2026 Delaware Primary Election: General Assembly Candidate Priority Guide

By Evan R. Park
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​The 2026 Delaware primary election will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, determining which candidates in contested party primaries will advance to the November general election. For Delaware’s business community, the election is an opportunity to learn more about the candidates who may shape state policy on issues including taxes, workforce development, education, health care, housing, infrastructure, energy, regulation, economic development, and public safety.

This nonpartisan overview highlights key General Assembly primary races across the state, focusing only on contested September primary races. Candidates who are unopposed in the primary and will advance directly to the general election are not included.

All candidates in the featured races are listed. Where campaign websites or other publicly available campaign materials outlined policy priorities, those positions are summarized. If a campaign website was not available to pull this information from, that is noted.

Use the dropdowns below to explore each race, learn more about the candidates, and review the priorities they have discussed publicly.
Please note that the information provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement, evaluation, ranking, or recommendation of any candidate.

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SENATE RACES:

SD 1

SEN. DAN CRUCE (D) (incumbent)

• Economic Security & Affordability: Reducing financial pressures on families, including slowing utility-cost increases, expanding affordable health care and child care, protecting the senior property-tax credit, addressing property reassessment issues, and supporting workers.
• Education & Educational Opportunity: Continued investment in public schools, competitive pay for teachers and education support professionals, funding for public colleges and universities (particularly Delaware Tech), and more resources for schools serving economically disadvantaged students.
• Protecting Individual Rights & Human Dignity: Reproductive freedom, voting rights and election security, gun-violence prevention, protection from discrimination and federal overreach, and protecting the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people and other vulnerable communities.

In short: Platform centers on affordability, public education, and individual rights and freedoms.

ADRIANA LEELA BOHM (D)

• Affordability and Economic Security: Affordable housing, livable wages, renter protections, and workforce development, with a goal of families being able to live on one job.
• Education and Opportunity: Reforming the school funding formula, raising teacher and support-professional pay, universal free school meals, early childhood readiness, and expanded funding for higher education and workforce training.
• Healthcare, Environment and Community Well-Being: Expanding access to healthcare, preventive care and mental-health services; protecting reproductive rights; clean water; improved roads and transit; broadband expansion; and climate-resilient infrastructure.

In short: Platform centers on affordability, public education, and health/infrastructure/environmental conditions, with emphasis on democracy and civil rights

SD 5

SEN. RAY SEIGFRIED (D) (incumbent)

• Affordable Healthcare and Prescription Drugs: Lowering healthcare costs, increasing transparency around pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), expanding seniors' healthcare options, and controlling insurance costs.
• Affordable Housing and Cost of Living: Accelerating housing construction through the "Ready in 6" initiative, reducing regulatory delays, expanding affordable-home supply, and making property taxation fairer.
• Environmental Protection and Reliable, Affordable Energy: Renewable energy projects including offshore wind, grid reliability, utility affordability, and protections from utility shutoffs during extreme weather.

In short: Frames his campaign around a "healthier, safer, and more affordable future," with healthcare and housing affordability as recurring themes.
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SHAY FRISBY (D)

• Economic Security & Affordable Housing: Raise wages, tie the minimum wage to inflation, make housing more affordable, strengthen renter protections, pursue tax fairness, and expand support services.
• Family Support & Opportunities for Children: Universal child care and pre-K, expanded paid family leave, better pay for child care workers, and expansion of the SEED Scholarship Program.
• Criminal Justice Reform & Civil Rights: Police accountability and qualified immunity reform, simplified post-conviction proceedings, restored voting rights, opposition to ICE actions, and limits on government surveillance.

In short: Also prioritizes environmental protection and climate action, including green jobs and opposition to data centers in Delaware communities

SD 7

SEN. SPIROS MANTZAVINOS (D) (incumbent)

• Healthcare & Family Affordability: Expanding access to affordable healthcare, lowering prescription drug and medical costs, paid family and medical leave, and reproductive healthcare access.
• Education & Workforce Opportunity: Strengthening public schools, supporting educators and student mental health, and making higher education and trade-school programs more affordable.
• Economic Growth & Safe Communities: Supporting small businesses and job creation while investing in public safety and gun-safety measures.

