Austin Cassidy, the Independent Party of Delaware’s nominee for state auditor, has selected party secretary Laura Harrison to serve as chair of his campaign this November. Cassidy is challenging Democratic incumbent Lydia York and Republican April Callaway in a three-way contest.
The Cassidy campaign announced the appointment Saturday, calling Harrison a voting reform advocate and grassroots organizer with an enthusiasm for education policy. It also praised her experience with “taking on the system” and fighting to give voters what the campaign called a real choice this year.
“Laura knows the hard work of taking on the system and fighting to give voters a real choice,” Cassidy said in the announcement. “We share the conviction that Delawareans deserve a credible alternative party. I am so incredibly honored to have her support and help with this campaign.”
Harrison, a Georgetown resident, currently serves as secretary of the Independent Party, which she has done since succeeding Ben Woratyla earlier this year. According to her party biography, she considers herself an independent because she believes the two major parties are more concerned with maintaining power than addressing issues for the public good. She also views the organization as a viable centrist third party option for Delaware voters.
Cassidy originally qualified for the state auditor race in August as the Independent Party’s only statewide nominee, though the party has since fielded several additional candidates for the state legislature.
At the time, Democratic incumbent Lydia York had no Republican challenger after the party failed to nominate someone at its earlier state convention, meaning her and Cassidy were the only two candidates expected to appear on the ballot, but that changed later in the month when Republican April Callaway qualified for the race days before the close of the deadline.
The party is also using this year’s campaigns as part of an effort to expand upon its registration with the goal of eventually qualifying as a major party under Delaware law. To do so would require it to have registered membership equal to at least 5 percent of statewide registration by December 31 of the year before a general election. As of September 1, the Independent Party had 12,637 registered members.
Editorial note: Austin Cassidy is a former owner of Independent Political Report. He did not contribute to this article nor was he approached for comment.
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