Why Should Delaware Care?
In deciding to step down, Sussex County Democratic Party Chair Jeff Balk bowed to the mounting political pressure against him. Balk’s resignation ends a weeks-long standoff over his future within the party, after his past sex crimes against minors resurfaced last week.
The Sussex County Democratic Party Chair, Jeff Balk, who was the subject of recent controversy over his decision to remain in leadership despite his past sex crimes against minors, resigned Sunday night.
He first announced the decision in a statement on the Sussex Democrats’ Facebook page.
“I am stepping down to ensure that I do not become a distraction to the candidates who are running in the 2026 cycle, a critical time for our county, state and country,” Balk wrote.
His resignation comes amid a growing call from state Democratic leaders for him to step down, two days after Spotlight Delaware first reported on Balk’s past. He spent seven years in a Missouri prison in the late 1980s for paying young boys for sex.
Delaware’s entire federal delegation – Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester, and Rep. Sarah McBride – issued a joint statement along with Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings urging Balk to resign.
State House of Representatives Democratic Leadership – Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris and Majority Whip Ed Osienski – also called for Balk’s resignation.
“As Democrats, we believe in the possibility of growth and reform of offenders, but second chances can’t come at the expense of survivors who are still living with the pain of what was done to them,” they wrote in a statement. “…It’s time for [Balk] to step down so we can uphold the dignity and safety of survivors, the integrity of the party, and the trust of our community.”
State Republicans also joined in, releasing a statement saying they were “appalled” by Balk’s past crimes.
Before his resignation, Balk had been at the center of a weeks-long standoff between Sussex Democrats and their state party leadership over whether he should remain in his position as county chair.
Delaware Democratic Party Chair Evelyn Brady had asked Balk to step down earlier this month, citing what she called the best interests of the party. But Balk refused. And his local coalition stood behind him, urging Brady to walk back her demand for his resignation.
Sussex Democrats argued in a letter to Brady that Balk had done the penance for his crimes, and he represented the Democratic ethos of the power of second chances.
“He is a model citizen and an example of what people who commit serious offenses in their earlier lives can achieve if they work hard and are given a fair shot by society,” the letter reads.
Aside from their moral argument, the Sussex Democrats also pointed to recent registration growth and electoral success as a reason for Balk to keep his position.
They pointed to flipping the 20th House District and the 6th State Senate District from Republican to Democrat control in 2022, flipping a Sussex County Council seat in 2024 and winning the 20th House District special election this year all as examples of Balk’s importance within the party.
Brady, in an email to Spotlight Delaware, said her decision to ask Balk to step down went beyond his contributions, repeating her refrain that his resignation is what is best for the party.
Balk declined to comment on his resignation Sunday night, saying his statement speaks for itself.