In short: Campaigning on affordability and healthcare, education and opportunity, and a stronger, safer economy.

JOSE LOPEZ (D)

• Making Delaware More Affordable for Working Families: Affordable housing, child care, wages, energy costs, and property taxes, with a focus on helping parents stay in the workforce.
• Investing in Education and Workforce Development: Expanded child care and universal pre-K, fully funding Title I schools, and career/technical education, apprenticeships, and vocational pathways.
• Supporting Small Businesses and a Fairer Economy: Making Delaware more business-friendly for small and minority-owned businesses, reducing regulatory burdens, and technical assistance for employers.

In short: Also emphasizes immigrant representation, public safety/accountability, and environmental protection

SD 9

SEN. JACK WALSH (D) (incumbent)

• Workers' Rights and Higher Wages: Raising the minimum wage to $15, strengthening protections against wage theft and worker misclassification, paid family and medical leave, and stronger labor protections.
• Economic Development and Good-Paying Jobs: Attracting and retaining businesses, including the Site Readiness Fund to prepare commercial and industrial properties for new or expanding businesses.
• Investing in Schools, Infrastructure and Communities: State investment in education, school safety, roads, transportation, housing, libraries, and parks; work on school construction and the Capital Improvement Committee.

In short: Platform centers on protecting working people, growing the economy, and investing in schools and community infrastructure.
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DAWN BRIGGS (D)
No active campaign website with publicly stated policy priorities was available for review at the time of publication.

SD 12

SEN. NICOLE POORE (D) (incumbent)

• Affordable, Accessible Healthcare: Expanding access to quality healthcare, lowering prescription drug costs, and improving coverage for services such as menopause care and other specialized needs.
• Education and Workforce Opportunities: Expanding tuition-free education and workforce training through programs like SEED+, while supporting safe, high-quality schools.
• Supporting Working Families: Higher wages, paid family and medical leave, fair pay for workers with disabilities, and stronger economic security.

In short: Campaign is centered on healthcare affordability, education/workforce access, and economic security for working families.

KEONNA WATSON (D)

• Affordable, Accessible Healthcare: Expanding access to quality healthcare, lowering prescription drug costs, and improving coverage for services such as menopause care and other specialized needs.
• Education and Workforce Opportunities: Expanding tuition-free education and workforce training through programs like SEED+, while supporting safe, high-quality schools.
• Supporting Working Families: Higher wages, paid family and medical leave, fair pay for workers with disabilities, and stronger economic security.

In short: Campaign is centered on healthcare affordability, education/workforce access, and economic security for working families

SD 14

SEN. KYRA HOFFNER (D) (incumbent)

• Affordable Housing & Homelessness: Expanding affordable housing, strengthening tenant protections, preventing displacement, and addressing homelessness.
• Education & Economic Opportunity: Investment in public schools, universal pre-K, teacher and staff pay, after-school and arts programs, career/technical training, and support for public colleges to help control tuition.
• Healthcare & Family Affordability: Making healthcare more affordable and accessible, including support for expanded coverage and universal healthcare models.

In short: Platform centers on housing security, strong public education, and affordable healthcare.
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CHRISTOPHER BEARDSLEY (D)

• Affordable Housing & Homelessness: Rent stabilization, direct rental assistance, stronger tenant protections, and permanent housing solutions.
• Healthcare Reform: Statewide single-payer healthcare to provide universal coverage and reduce costs and medical debt, with attention to racial disparities in maternal health.
• Workers' Economic Security: Living wages, including indexing Delaware's minimum wage to the cost of living.

In short: Campaign centers on housing affordability, universal healthcare, and stronger wages, framed around "people over profit."

