The Delaware Democratic Party (DelDems) is the affiliate of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. It is headquartered in

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

and chaired by Erik Raser-Schramm. The party is the dominant political party in Delaware and has existed since the Jacksonian Democrats broke away from the Federalists in 1825. President Joe Biden is a Delaware Democrat. The party also occupies all seats for the state in Congress, all statewide executive offices, and majorities in both houses of the state legislature.

History of the party

Party creation

As the first state of the United States, Delaware was at the forefront of the creation in U.S. political parties. The origins of the Delaware Democratic Party can be traced back to the original anti-federalist party. While key difference divide this part from the Democratic Party today, key issues involving government involvement and ideologies such as Jeffersonian and Jacksonian can be linked to modern day ideals of the Delaware Democratic party.Boyer, William and Edward C. Ratledge. Delaware Politics and Government. Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. 2009. Yet, despite being one of the first states with true parties, the spiritual predecessor of the Democratic party struggled to support its agenda in the state. It wasn't until the splitting of parties into federalists and Jacksonians that the Democratic party got its first true start. With only one bad loss in 1855 to the American Party, the Democratic Party dominated politics up until the end of Reconstruction in the United States. Most fascinating of all, was how the party maintained its popularity during the Civil War. Despite being a northern state, Delaware Democrats opposed the abolition of slavery and named themselves "the white man's party" as they fought the Republican congress during Reconstruction. With 36 years of election dominance, the Democrats eventually fell out of power due to one major factor, the growth of industry in the state.

An era of weakness

Following the ousting of the Democrats in both the federal and state sector, the Republican Party remained the dominate party throughout the early 1900s and up until World War II. Even when John Addicks attempted to illegally purchase the Republican seat in the U.S. Senate, the Democrats were unable to capitalize. To emphasize just how far the party had fallen, the seat that Addicks attempted to take lay vacant for four consecutive terms with the Democrats unable to take it despite the clear corrupt actions of the Republican candidate Addicks. From 1897 to 1936, Delaware Democrats were irrelevant in politics with Republicans either dominating the state senate and house of Representatives or the Democrats completely absent from federal politics. With the power of industry overriding agriculture, the Democratic Party was not be able to regain an equal footing in the state until Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office.

Trading time with the Republicans

Following its period of weakness, the Democratic Party of Delaware began to regain an equal foothold with its Republican rival following World War II. While evidence Republican domination could be still be see in the form of J. Caleb Boggs and John J. Williams, the third member of this "Big Three" was a Democrat named Elbert Carvel. Carvel served two terms as the governor of the state and helped keep his party relevant even when they did not control the state. Despite what occurred in the past, The Democrats of the late 1970s to 2000 held an equal footing in the state, neither party gaining serious ground on the other. Democrats would end up holding the Governor position in the state for 30 years in comparison to their counterparts possession of the position for 29. Even after the Republicans had held the office of the Governor more than 20 years, the Democrats simply took it back and continue to occupy it to this day.

Recent glory

In the 21st century, the Democratic Party has risen to become the most popular party in Delaware. The party has control at the state level over the executive branch and the legislative branch.

Current elected officials

The following is a list of elected statewide and federal Democratic officeholders beginning in 2019:

Members of Congress

Democrats comprise all of Delaware's 3-member Congressional delegation - including both US Senators and the lone member of the House of Representatives.

U.S. Senate

Democrats have controlled both of Delaware's seats in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

since

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

: File:Tom Carper, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg, Senior U.S. Senator File:Chris Coons, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg, Junior U.S. Senator

U.S. House of Representatives

Democtats have controlled Delaware's lone seat in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

since

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Statewide officials

Democrats control all six statewide elected offices. File:John C. Carney Jr. official portrait 112th Congress (1).jpg,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

File:Bethany Hall-Long.jpg,

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

File:Kathy Jennings AG (cropped).png,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

*Treasurer:

Colleen Davis Colleen Davis (; born 1979/1980) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party serving as the Delaware State Treasurer. As a child, Davis moved from the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland to Sussex County, Delaware, where she gr ...

*Auditor:

Lydia York Lydia York (born 1958/1959) is an American attorney, accountant, and Democratic politician who is the Delaware state auditor. She was first elected in the 2022 elections. York was previously a candidate for the same office in 2018, losing to Kath ...

