Ever since John Atkins resigned his 41st District seat in the state House, it’s been rumored that Atkins would run again in the future – possibly switching to the other side of the aisle and becoming a Democrat. 

That’s either been the worst kept secret or the best possible speculation – though he did run for to regain his former seat in the special election as an independent candidate.  He had plenty support from people, but when it came time to actually step into the voting booth – that support was flagging. 

With November drawing nearer, and a Republican still seated in the 41st District seat, Democrats in the district are looking for a candidate to run against Greg Hastings.  However, if Atkins is still looking to switch allegiances to the Democrats – he may find the reception rather icy. 

This was the email WGMD News received today, regarding John Atkins, the possible Democrat. 

41st District Democratic Committee

February 15, 2008

To Whom It May Concern:
Please be advised that the 41st District Democratic Committee held a special meeting on Wednesday evening, Feb. 13, at the Gumboro home of former State Representative and Mrs. Charles P. West. The meeting was held for the purpose of considering a resolution, submitted by Rep. and Mrs. West, both of whom are committee members, concerning the proposed Democratic candidacy for the office of 41st District Representative of former State Representative John C. Atkins, a long-term Republican who resigned his office last March rather than face an expulsion vote in the House of Representatives.

A quorum being present, the meeting was called to order by 41st District Committee Secretary Vanessa S. Deloach, who served as acting chair in the absence of the committee chair and vice-chair. Following a discussion of the matter, the resolution was duly approved. The resolution text follows:
_________________________
41st District Democratic Committee
RESOLUTION REGARDING THE POSSIBLE CANDIDACY OF FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOHN C. ATKINS FOR THE OFFICE OF 41ST DISTRICT STATE REPRESENTATIVE.

WHEREAS, former 41st District State Representative John Atkins was the subject of a news article in a recent issue of a local weekly newspaper, The Sussex Countian, entitled “Atkins to run again…as a Democrat?”; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Atkins, as noted in the article, resigned his seat in the House of Representatives in March, 2007, after a House Ethics Committee report found that he had brought that body “into disrepute” because of his behavior during and after an Ocean City, Maryland, traffic stop and a subsequent domestic disturbance in late October, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Atkins’s decision to resign from the House of Representatives was due, at least in part, to the clear knowledge that, had he not done so, many of his fellow Republicans and a substantial number of House Democrats, having been fully apprised of the details of his case, were prepared to vote to expel him from that body; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Atkins has now let it be known that he is seriously considering leaving the Republican Party and running in the 2008 general election as a Democratic candidate for the seat he formerly occupied; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Atkins was quoted in the newspaper article as saying “I’ve been asked by a lot of Republicans and Democrats to consider running”; and

WHEREAS, he was further quoted as saying that “Obviously Republican party officials have discouraged me from running…[but] I’ve been courted by some Democratic officials”;

NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the 41st District Democratic Committee that they do hereby state and aver, clearly and unequivocally, that the Committee does not encourage or support the candidacy of former Representative John Atkins, running as a Democrat, for the office of 41st District State Representative.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the members of the 41st District Democratic Committee that, while the United States of America remains a free country and as a citizen thereof, Mr. Atkins has every right to register as a member of any political party he so chooses, and to run for any office for which he meets the legal requirements, if he decides to run as a Democrat for the 41st District Representative seat, he will do so without the official endorsement of the 41st District Democratic Committee.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 41st District Democratic Committee does not feel that it would be helpful to the cause of good government, to which we have always been committed, for any other outside “Democratic officials” to inject themselves into the internal affairs of the 41st District by urging Mr. Atkins to pursue a Democratic candidacy that the 41st District Democratic Committee declines to support.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, upon its adoption, suitable copies of this Resolution be made available to Mr. John Atkins, to the local and state news media and to other interested parties. 

APPROVED ON THIS 13TH DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2008
 

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 16th, 2008 at 11:24 am and is filed under Breaking News, Delaware, Democrats, Election, Local Politics, Millsboro, Republicans, Sussex County. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.