Why Should Delaware Care?
Legislative bodies are responsible for writing and passing all of the state laws that will impact Delawareans. Oftentimes, they are passed with some form of debate or challenge from opposing parties. But with a new supermajority, there will be little stopping Democrats from enacting their policy aims.
The Delaware Democratic party ran away with many of their races Tuesday night, netting a coveted two-thirds supermajority in the state House of Representatives by flipping three seats previously held by Republicans.
House Democrats now join their Senate counterparts in holding two-thirds of all seats in their chamber. They will be able to amend the state Constitution without Republican support, a move that further solidifies Democrats’ monopoly on state politics and has been lamented by Republicans throughout this election cycle.
Democrats successfully — and in some cases surprisingly — flipped three seats in Camden, Long Neck and Middletown. They also held onto a Milton-area seat that in previous years had been decided by fewer than 150 votes.
Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives Melissa Minor-Brown (D-New Castle) called Tuesday night’s wins a decisive message from voters about what they want to see from state government leaders.
“Winning a supermajority is a strong vote of confidence from Delawareans,” Minor-Brown said. “They’ve seen what we were able to accomplish over the last two years, and they’re ready to see more, and we’re ready to deliver.”
But Democratic ambitions to nab a seat in deep-red Sussex County fell short, as a former Republican lawmaker with a past of domestic violence convictions reclaimed his seat in the Millsboro area. Republicans also held onto a western Kent County Senate seat that saw outsized fundraising from two political newcomers.
In all, Democrats now comfortably hold a two-thirds supermajority with the state legislature. Tuesday’s election results, however, will also test intraparty dynamics, as a growing slate of progressive candidates — many of whom ousted incumbent lawmakers in this year’s primaries — now heads to Dover.
Surprising southern Delaware flips
In one of the most surprising statehouse flips for Democrats, former State Librarian Annie Norman unseated longtime incumbent Republican Rep. Lyndon Yearick to represent the Camden-Wyoming-area 34th House District.
Norman, who edged out a victory by just 150 votes, will be the first fresh face to represent the district since Yearick’s first win in 2014. She campaigned on using her decades of civil service experience to make state government more efficient for Delawareans.
“We are small. We can be better. We could be the best in the nation because we’re small enough to really do it right,” she told Spotlight Delaware on Tuesday night.
Norman launched her campaign this summer, and brought in just less than $22,000 — about $10,000 less than Yearick raised throughout his campaign.
In another Democratic surprise, Gregg Lindner beat out Republican Dan Zitofsky to represent the 4th House District, left open after Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-Long Neck) chose not to seek reelection earlier this year.
Lindner, a retired media company executive, campaigned on issues that have become common refrains among many Sussex County residents — lacking infrastructure, healthcare access and environmental concerns.
After his win on Tuesday night, Lindner said he planned to be a representative for his entire district, not just those who voted him into office, as the quality of life issues at the foundation of his campaign affect residents regardless of their political affiliation.
“Things don’t get done by themselves,” Lindner said. “You have to be able to collaborate with other legislators to move forward. Some within the same party, some that are across the aisle to make happen.”
Democrats secure third, more likely flip
Democratic candidate Ayanna Khan-Flowers, the president and CEO of the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce, easily dispatched her opponent in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend 9th House District that had long been held by a Republican.
Khan-Flowers secured 64% of the vote, beating her Republican opponent and longtime educator Jamar Money.
Khan-Flowers did not return a phone call on Tuesday night.
Her victory follows the retirement of longtime legislator Rep. Kevin Hensley (R-Middletown/Odessa), who announced in May he would not seek reelection due to health challenges.
Hensley also pleaded guilty in April 2025 to driving drunk in a case that saw him crash his truck into a car on Route 1 near Milford.
As a result of his plea, Hensley lost his driver’s license for a year, and was mandated to take a DUI course, serve probation and pay a $500 fine.
Democrats establish new foothold in coastal Sussex
In the Milton and Lewes-area 20th House District, incumbent Rep. Alonna Berry (D) held onto her seat, winning her first full term in the House over Republican challenger Gene Dvornick.