HOUSE RACES:

RD 1

REP. NNAMDI CHUKWUOCHA (D) (incumbent)

• Education and Support for Students: Educational equity, mental-health support in schools, and more resources for high-needs students, teachers, and schools.
• Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform: Targeting illegal firearms, stronger re-entry programs, and bail reform aimed at keeping dangerous offenders incarcerated without penalizing those who cannot afford bail.
• Affordable Housing and Community Economic Development: Increasing the affordable housing supply, helping lower-income residents remain in their homes, and supporting small businesses along Wilmington's North Market Street corridor.

In short: Platform centers on education, safer communities through justice reform, and affordable housing/economic opportunity in Wilmington.

SHANÉ NICOLE DARBY (D)

• Affordable Housing & Housing Stability: Rent stabilization, stronger tenant protections, affordable housing development, and increased enforcement of landlord requirements.
• Lowering the Cost of Living & Supporting Working Families: Reducing water and utility costs, preventing water shutoffs, indexing the minimum wage to inflation, and expanding child care and family assistance.
• Criminal Justice Reform & Community Accountability: Reforms to probation, increased police accountability, greater public access to body-camera footage, and community-based approaches to public safety.

In short: Describes her broader focus as "housing justice, economic security, and accountable government.

RD 2

REP. STEPHANIE T. BOLDEN (D) (incumbent)

• Education & Opportunities for Children: Improving education quality and expanding opportunities, including her creation of the INSPIRE scholarship for tuition-free attendance at Delaware State University.
• Protecting Seniors and Supporting Families: Protecting seniors and supporting economic justice and access to services.
• Investing in Wilmington Communities: Neighborhood infrastructure — roads, drainage, streets, sidewalks, parks, and child care — including funding for child care centers, parks, and the Bancroft school.

In short: Platform centers on education and student opportunity, support for seniors and families, and investment in Wilmington neighborhoods.

MICHELLE BOOKER (D)

• Affordable Housing & Preventing Displacement: Making housing genuinely affordable, protecting longtime homeowners from property-tax and water-bill-driven displacement, and expanding rental assistance.
• Education & Opportunities for Young People: Stronger schools and youth programs, additional counselors, safer school environments, and pathways into trades and careers.
• Community Safety Through Investment & Violence Prevention: Addressing gun violence and the fentanyl crisis through community-based intervention, addiction treatment, and economic opportunity rather than primarily incarceration.

In short: Platform centers on housing stability, youth/education investment, and community safety

RD 3

JOSUE O. ORTEGA (D) (incumbent)

• Education & Educational Equity: Improving access to quality education, particularly for students in Wilmington's 3rd District.
• Affordable Housing & Homelessness: Evidence-based approaches to expanding housing affordability and addressing homelessness.
• Public Safety & Community Well-Being: Community policing, criminal-justice reforms, improved emergency response, and expanded substance-abuse treatment.

In short: Has also made immigrant and Latino community advocacy, including protections for undocumented students, a prominent part of his legislative work.

BRANDEN FLETCHER DOMINGUEZ (D)

• Affordable Housing & Tenant Protections: Rent stabilization, just-cause eviction protections, a right to legal representation for low-income tenants, and increased investment in affordable housing.
• Economic Justice & Lower Costs for Working Families: Raising the minimum wage with cost of living, paid sick leave, progressive income taxation, stronger unions, prevailing wages, and lower electric bills.
• Education, Health Care & Community Investment: More funding for disadvantaged students, universal free school meals, school counselors, a public option or single-payer health care system, and support for mothers and families.

In short: Frames his agenda as prioritizing "working people over corporate profits."
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YOLANDA CARTER MCCOY (D)

• Housing: Expanding housing options and strengthening tenant protections and accountability.
• Safer, Healthier Communities: Preventing violence and investing in youth, improving access to mental health care and addiction treatment, and strengthening neighborhoods.
• Better-Paying Jobs & Economic Opportunity: Supporting and growing small businesses and expanding workforce training opportunities.

In short: Platform centers on affordable and secure housing, safer and healthier communities, and stronger economic opportunities.

​LADONNA GRAHAM (D)
No active campaign website with publicly stated policy priorities was available for review at the time of publication.

