The Delco Times made it’s endorsements in the state races last week. (Two parts, here and here.) I am very grateful that the local paper has given its nod to Bryan Lentz. The race may be razor close, so if the editors have the ability to persuade even a few dozen voters, this could be a critical difference.

Of the ten races, the paper endorsed six Republicans and four Democrats. Obviously, I’d have liked to see the paper break more cleanly from its reputation for caddying for the local machine, but they can at least claim to have been balanced. But when look at their endorsements with respect to incumbents, you can see where the real bias is:

• Sen. 26…incumbent (R)
• House 159…incumbent (D)
• House 160…incumbent (R)
• House 161…challenger (D)
• House 162…challenger (D)
• House 163…incumbent (R)
• House 164…incumbent (R)
• House 165…incumbent (R)
• House 166…incumbent (D)
• House 168…incumbent (R)

Supporting 80% of the delegation to Harrisburg is tantamount to blessing the status quo. I don’t think that the vast majority of Delco voters think that the Capitol building is a house in order.

While the paper did a good job at outlining the issues in the campaigns and noting the various missteps and outright blunders of some of the incumbents, more often then not, they failed to hold officials accountable. They tend to overpraise bringing-home-the-bacon (after all…everybody does that) and overlooked pretty substantive failings in policy.

Gannon basically was reprimanded for being a jerk in the campaign. But there was a long list of reasons he didn’t deserve to be re-elected, and that should have been enough to carry the day for Lentz.

For failing to exercise the full power of fourth estate, and for failing to take positions on policies over pork, I have to consider their endorsements marginal. I challenge them to do better next time.

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Regardless of the outcome, Bryan has convinced me that he is a tremendous public servant. I am proud that I was able to help his campaign a little bit, and value my association with him. He’ll always have my support, and I’m very much hoping that he’ll need it–for his re-election bid in 2008.