Update: Pires challenges Carper

Dewey Beach businessman Alex Pires says U.S. Sen. Tom Carper is corrupt, and he plans to bring it to the attention of Delaware voters.  “There are 57 cities and towns in Delaware,” Pires said.  “I’m going to go to every single one of them.”

Pires announced May 23 he plans to run as an Independent against Carper, an incumbent Democrat, in the Tuesday, Nov. 6 general election.  “Carper is going to get beat,” Pires said.

Pires is an attorney and as a partner of Highway One in Dewey Beach, he owns a number of local establishments, including Bottle and Cork and Rusty Rudder.  He is also a founder of Community Bank of Delaware.

If elected, Pires said, “I don’t want the salary; I don’t want the pension.” He said he would take minimum wage for each hour he worked.

Pires also supports term limits and said if elected, he will serve only one term.  “Carper votes against it every time,” Pires said.

Pires said he was not born wealthy, and he washed dishes for two years to put himself through college.  He said he earned a full scholarship to George Washington University Law School, and after graduating he worked for the Department of Justice under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

After leaving the Justice Department, Pires started a private law practice, where he represented family farmers.  He then invested his money in Delaware businesses.

Professional politicians are ruining the country, Pires said.  “They take money from special interests to vote their way,” he said.  “Their answer is, ‘That’s what’s done in Washington.’”

Carper is a professional politician, Pires said.  “He’s never worked a day in his life. Ever,” he said.

Pires said Carper has been living off taxpayer money and taking money from special interest groups for his own benefit for more than 35 years.  “I intend to bring this to an end,” he said.

In June 2011, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to lower swipe fees on credit and debit card transactions.  Total swipe fees for debit cards were estimated at $20 billion annually, and according the Federal Reserve, accounted for far more money than it cost banks to process the transactions.

“Carper spent all of his time fighting that,” Pires said.  “Even though 54,000 people in Delaware would have benefited.”  Pires estimated there are 54,000 small businesses in Delaware; the U.S. Small Business Administration shows even more – about 68,000.

Federal Election Commission disclosure records show Carper has received hundreds of thousands in contributions from banks since 2000, including Bank of America, Citigroup, Capital One, JP Morgan Chase and MasterCard.

Carper is extremely rich for someone working on a government salary, Pires said.

Pires said he plans to model his political career after John Williams, a Millsboro businessman who served as Delaware’s U.S. senator from 1947 until 1970.  “He was the most honest person in the Senate,” Pires said.

Pires said he is pro-military, and he served eight years in the Army Reserves.  But, he said, too much money is spent on the armed forces, especially overseas.  “There are 21 military bases in Germany,” he said.  “Do we need 21?  How about 18?”

The United States’ military presence in Afghanistan and Iran is an enormous waste of money, Pires said.

Pires said more money should be spent on working-class Americans, children and the elderly.  Autism is a huge problem in Delaware and around the country, he said.  “We need to spend more time on that,” Pires said.  “We should spend our money here, on people who are everyday workers,” he said.

On his status as an Independent, Pires said in a press release, “No one has ever come to this country with the dream of becoming a Democrat or a Republican – their dream is to be an American.”  Pires said he would not caucus with the Democratic or Republican Party.

Pires will announce his candidacy at 5 p.m., Saturday, May 26, at the Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach, his hometown.

On May 16, Smyrna resident Keith Spanarelli filed to run against Carper in a Democratic primary, Tuesday, Sept. 11.  The winner will face Pires and Republican candidate Kevin Wade, who has also promised to serve only one term, in the general election.