RD 6

RAE KRANTZ (D)

• Affordable Housing & Cost of Living: Increasing affordable housing construction, supporting smaller developers, changing exclusionary zoning rules, stabilizing rents, and property-tax and home-repair assistance.
• Public Education & Workforce Development: Universal pre-K, free school meals, increased and more equitable school funding, better teacher pay, and expanded trade-school and job-training opportunities.
• Environmental Protection & Responsible Economic Development: Regulating data centers, transitioning toward renewable energy, addressing water and pollution concerns, and ensuring projects like port expansion provide good jobs without compromising community health.

In short: Platform centers on lowering cost of living, public education/workforce opportunities, and environmental protection.

ED MULVIHILL (D)

• Lowering the Cost of Living: Addressing rising costs for groceries, gas, housing, insurance, and other everyday expenses while supporting good-paying jobs.
• Supporting Small Businesses and the Local Economy: Reducing unnecessary regulations and costs, encouraging responsible economic growth, and creating an environment for local businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed.
• Accountable and Transparent Government: Making government more accessible and responsive, with greater transparency and regular communication.

In short: Platform centers on affordability, small business support, and government transparency.

RALF SANTANA (D)

• Improving Government Responsiveness & Accountability: Getting government to work more effectively for residents, especially making sure constituents are heard and local problems addressed.
• Supporting Families & Children: Strong families, parental involvement, and ensuring children have the support and opportunities they need to succeed.
• Community Investment & Quality of Life: Addressing practical neighborhood concerns, including infrastructure and public safety.

In short: Platform centers on responsive government, stronger families, and improving day-to-day quality of life

RD 8

Democratic Primary​

REP. SHERAE’A “RAE” MOORE (D) (incumbent)

• Education Reform & Equity: Increasing school funding, universal school meals, fixing the school funding formula, stronger teacher and student protections, and expanded counseling and after-school programs.
• Affordable & Accessible Health Care: Expanding access to affordable health care, addressing racial and ethnic health disparities, increasing the availability of health-care providers, and telehealth expansion.
• Quality of Life, Housing & Environment: Supporting affordable housing, protecting voting rights, clean air and water, and upgrading sewer and drainage infrastructure as Middletown grows.

In short: Platform centers on education equity, affordable health care, and improving quality of life through housing and environmental protections.

LISSA BRUTUS (D)
Key priorities:

• Affordable Housing & Property Taxes: Expanding affordable and workforce housing, helping first-time homebuyers, and protecting longtime homeowners from property-tax spikes.
• Lowering the Cost of Living for Families: Making child care and health care more affordable, expanding tax credits, reducing utility costs, and addressing prescription drug prices and medical debt.
• Managing Growth & Investing in Education/Infrastructure: Ensuring Middletown's rapid growth is matched by roads, schools, utilities and transportation, while expanding pre-K, workforce training, and apprenticeships.
• In short: Campaign centers on affordability, expanding access to housing and education, and ensuring growth is properly planned and supported.

MATT POWELL (D)
No active campaign website with publicly stated policy priorities was available for review at the time of publication.

Republican Primary

GARY TAYLOR (R)

• Education Accountability & Parental Rights: Focus on the Appoquinimink School District, opposing tax increases without voter approval, and supporting greater parental involvement.
• Tax Relief & Fiscal Responsibility: Government living within its means, transparency around spending, and protecting seniors and residents on fixed incomes from rising property and school taxes.
• Public Safety & Accountability: Holding criminals accountable, supporting police resources and community policing, and strengthening victims' rights.

In short: Campaign centers on local accountability, lower costs/taxes, and public safety, with an emphasis on limiting government overreach

WATARA T.F. HEATH (R)
No active campaign website with publicly stated policy priorities was available for review at the time of publication.

RD 9

AYANNA KHAN-FLOWERS (D)

• Economic Opportunity & Small Business Growth: Supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, creating jobs, and expanding economic opportunities.
• Supporting Working Families: Addressing rising costs facing families and promoting greater financial stability.
• Safe, Thriving Communities & Workforce Development: Stronger neighborhoods through community investment and prevention, and improved education and workforce training.

