Bryan Townsend is Just the Kind of Leader Delaware Needs

He wanted to be a doctor, a pediatric cardiologist to be precise. I believe he will end up becoming a healer. Someone who could heal the gaping wounds – income gap, culture wars, bad governance, intolerance and violence — that are tearing our country apart

This is Bryan Townsend I am talking about, the leading Democratic candidate for Congress from Delaware. Today I had an opportunity to diagnose him; his ideas, his political philosophy and what essentially motivates him to take up public service.

Bryan Townsend spoke to my class on Contemporary Political Ideologies (POSC 333) about his political philosophy. He was tasked to reveal his political values and explain how he chose the political causes that he pursues. He spoke for about twenty-five minutes, sharing with the students his life story, what drove him to politics, what he cares about and what he hopes to do for Delaware and America. He presented a compelling narrative.

His narrative can be summarized as – I come from humble origins but I have a noble purpose and I harbor honorable intentions. But most importantly I listen, and then I act.

He then took a barrage of questions on education reform on the virtues of charter schools, on the plight of public schools in Delaware, on reform of the criminal justice system, on how to reduce criminal recidivism, ensure that undocumented workers are treated fairly, on how to address the gender gap and how to ensure that minorities, racial, religious and LGBT, are accorded the same rights as everyone else.

He ran into an unusually sharp, well informed and engaged cohort of youngsters, who tested both his philosophical acumen and his political savvy. At the end it was apparent that he passed with flying colors.

His many legislative successes as a State Senator are well known and he recounted some of them in the class today. They do paint a pretty picture of Townsend. He led or helped pass legislation ensuring that undocumented workers can drive, closing the gun purchase loophole, prohibiting housing discrimination, and helping those who were misguided in their youth to find work and turn their lives around. Clearly, he cares and wants to ensure that the least privileged amongst us are not left behind.

As I listened to him work the crowd, engage the young idealists, challenge them to think differently I realized that he has a very special quality that will serve him well in his public service career. He doesn’t think like a lawmaker alone, nor does he think like a policy wonk, he is able to look at things from both policy and legislative perspective, which I think will make him a very practical minded legislator and a potentially thoughtful executive.

He looks at a problem, tries to craft a policy solution and then thinks of how he can draft legislation to facilitate the policy to address the problem. This trait of his was on display as he tried to explain the fragmentation of public education in Delaware and the steps needed to resolve it.

Bryan Townsend is clearly a progressive liberal. He believes that government can be an instrument for good. He wants to ensure that all people have the opportunity and the means to realize their full potential. He values democracy and believes that there should be, in his own words, “no compromise on fundamental equality”.

He fears the deepening inequality in our society and through inclusive politics seeks to celebrate our diversity and preserve our democracy.

Townsend is a believer in the value and power of education. He is convinced that through better education we can reduce income gaps and ensure that all people have equal rights and equal opportunity to realize their potential. He spoke of the success of his immigrant wife and her family in securing their American dream through hard work and good education. To the delight of the professor in me, he described education as a ladder to equality.

To Townsend the process of government is critical. He believes that if done properly government can do good for all. But at the moment, he believes, our government is not working for the people and he hopes that in Washington he will work to correct the course of governmental processes.

Townsend’s discourse was compelling. I stood back and watched the faces of our future listen to him with full attention, admiration and above all, hope.

I think in Bryan Townsend, Delaware has found a true leader, and he has my vote.

Dr. Muqtedar Khan is a professor at the University of Delaware and President of the Delaware Council on Global and Muslim Affairs. He is also a senior fellow of the Center for Global Policy.