At one point, the GOP had 17 candidates to be the party’s representative in the upcoming presidential election.

The sheer number of individuals was absurd and left some looking at the Republican Party as if it was a joke.

We fear that same feeling could be happening in Wilmington.

There are currently eight candidates and an incumbent who believe they are best suited to lead the state’s biggest city.

Yes, nine people.

We were already familiar with the likes of Norman Griffiths, Theo Gregory, Kevin Kelley, Bob Marshall, Mike Purzycki, Mayor Dennis P. Williams and Eugene Young. But recently Maria Cabrera, an at-large city council woman, and Steven Washington, an Independent, have thrown their names in the hat.

In a biblical context, the number nine conveys completeness and finality.

We hope that to be true, because if more people jump into this already too crowded race, it won’t end well.

According to News Journal reporter Jenna Pizzi’s recent story, on average, 11,439 votes are cast in the mayoral primary, so if all eight Democrats, pull an equal number of votes, a winner could emerge with just 1,430 votes.

The size of the current field proves that citizens are unhappy with the current leadership and believe that they can do better.

However, one question needs to be asked -- Do the Democrats not understand that diluting the vote actually helps the person they're trying to unseat?

Wilmington has a population of 71,000, the number of registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 5 to 1. Because of that, the Democratic primary has historically chosen the next mayor of Wilmington.

There are currently no Republican candidates for mayor.

That means that if no candidates drop out before the Democratic primary and Washington fails to gain momentum, Wilmington’s next mayor could win the race with less than 1,500 votes.

Close your eyes, and really think about that for a second.

In the first mayoral debate that we hosted along with WHYY, many of the candidates talked about how they would “work together” with anyone that wanted to make Wilmington better.

But if they really wanted to do that, wouldn’t they come together and decide on a leader now?

That would make it easier for voters to choose and also begin building momentum for unity and change, should that candidate win the election.

Candidates, if you really want to make a change, start taking some of your own advice.

Because right now, you all are just hustling backward.

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