In short: Also lists affordable and accessible healthcare and greater government accountability and transparency among her priorities.

GEMMA LOWERY (D)

• Safe Streets & Responsible Growth: Investing in safer roads, walkable neighborhoods, and sustainable infrastructure while promoting responsible development and affordable housing.
• Strong Public Schools & Healthcare Access: Supporting high-quality, secure public schools and expanding affordable, equitable healthcare, particularly for underserved and rural communities.
• Support for Families, Workers & Small Businesses: Strengthening services for people with disabilities, supporting working families, and creating opportunities for local small businesses.

In short: Guided by broader themes of Access, Advocacy, Accountability, and Action.

MICHELLE WALL (D)

• Education Funding & Public Schools: Reforming Delaware's education funding system to better account for student enrollment and community growth.
• Affordable Housing & Responsible Growth: Expanding access to safe, affordable housing while using smart land-use policies that preserve farmland and open space.
• Healthcare Access: Making healthcare more affordable and accessible, protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions, and ensuring access to care close to home.

In short: Campaign also emphasizes transparency and responsive constituent service

RD 12

REP. KRISTA GRIFFITH (D) (incumbent)

• Making Life More Affordable: Lowering the cost of everyday life — groceries, energy, healthcare, housing, and child care.
• Education and Opportunity: Improving public schools, increasing access to higher education and trade programs, and ensuring a high-quality, well-rounded education.
• Safety, Healthcare, and Protecting Individual Rights: Expanding healthcare access, protecting children and victims of abuse, strengthening public safety, and protecting reproductive rights and privacy.

In short: Campaign is centered on affordability, strong education, and protecting Delaware families and their rights.

ROB BAHNSEN (D)

• Expanding and Improving Healthcare: Expanding access, reducing costs, reforming the mental-health system, strengthening addiction services, and protecting reproductive healthcare.
• Strengthening Public Education: Universal pre-K, higher teacher pay, smaller class sizes, expanded behavioral-health support, and greater educational equity.
• Building a More Diverse and Sustainable Economy: Reducing dependence on corporate franchise revenues by attracting new industries and jobs, and investing in clean-energy and green technology.

In short: Campaign is built around healthcare, education, and economic diversification

RD 16

REP. FRANK COOKE (D) (incumbent)

• Environmental Justice: Protecting communities from environmental harms and supporting policies that promote cleaner, healthier neighborhoods.
• Equality & Criminal Justice Reform: Draws on his law-enforcement background and leadership on the House Public Safety, Corrections, and Judiciary committees.
• Economic Growth & Jobs: A stable, thriving economy and job growth, including expansion of the Port of Wilmington.

In short: Platform centers on environmental justice, criminal justice/equality, and economic development.
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PAMELA SALAAM (D)
No active campaign website with publicly stated policy priorities was available for review at the time of publication.

RD 19

REP. KIM WILLIAMS (D) (incumbent)

• Education and Supporting Students: Increased funding for special education, improved school choice access, teacher support, expanded early learning, and chairing the House Education Committee.
• Children, Families, and Vulnerable Populations: Legislation addressing child welfare, human trafficking, juvenile criminal records, health care access, and protections for children.
• Workers and Economic Opportunity: Protecting workers, improving wages and employment opportunities, expanding teacher apprenticeships, and helping local businesses.

In short: Platform is centered on education, supporting children and families, and strengthening workers and economic opportunity.

WILL IMBRIE-MOORE (D)

• Fully Fund Public Schools & Support Students: Fixing the school funding formula, increasing teacher pay, and free school meals for all students in public and charter schools.
• Address the Housing Affordability Crisis: Building more affordable and supportive housing, strengthening renter protections, and reducing the property-tax burden. Opposes allowing AI data centers to drive up utility costs.
• Raise Wages for Delaware Workers: Increasing the state minimum wage to $20/hour by 2035 and tying future increases to inflation.

