Terry Houck, John Morganelli's top assistant and DiLuzio's sole opponent, won in a crushing landslide with 69.75% of the vote. He's a professional prosecutor, but no politician. He had no base. In contrast, it was DiLuzio's race to lose. She started her campaign with endorsements from Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez and State Senator Lisa Boscola. She's married to Bethlehem's top cop, Mark DiLuzio. And though Executive Lamont McClure claimed he was neutral, most of his staff were backing DiLuzio. He himself inappropriately came within a centimeter of endorsing her during his State of the County address.
So how did DiLuzio manage to lose this race? Before giving you my theories, let me give you the facts.
In Bethlehem, which should have been her stronghold, she was massacred. She did win in four small south side precincts, but the other 21 went to Houck. He garnered 60.48% of Christmas City's DA votes.
In Bethlehem Township, where DiLuzio lives, Houck's margin of victory is even higher. He won 63.42% on the DA votes.
Things really get out of hand in the Easton area. In the City, Houck won with a whopping 78% of the vote. In Palmer Tp, it was 79%. In Forks, which only recently has become Houck's home, he captured 85.4% of the vote.
Is this because Terry is so popular? He's amiable and soft-spoken for a tough prosecutor, but is about as comfortable with politics as a vampire on the beach. He ran a professional campaign and avoided any direct attacks, but I think his victory has little to do with him or his campaign.
Here's what I think explains DiLuzio's defeat.
1. She failed to work for it. - Her campaign finance report reveals that she made no serious effort to raise money. Given her early support and the number of union people I saw at her announcement, she should have outraised Houck. She instead failed to send a single mailer, made no use of Facebook and poured what little money she had into TV ads that reached audiences in Berks and Lehigh County. She also missed several candidate events.
2. Easton-area Democrats worked against her. - They were unhappy that she only recently changed parties. When it was learned that she had decorated her home with Trump-Pence signs, that damaged her even further.
3. She was dishonest.- Her campaign manager quit after the Trump-Pence picture surfaced, not because of the sign itself, but because DiLuzio initially denied that she had one. She also misrepresented her party to several supporters who were unaware that she was, in fact, a long-time Republican. She told me that a Trump-Pence campaign sign was at her home for just a few days, and then a second picture surfaced from a different time of year. She claimed she had an ethics opinion that there was no conflict with her as DA and her husband as a police chief, but I obtained a copy and it concludes that there actually is a conflict.As each lie revealed itself, she lost support.
4. She is unlikable.- Although I personally have always considered her friendly, I have spoken to numerous people who have had unpleasant interactions with her. She told one woman, several times, to get botox treatments. She freely admitted to me that she was at war with a next door neighbor and placed a Trump sign at her home to taunt her.
This is a campaign that exposed DiLuzio, not as a Republican in Democratic clothing, but as a dishonest person. Many of those who originally supported her suddenly became silent.
23 comments:
It sure seemed like it was in the bag for her. It was her race to lose. I wonder how much his vast experience played in his victory. I realize that in politics today, experience is attacked and even mentioned as a liability. It is actually refreshing to see a throwback to actually voting for someone because they know what they are doing. Was probably not the case as no one seems to care anymore but it is nice to think it is important.
She never deserved to win. She was a B--CH all along. Her nose has always been in the air. It came back to bite her.
Now to get rid of the rest in 2020!
Hey Bernie! Why don't you do some research on, "The Top Cop", you so affectionately call him? Think he earned the title by Merit? Maybe Donchez needs to admit to himself what mistakes he's made. Wouldn't be hard to do a story if you just ask a few of his co-workers. It's not, "Rocket Science!".
She lost because those that know her have spoken.
Hi call him Bethlehem’s top cop because he is. This story is about his wife, not him. I will add that I have known him many years. This race has taken a toll on him, and he has become alienated within his own department. Despite this, he has always been responsive to me, has never lied to me, and I have high regard for him.
