Jonathan Starkey

The News Journal

Published July 9, 2014

Carl Smink, the Milton retiree who is challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, says he had a calling to launch the campaign.

"I got a call, just like our pastors get called, an urging from the Holy Spirit to say 'we want you,'" Smink, 81, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "He talks to me all day, every day."

Smink is one of two Republicans attempting to unseat Coons. Kevin Wade, the Republican who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. Tom Carper in 2012, has also secured a ballot spot. Smink and Wade will meet in a Sept. 9 primary.

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Coons was first elected in a 2010 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden. He's up for a full six-year term in November, and also faces a challenge from Green Party candidate Andrew Groff.

Christine O'Donnell, Coons' tea party-endorsed opponent from 2010, tweeted about Smink on Tuesday, calling his candidacy "promising."

Smink is an Air Force veteran and a retired environmental engineer who moved to Delaware seven years ago.

Smink's website calls him a "full spectrum conservative" who wants to "strengthen and preserve traditional families" and "protect the dignity of life and marriage." He also calls for lower taxes and wants the U.S. Senate to "stop ratification of entangling treaties."

"We're giving away sovereignty," Smink said.

Contact Jonathan Starkey at 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.