In short: Platform centers on education, affordability/housing, and higher wages

RD 20

REP. ALONNA BERRY (D) (incumbent)

• Quality Education: Fully funding public schools, increasing teacher pay, addressing teacher shortages, and expanding programs from early education through career readiness.
• Smart Growth, Infrastructure & Public Safety: Managing rapid growth in Milton and Lewes, requiring development to keep pace with roads, schools, and drainage, and flood mitigation.
• Affordable Housing & Cost of Living: Expanding affordable housing, including requiring affordable units in larger developments, and reducing property taxes, prescription drugs, and energy bills.

In short: Platform centers on public education, responsible growth and infrastructure, and affordability for Sussex County families.
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RUBY SCHAEFFER (D)

• Infrastructure & Transportation: Improving roads, reducing traffic congestion, expanding bike lanes and public transportation, increasing rural broadband, and addressing flooding and drainage.
• Economic Development & Jobs: Diversifying the local economy beyond tourism and retirement communities, attracting renewable energy, technology, manufacturing and healthcare industries.
• Affordable Housing & Community Development: Encouraging more affordable workforce housing and mixed-use development to help young families and workers afford to live in the district.

In short: Focused on modernizing infrastructure, strengthening the local economy, and making housing more affordable.
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RD 23

LUANN D’AGOSTINO (D)

• Strengthening Public Schools: Fair and equitable school funding, increased resources and support for teachers, and safe, inclusive schools.
• Safe Communities & Gun Violence Prevention: Stronger background checks, fewer loopholes in gun laws, and expanded community-based violence prevention.
• Supporting Small Businesses & Working Families: Reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, workforce development, and job training.

In short: Running on stronger schools, safer communities, and a stronger economy for small businesses and working families.

JOE JASPER (D)

• Environmental Protection and Clean Energy: Improving air and drinking-water quality, reducing corporate pollution — particularly from data centers — and transitioning the grid toward solar and wind.
• Affordable Housing, Healthcare and Education: Expanding access to affordable healthcare, strengthening public education, and innovative affordable-housing solutions such as converting vacant commercial space.
• Economic Opportunity and Equal Rights: Supporting small businesses, fair wages, a wealth tax, voting rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ protections, and immigrant protections.

In short: Platform centers on clean energy and environmental protection, affordability and essential services, and economic/equal-rights issues.

DAVE REDLAWSK (D)

• Affordability & Housing: An inflation-linked minimum wage, rent stabilization, increased affordable housing supply, and a more progressive income-tax structure.
• Public Education & Childcare: Stronger funding for public schools, higher educator pay, mental-health services, free school meals, and universal child care and pre-K.
• Healthcare & Reproductive Rights: Exploring a Delaware public health-insurance option, expanding charity care, improving primary-care access, and protecting reproductive rights.

In short: Platform centers on affordability, public education and early childhood services, and expanding access to affordable healthcare.

DAN SEADOR (D)

• Affordability & Cost of Living: Stronger regulation of electric utilities and additional tax relief for seniors on fixed incomes.
• Health Care Costs: Making health care more affordable and accessible, drawing on his experience as a paramedic.
• Housing & Community Development: Expanding affordable housing, reducing red tape in the home-buying process, and reviewing zoning laws.

In short: Also lists education, small-business support, public safety, senior protections, and a proposed moratorium on new data centers among his priorities.
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RD 27

REP. ERIC MORRISON (D) (incumbent)

• Workers' Rights & Economic Fairness: Worker protections, including legislation on employers' "captive audience" meetings, and policies aimed at improving wages and economic opportunity.
• Healthcare & Access to Essential Services: Work on Medicaid, Medicare, and prescription-assistance programs, including securing funding for the Prescription Assistance Program.
• Equality, Civil Rights & Community Protection: LGBTQ+ rights and protections for vulnerable communities, including legislation protecting hate-crime victims, sexual-assault survivors, and LGBTQ+ youth.

In short: Platform can be characterized as worker and economic protections, accessible healthcare and social services, and civil-rights protections.