Incidentally, I have spoken to numerous people about both. Almost universally, they have high praise for Mark. Almost universally, they detest Nuria.
Someone gave this woman bad political advice. Why didn't she run just as a Republican?? Was she afraid of running against Carrol?. A woman Trump supporter who pulled 30% of the Dem vote would have been a very strong general election candidate. Who was behind her thought process on switching parties??
Alas, history delayed. Judge Paula Roscioli would easily have outpaced Houck. And yes if Nuria had been the Gop nominee pulling 30% Democrats she would have won.
DiLuzio would never have garnered 30% of the Dems in a general election. Judge Paula Roscioli, a Democrat, would have defeated Houck in a primary. But she would have been required to step down from the bench before circulating a petition.
She just desperately wants to this die a quick and final death. Personally, I hope McClure removes her from the position.
Everyone knows that the reason she lost is because men won't vote for a women. Toxic masculinity is the standard for every male alive and because of it women are suffering. Look at Alabama!
Give it a rest. I voted against her bc she is a liar. But there are a large number of Democrats who will vote for even a flawed candidate if she is female.
How did Susan Wilde beat Marty Nothstein if men won’t vote for a woman. DiLuzio did not have the background of Hauck for the job.
Thats a roundabout way of saying she lost because she is a Trumper - the kiss of death. 2018 was an anti-Trump wave that is just growing in power. Everything Trump touches dies.
She lost because those that know her have spoken.
Nonsense. She lost because voters got a Houck mailer EVERY DAY showing her Trump signs. Lights out!
2:28, stop this rant. Women want to support good women candidates but not just because they are women. DiLuzio was a very flawed candidate. You cannot vote blindly. I voted for the five democrats on county council two years ago. I have come to regret my vote for Zirinski and Hefner as they have shown themselves to not be what I had hoped.
I voted for two of the Rs, Peg and Hayden Phillips, and three of the Dems - Heckman, McGee and Heffner.
Heffner has room to improve, Zrinski does not.
You have a good point Bernie. Zirinski comes off as bat shit crazy at times. Hefner comes off as mean and condescending. Heard she wants to be running the council now and is anxious to be in charge of things. She may want to settle in and down a bit more.
Sometimes in the heat of the competition, we forget that our system is not entirely rational. The qualifications of a good candidate are often antithetical to the qualifications of a good public servant. That anybody would hold it against Houck that he's not a "good politician" is proof of this irrationality.
Let's take a moment to appreciate that in this case, the primary system actually produced the most rational result - the election of the most qualified, most ethical, most experienced, most honest, and most professional candidate- HOUCK. He clearly takes his work seriously and serves selflessly for his constituents, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for subjecting himself and his family to this political s@#%show for something he clearly sees as a higher and more noble purpose.
And to speculate about who could have beaten him in a primary is to deny the magnitude of what he accomplished here. He ran a clean, smart, positive, and honest campaign - and he won. In today's hyperpartisan environment, that is worth celebrating. He's the man in the arena - everyone else is just a critic.
I take nothing away from Terry, for whom I have great regard. But this is politics, and part of the game is speculation about these what ifs. Get used to it.
She lost because NBB and the rest of the crew at City Hall thought she was a shoe-in and sat on their thumbs and did nothing. She thought she was the entitled goddess and did nothing to earn it. Willie will probably do the same thing as he thinks his deal not to run against NBB entitles him to the throne. At least the inbreeding was interrupted for a little while. Hopefully the citizenry is finally getting a glimpse of the cluelessness.
Not sure what she could have done to combat the daily Houck mailers showing her Trump allegiance.
2020 - thats all you need. Show your opponent supports Trump.
I don't encourage the foul or nasty comments on this blog. I have personal contact with the Delzio's, the city, and district attorney's offices. My concerns are out there. Police and the District Attorney's offices were designed to uncover the truth, and punish wrongdoers. It's at the point where we can't distinguish between those who are trying to eradicate the bad, and those who are bad and infiltrating society.
However, foul language and hate talk are not the solution.
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