The victory of Republican Scott Brown – the first Republican to win a Senate race in Massachusetts in nearly five decades – has invigorated Cape Region Republicans.

Brian Shupe, chairman of the 36th District Republicans, said Brown focused on integrity, limited government and conservatism in his campaign, and local Republicans would follow suit to keep the 36th District a red region – as it has been for nearly the past 30 years. So far, the four Republican candidates for the 36th District are: Kim Hoey Stevenson, Glen Stevenson, Howard Webb and Harvey Kenton.

Kim Hoey Stevenson
Kim Hoey Stevenson, 44, of Milford, is a former teacher for the Milford and Indian River school districts. Stevenson, vice chairwoman of the Milford Planning Commission, said Delawareans could no longer ignore what’s going on in Dover under a Democratic governor, House and Senate. She blamed Democrats for raising gross receipts and income taxes, fees and permits.

A Wake Forest University graduate, in July, Stevenson completed the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University.

A fourth-generation Delawarean, Stevenson said she would work toward tightening up comprehensive development plans. She said she would work toward retaining local control of schools. She would also consider combining three vocational districts under one umbrella to save money. Stevenson said she would follow in Carey’s footsteps by providing outreach to constituents. “You’ll know where you stand with me because I’m a crappy liar,” she said.

Glen Stevenson
Glen Stevenson, 49, of Milford, is athletic director for the Milford School District. Calling himself an extremely conservative Republican and devout Christian, Stevenson said he is a pro-life candidate who opposed a state-funded needle exchange program upstate.

He said he agrees with Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover, who said, “We don’t have an income problem, we have a spending problem.”

Prior to working in the Milford schools, Stevenson – who is not related to Kim – said he worked for a decade at the Bank of Delaware, which later became PNC bank.

He attacked Democrats, saying under the past three Democratic gubernatorial administrations, the state has not fared well. “But, I’ll give Gov. Jack Markell a pass on that,” he said, referring to Markell’s attempts to curb state spending. “But DelDOT and the amount of money that goes through that agency is incredible,” he said.

He said he’s not a proponent of expanded gambling, but it’s a reality that’s not going to go away.

Stevenson said Republicans need to nominate a candidate who is electable, estimating that it would take at least $75,000 to run a strong campaign.

Howard Webb
Milford farmer Howard Webb, 64, said he would work toward reining in the uncontrolled growth Sussex County faces. After attending Milford schools, Webb entered the U.S. Army, where he served in Vietnam as an executive officer. After returning to the Cape Region, Webb said he’s been farming ever since.

“I believe in small government. The most important thing is to leave Delaware a great place for our kids and grandkids,” he said.

“Planning – that’s a real can of worms in this state,” he said.

Shupe announced Harvey Kenton as another eligible candidate, who was unable to attend the Republican meeting. Kenton, he said, had a prior commitment to attend a Delaware State Fair meeting, as a member of the executive board. Attempts to reach Kenton at press time were not successful.

Although 40 people attended the meeting at the Milton Public Library, a committee of a dozen GOP members, including the eight election district chairs, will select the Republican candidate. Most important for eligible candidates are their ability to fundraise and gain support in the region. Shupe said with Republican Rep. Mike Castle running for U.S. Senate, some national money will come to Delaware to gain Republican seats, but he urged candidates to draw on local support.

Shupe said the vetting process for the 36th District Republican nomination would most likely be complete by Monday, Feb. 1.

“Quite frankly, we need a lot of people for this election,” he said.