CHRIS MUNTZ (D)

• Responsible Economic Growth & Jobs: Economic development that attracts employers and creates good-paying jobs, expanding the tax base without placing more pressure on homeowners.
• Public Safety & First Responders: Providing police, firefighters, EMS personnel, and dispatchers with staffing, training, equipment, and resources, plus recruitment and retention support.
• Education, Workforce & Career Opportunities: Strong public schools, vocational-technical education, apprenticeships, and certifications, preparing students for college, trades, or military service.

In short: Also identifies lowering energy costs as a major standalone issue, calling for a balanced, affordable, and reliable energy strategy.

RD 28

REP. WILLIAM CARSON JR. (D) (incumbent)

• Veterans' Affairs & Support for Veterans: Sponsored 2025 legislation to establish a Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs with a cabinet-level secretary, and has worked on veterans' services and a potential Kent County veterans cemetery.
• Agriculture, Rural Communities & Economic Development: Chairs the House Agriculture Committee and serves in leadership roles on economic development, banking, insurance and commerce.
• Transportation & Public Safety: Background at DelDOT; sponsored legislation expanding Delaware's Move Over Law to protect road workers.

In short: Carson’s priorities center on supporting veterans, strengthening agriculture and rural communities, advancing economic development, and improving transportation and public safety.
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TYEISHA GRIER (D)

• Investing in Kent County Communities and Affordable Housing: Greater state investment in Kent County, community development, downtown revitalization, workforce training, and more affordable/workforce housing.
• Improving Public Education: Reforming the school funding formula based on student needs, universal pre-K, higher pay for teachers and staff, and free school meals.
• Making Healthcare and Economic Security More Accessible: A statewide public health insurance option, lower prescription drug costs, expanded mental-health and addiction services, and higher wages tied to cost of living.

In short: Platform centers on strengthening Kent County, expanding access to quality education, and improving economic and healthcare security

RD 32

REP. KERRI EVELYN HARRIS (D) (incumbent)

• Economic Opportunity & Workers’ Rights: Harris supports higher wages, paid sick and parental leave, labor rights, affordable housing, and infrastructure investment.
• Education Equity: Universal public pre-K, more equitable school funding, higher teacher pay, affordable college, and trade and apprenticeship programs.
• Affordable & Accessible Health Care: A Medicare-for-All system including dental, vision, long-term and mental health care, and lower prescription drug costs.

In short: Platform centers on economic fairness, education equity, and universal health care, with emphasis on racial equity and social justice.

LACHELLE PAUL (D)

• Affordable Utility Costs: Strengthening oversight of utility companies, requiring corporations to share responsibility for infrastructure costs, and protecting consumers from rising bills.
• Affordable Housing: Expanding affordable housing for renters and homeowners, protecting longtime homeowners, supporting first-time buyers, and creating pathways out of homelessness.
• Education: Expanding universal full-day pre-K, strengthening early intervention and tutoring, and expanding after-school programs and youth services.

In short: Emphasizing lower household costs, housing affordability, and stronger educational opportunities for children.

RD 33

MATT BUCHER (R)

• Education Reform & Local Control: Giving local school boards more decision-making authority, supporting perspective-neutral classrooms, opposing unfunded education mandates, and pursuing alternative schools and discipline reforms to improve student safety.
• Constitutional Rights & Election Integrity: Protecting Second Amendment rights, opposing additional gun restrictions on law-abiding citizens, supporting voter ID requirements, and opposing greater federal control over elections.
• Rural & Small-Town Representation: Advocating for rural communities, protecting local control, and ensuring state policies reflect the needs of small-town and rural Delaware.

In short: Platform centers on local control of education, constitutional rights and election integrity, and stronger representation for rural communities.
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MORGAN HUDSON (R)

• Small Businesses & Local Jobs: Reducing unnecessary regulations and red tape, addressing rising taxes and insurance costs, and providing resources to help small businesses grow and create good-paying jobs.
• Farms, Open Space & Rural Character: Preserving family farms and farmland, increasing support for farmland preservation, and managing growth to protect the district’s rural and small-town character.
• Health Care, Education & Public Safety: Improving access to health care, strengthening schools and student outcomes, and supporting law enforcement, first responders, and emergency preparedness.

