for re-election, but changed his mind: “All the things I had fought for were under siege.”

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare YES Defense NO Abortion YES Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare YES National Service YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: “Drugs kill our children, and there is no more important issue confronting our nation.”

RAYMOND CLATWORTHY (R) SENATE CHALLENGER

BORN: Jan. 6, 1944, Milwaukee, Wis. EDUCATION: U.S. Naval Academy, B.S., 1967 FAMILY: Wife, Judy; three children RELIGION: Methodist MILITARY: Marines, 1967-72 OCCUPATION: Entrepreneur POLITICAL CAREER: None ADDRESS: P.O. Box 477, Dover 19903. Tel.: 302-736-5101

Clatworthy, a former Sunday-school teacher and the owner of a Christian radio station, has the full support of the religious right in this race. He’s tough on violent criminals, calling for no quarter in sentencing–or punishing: prisons, he says, should be a deterrent, not an air-conditioned, cable-ready haven. Arguing that incumbent Joseph Biden is too liberal to represent Delaware, he hopes his own conservatism will attract voters anxious for an upset.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare NO Defense YES Abortion NO Guns NO Gays YES Bosnia YES NAFTA NO Welfare NO National Service NO (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: “One hundred years ago we had 12 grades in a single-room schoolhouse and children who could read the classics. Today we have only a 19% literacy rate through the eighth grade.”

MICHAEL CASTLE (R) District–At large (Statewide)

BORN: July 2, 1939, Wilmington EDUCATION: Hamilton College, B.A., 1961; Georgetown U, LL.B., 1964 FAMILY: Wife, Jane RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Lawyer POLITICAL CAREER: Delaware Deputy Attorney General, 1965-66, House, 1967-69, Senate, 1967-77, minority leader, 1976-77, lieutenant governor, 1981-85; Governor, 1985-92; U.S. House, 1992- ADDRESS: P.O. Box 133, Wilmington 19899. Tel.: 302-656-7500

As Governor of Delaware, Castle joined then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton to rewrite the federal welfare law. He took his bipartisan legacy with him to Congress, where, as chair of the influential Domestic and International Monetary Policy Subcommittee, he sponsored a proposal to break the balanced-budget stalemate earlier this year.

THE ISSUES

Budget YES Medicare YES Defense YES Abortion YES Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA YES Welfare YES Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: “The single greatest thing we can do for the taxpayers of this country is balance the budget and finally get our financial books in order.”

DENNIS WILLIAMS (D) District–At large

BORN: April 7, 1959, NR EDUCATION: U of Delaware, B.S., 1983 FAMILY: Wife, Alexis; one child RELIGION: Roman Catholic MILITARY: None OCCUPATION: Accountant POLITICAL CAREER: Democratic nominee for Delaware House, 1994 ADDRESS: P.O. Box 30427, Wilmington 19805. Tel.: 302-477-1993

When Williams became a victim of corporate downsizing in January 1994, he decided he’d try to reform the system by running for office. He and his wife have since found new jobs, but his political interests have stayed strong. A political middle-of-the-roader, Williams would like to see the budget balanced, but not at the expense of Social Security and Medicare or environmental protection. Endorsements by the state AFL-CIO and UAW should help, but he is an underdog.

THE ISSUES

Budget NO Medicare NO Defense NO Abortion NO Guns YES Gays YES Bosnia NO NAFTA NO Welfare NO Medical Leave YES (For an explanation of these issues, see the front of this guide.)

QUOTE OF NOTE: “I think that I stand a very good chance of being victorious in my race with Mr. Castle…I believe I have a better understanding of what people are going through and what needs to be done.”