Berry won out with 56% percent of the vote, representing a decisive win for Democrats in a district that features the smallest Democratic voter advantage anywhere in the state.
She won a special election last year by just 117 votes following the resignation of Stell Parker Selby, but she easily won the primary election in September to gain campaign momentum heading into Election Day.
Berry said on Tuesday night that it felt good to win and thanked the voters. She said one of the goals in this election was to “increase the margin” of victory, and it was indicative of support from across the aisle.
Going into January, she said she is excited to serve and hopes to address issues in her district like healthcare, infrastructure, housing and education.
Atkins heads back to the statehouse
A race Democrats hoped to nab in Sussex County ultimately remained in Republican control after former Rep. John Atkins reclaimed his seat on Tuesday night.
He won with more than 53% of the vote against Democratic newcomer Ryan Stuckey for the District 41 seat left vacant by the retirement of Republican Rep. Rich Collins.
Atkins has a checkered past of domestic violence convictions, but he has said those incidents are safely in his past after he committed himself to his faith. However, Atkins’ candidacy led some Republicans to pledge to vote for his opponent, a Democrat who supports gun rights and has put solving Sussex’s infrastructure woes at the top of his platform.
As questions swirled around who would replace longtime Collins, multiple Republicans, including Atkins, expressed a willingness to run. But party leaders had at the time expressed some skepticism about Atkins’ past.
Atkins did not return a call on Tuesday night to discuss his victory.
GOP holds other key races
Democratic aims to flip a western Kent County Senate seat fell short, as Republicans held onto the 15th Senate District that opened up following a longtime senator’s retirement earlier this year.
Emily Thompson, a program administrator for the state’s Division of Public Health, garnered nearly 57% of the vote in the deep-red district. She easily defeated her opponent Nisha Lodhavia, a member of University of Delaware’s Board of Trustees.
Both of the candidates were political newcomers who entered the race as longtime Sen. Dave Lawson (R-Marydel) announced his retirement earlier this year. Lawson quickly threw his weight behind Thompson’s candidacy, endorsing her to take his place.
Thompson did not return a phone call on Tuesday night.
In another Republican victory, Rep. Mike Smith (R-Pike Creek) sailed to reelection on Tuesday night. He is now the only Republican serving in any state or county office in New Castle County.
Smith faced new scrutiny after being named the next president and CEO of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, one of the state’s largest lobbying organizations.
When the chamber made the announcement back in late September, Smith said he would not run for reelection in 2028. But Smith changed his tune on Tuesday morning, telling Spotlight Delaware he was considering another run.
Smith beat Democratic newcomer Alex Green, a land surveyor and local volunteer, with nearly 54% of the vote.
A full freshman class
In all, three new senators were elected Tuesday night: Thompson, and Democrats Shay Frisby and Rep. Mara Gorman (D-Newark).
Frisby, a progressive candidate endorsed by the Working Families Party, beat out Sen. Ray Seigfried (D-North Brandywine) in a closely watched primary race in September.
Gorman ran to succeed Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola (D-Newark), who announced his retirement earlier this year.
In the House, 11 new representatives were elected Tuesday night — more than a quarter of the entire chamber.
Those newly elected representatives include:
- Michelle Booker (D) — State House District 2
- Branden Fletcher-Dominguez (D) — State House District 3
- Gregg Lindner (D) — State House District 4
- Ayanna Khan-Flowers (D) — State House District 9
- Pamela Salaam (D) — State House District 16
- Dave Redslawsk (D) — State House District 23
- Tyeisha Grier (D) — State House District 28
- Morgan Hudson (R) — State House District 33
- Annie Norman (D) — State House District 34
- Carlie Carey (R) — State House District 38
- John Atkins (R) — State House District 41
While Democrats now hold a two-thirds supermajority in both the House and Senate, the cohesion of the party, at least within the House, will face its first test on Wednesday.
House Democrats will convene this week to determine their leaders for the 154th General Assembly, and Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton (D-Bear), perhaps the most vocal progressive in the House, has already announced plans to challenge incumbent House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown.
Maggie Reynolds contributed to this report.