In short: Platform centers on supporting the local economy, protecting farms and rural communities, and strengthening health care, education, and public safety.

RD 36

REP. BRYAN SHUPE (R) (incumbent)

• Lowering the Cost of Living: Reducing taxes and government spending, opposing automatic property tax increases, lowering income taxes, and controlling state spending to provide relief for Delaware families.
• Limiting Government & Protecting Local Control: Increasing government accountability, reducing regulations and government overreach, preserving local decision-making, and opposing development policies that shift costs onto taxpayers.
• Families, Businesses & Communities: Protecting parental rights and school safety, supporting small businesses, expanding workforce and vocational opportunities, and encouraging responsible economic development.

In short: Platform centers on lower costs, more accountable government and local control, and support for families, businesses, and communities.

PATRICK SMITH (R)

• Lower Taxes & Local Economic Growth: Reducing taxes and government spending, eliminating unnecessary regulations, supporting small businesses, and attracting new industries and good-paying jobs to Sussex County.
• Individual Rights & Conservative Values: Protecting Second Amendment rights and religious freedom, limiting government emergency powers, opposing government mandates, and protecting the rights of mothers and unborn children.
• Education & Public Safety: Increasing the focus on academics and career skills in schools, reducing political influence in education, strengthening law enforcement, addressing repeat offenders, and supporting volunteer fire and EMS services.

In short: Platform centers on lower taxes and economic growth, individual rights and conservative values, and stronger education and public safety.

RD 41

DOUG CONAWAY (R)

• Lower Taxes and Reduce the Cost of Living: Opposing new tax increases, reducing unnecessary government spending, and supporting small businesses and local jobs, including lower energy costs.
• Improve Education and Career Opportunities: Strengthening schools with a focus on reading, math, and science, while supporting teachers, classroom resources, and career pathways.
• Improve Infrastructure and Community Services: Safer roads and bridges, planning for population growth, affordable healthcare, and support for law enforcement and first responders.

In short: Platform centers on keeping taxes and costs down, strengthening schools, and improving infrastructure/community services.

JACKI SLONIN (R)

• Fiscal Responsibility and Affordability: Controlling government spending, keeping Delaware affordable, and opposing new taxes or tax increases.
• Education and Parental Rights: Greater accountability in the education system and advocacy for public schools and parental rights.
• Sussex County Growth, Infrastructure and Public Services: Addressing the challenges of rapid Sussex County growth, including infrastructure, healthcare, public safety, and jobs.

In short: Platform centers on fiscal responsibility, education and parental involvement, and keeping infrastructure/services on pace with growth

​JOHN ATKINS (R)

• Economic/small business support: Easing burdens on small businesses and pursuing common-sense cuts to raise state revenue are core planks of his platform. 
• Infrastructure and community investment: He touts having previously secured major funding for road and infrastructure projects within the 41st District during his earlier terms, and has said he wants to keep working on development, traffic, and dredging of the Inland Bays and rivers that flow into them.
• Experienced leadership / "day one" readiness: A central theme of his pitch is his prior tenure: "It's as important as ever to send someone there that can start work on day one," pointing to his roughly 10 years previously representing the district (2003–2014, as both a Republican and a Democrat).

In short: Platform focuses on reducing burdens on small businesses and investing in infrastructure and community development.

BEFORE YOU VOTE

With the primary approaching, now is also a good time to make sure you are ready to vote. The deadline to register to vote in Delaware’s 2026 primary election is this Saturday, August 22. Delaware is a closed primary state, meaning voters registered as Democrats may vote in the Democratic primary, and voters registered as Republicans may vote in the Republican primary.

Not sure which races will appear on your ballot? Visit the state’s Voter Portal to check your registration status, view a sample ballot based on your polling location, find your polling place, and access other personalized voting information.
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Early voting for the primary begins September 2, and polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15. For additional information or questions about voting deadlines, early voting, absentee voting, or Election Day, visit the Delaware Department of Elections’ website.