Charles Potter Jr. is an American politician. He was a Democratic member of the

Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...

from 2013 to 2019. He was defeated by Nnamdi Chukwuocha in the 2018 Democratic primary.

Early life and education

Potter was born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. He attended Delaware Technical Community College and graduated from Wilmington College.

Legal controversies

In 2017, Potter and his wife,

Velda Jones-Potter Velda Jones-Potter is a Delaware businesswoman and politician. She was appointed by Jack Markell to finish out his term as Delaware State Treasurer when he was elected governor in 2008. She lost her bid for election in the 2010 Democratic primary t ...

, were at risk of losing their home to a sheriff's sale as a result of "ongoing litigation stemming from home repairs." A Delaware Superior Court judge rejected all of the couple's complaints after finding them liable for failing to pay a construction contractor over $60,000 and criticized their "kitchen sink" tactics in the litigation. The

Delaware Supreme Court The Delaware Supreme Court is the sole appellate court in the United States state of Delaware. Because Delaware is a popular haven for corporations, the Court has developed a worldwide reputation as a respected source of corporate law decision ...

rejected two appeals by the couple, and upheld a judgement of $116,000, plus interest, against them in 2018. In 2018, the Delaware Superior Court rejected an attempt by the Potters to force the City of Wilmington's Licenses and Inspections Department to hold the contractor liable for code violations. The judge ruled that the couple cannot use the city to obtain compensation for losing their earlier legal disputes and criticized their use of the courts as spiteful. The Potters' appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court was rejected in 2019. Shortly before losing his bid for reelection in the Democratic primary, Potter used his position on the floor of the

to criticize the Superior Court judges who had ruled against him.

Electoral history

*In 2006, Potter challenged

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Democrat Harris McDowell III for the Senate District 1 seat in a four-way primary election. He lost, coming in second with 31.6% of the vote. *In 2012, Potter won the three-way Democratic primary with 2,546 votes (63.9%) to replace Dennis P. Williams, who was running for mayor of Wilmington. He was elected unopposed in the general election with 9,321 votes. *In 2014, Potter was unopposed in the general election, winning 4,691 votes. *In 2016, Potter was unopposed in the general election, winning 8,901 votes. *In 2018, Potter lost the Democratic primary to Nnamdi Chukwuocha, who won 2,306 votes (59.6%) against Potter.

References

External links

at the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisl ...

* Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Democratic Party members of the Delaware House of Representatives African-American state legislators in Delaware 21st-century American legislators Wilmington University alumni Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware 21st-century African-American politicians {{Delaware-politician-stub