*Commissioner of Insurance:

Trinidad Navarro Trinidad Navarro is an American politician who is the Delaware Insurance Commissioner and previously served as New Castle County Sheriff. He is a Democrat. Education and career Navarro received his associate's degree from Delaware Technical Co ...

State legislative leaders

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

: Bethany Hall-Long **Senate President Pro Tempore: David Sokola **Senate Majority Leader: Bryan Townsend *

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

Peter Schwartzkopf Peter C. Schwartzkopf (born January 15, 1955) is an American politician and the Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented the 14th district since 2002. His district covers Rehoboth Bea ...

**House Majority Leader:

Valerie Longhurst Valerie J. Longhurst (born December 17, 1963) is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the Delaware House of Representatives, where she serves as majority leader. She was elected in 2004 to represent the 15th district, which cover ...

State Senate

In 2019, Democrats control 13 of the statewide elected offices. State Senators must be citizens of the United States and have resided in Delaware for three years. Candidates must also have been a resident of their respective district for at least one year preceding their election. The age requirement to run for this elected seat is 27 years old. *1st Senate District: Harris B. McDowell III *2nd Senate District: Darius J. Brown *3rd Senate District: S. Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman *4th Senate District: Laura V. Sturgeon *8th Senate District: David Sokola *9th Senate District: Jack Walsh *10th Senate District: Stephanie Hansen *11th Senate District: Bryan Townsend *12th Senate District: Nicole Poore *13th Senate District: David B. McBride *14th Senate District: Bruce Ennis *17th Senate District: Charles “Trey” Paradee III

Current makeup of Delaware State Senate

State House of Representatives

In 2011, Democrats control 26 of the 41 statewide elected offices.Delaware House of Representatives,http://legis.delaware.gov/Legislature.nsf/Lookup/House_Home?open&nav=house, accessed November 15, 2011 Any candidate running for the House of Representatives must have lived in Delaware for three years and be a U.S. citizen. The candidate must also live in the district at least one year prior to running for office and be at least 24 years of age. *1st Representative District: Dennis Williams *2nd Representative District: Stephanie Bolden *3rd Representative District: Helene Keeley *4th Representative District: Gerald Brady *5th Representative District: Melanie George *6th Representative District: Debra Heffernan *7th Representative District: Bryon Short *8th Representative District: S. Quinton Johnson *9th Representative District: Rebecca Walker *10th Representative District: Dennis Williams *13th Representative District: John Mitchell Jr. *14th Representative District: Peter Schwartzkopf *15th Representative District: Valerie Longhurst *16th Representative District: James Johnson *17th Representative District: Michael Mulrooney *18th Representative District: Michael Barbieri *19th Representative District: Robert Gilligan *23rd Representative District: Teresa Schooley *24th Representative District: Edward Osienski *25th Representative District: John Kowalko, Jr. *26th Representative District: John Viola *27th Representative District: Earl Jaques, Jr. *28th Representative District: William Carson, Jr. *31st Representative District: Darryl Scott *32nd Representative District: E. Bradford Bennett *41st Representative District: John Atkins

Current make-up of Delaware House of Representatives

Mayor of Wilmington:

Mike Purzycki Michael S. Purzycki (born 1945) is an American businessman and politician currently serving as the 56th Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware. Prior to serving as Mayor, Purzycki served as the executive director of the Riverfront Development Corporation ...

Federal Executive Officials

In the

2008 U.S. Presidential election The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from ...

, Senator Joe Biden was elected

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

alongside

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, who was elected

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. Biden is the first Delawarean to run on a presidential ticket, and the first Delawarean to be elected and hold the office. Biden assumed the Vice Presidency on January 20, 2009 and served until January 20, 2017. *

: Joe Biden In the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, Joe Biden was elected

alongside

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Senator

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

, who was elected

. He is the first Delawarean to be elected to the office of the President. He is sworn in on January 20, 2021. *

: Joe Biden

References

External links

Delaware Democratic Party
{{U.S. Democratic Party state parties Democratic Party (United States) by state Political parties in Delaware

History of the party

Party creation

An era of weakness

Trading time with the Republicans

Recent glory

Current elected officials

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

U.S. House of Representatives

Statewide officials

State legislative leaders

State Senate

Current makeup of Delaware State Senate

State House of Representatives

Current make-up of Delaware House of Representatives

Federal Executive Officials

See also

References

External links