Why Should Delaware Care?
Mara Gorman, a first-term Democrat in Delaware’s House of Representatives, announced this week she will run to replace longtime Senator David Sokola, who will not seek re-election this year. Gorman’s decision marks the first prominent candidate vying for Sokola’s seat, and also opens up Gorman’s own House seat to a newcomer.
Newark-area Democratic Rep. Mara Gorman announced Monday that she will run for Delaware’s 8th Senate District seat, seeking to succeed Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola, who announced last week that he will not run for re-election.
Gorman’s decision makes her the first prominent candidate to toss her hat in the ring to replace Sokola, currently the longest-serving member of the state legislature, though she had not officially filed as of Tuesday afternoon. It also means her current seat representing the 23rd House District will be up for grabs.
Gorman made the leap from community advocate to lawmaker in 2024, and she told Spotlight Delaware that her decision to run for the Senate was to continue on that trajectory.
“I was very involved in policy and advocating for policy, and I really wanted to jump in and start being in charge of making that policy, as opposed to simply advocating for it,” Gorman said. “And I feel like being in the Senate will give me more of that.”
Gorman has been the primary sponsor of 11 bills so far in her first term, and written amendments for a handful of others.
Most notably, Gorman sponsored a package of four bills aimed at federal immigration enforcement activity, including House Bill 182, which bans Delaware law enforcement agencies from formally partnering with ICE.
Gorman said she hopes to continue advocating for similar legislation if elected to the Senate. It is something that will continue to be more necessary than ever, she said, as Democrats at the state level work to blunt the impacts of policy decisions by the Trump administration.
Gorman also said she would like to “play a little more offense” on some of the issues impacting residents, saying specifically that she wants to increase the housing stock in the state, and drive down health care costs. Gorman further said she would like to find ways to expand Delaware’s economic engine beyond its corporate franchise.
Gorman also said, if elected, she wants to focus on expanding a pipeline for local journalism to thrive in Delaware and finding innovative ways to use the arts as an economic driver in the state.
From advocate to lawmaker
Before her time in the legislature, Gorman worked as a policy advocate, leading Delaware’s chapter of the gun violence prevention nonprofit Moms Demand Action. She also worked as the public affairs manager for Planned Parenthood of Delaware.
The work led her to the statehouse, she said, both literally and figuratively.
Coming to Dover to testify about gun violence prevention bills – seeing some of that legislation go nowhere – made Gorman realize that she wanted to do more.
“You go down, and you show up, and you testify, and you think it’s going to fix everything – and it doesn’t,” she said.
Along with inspiring her first run for office, Gorman said her advocacy work also connected her to Sokola. Her 23rd Representative District sits entirely within Sokola’s 8th Senate District. So when Gorman would meet with lawmakers to discuss advocacy, Sokola was always there.
“I view him as someone who taught me a lot about the community and how to govern,” Gorman said. “He’s someone who I watched and listened to for over 10 years and learned from.”