Election Day is less than a week away and in the final days before voters head to their polling places WDDE is taking a longer look at some key state legislative races in the First State.
Today, James Dawson checks in with the 6th Senate District race:
Eyes across Delaware and especially near the southeast coast are watching the race for the state’s newest senate seat with great interest.
The Sixth District moved from northern New Castle County during the redistricting process last year and now encompasses Lewes, Milton, Rehoboth Beach and the surrounding areas.
After a contentious primary election, residents will be weighing their options as Election Day draws near.
More from WDDE's interviews with 6th District Senate candidates Ernie Lopez and Andy Staton.
More from WDDE's interviews with 6th District Senate candidates Ernie Lopez and Andy Staton.
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Ernie Lopez grew up in Newark and eventually returned there after college to work for the University of Delaware as the Associate Director for Undergraduate Admissions.
The Republican became the State 4-H Volunteer Coordinator through the university in 2006 and moved his family to Lewes.
Lopez says he met other young couples trying to save for their kid’s education or pay a mortgage in a troubled economy and they were the ones who pushed him to enter the race.
“I didn’t have a governor or a senator tapping me on the shoulder, telling me to run for office. It was my friends, my neighbors, people in my local civic association, our church. And to have that groundswell of support from the grassroots level at the beginning was really meaningful to me,” said Lopez.
But that support has grown across a broad spectrum of people.
Lopez says conservatives; independents and liberals alike have promised him their vote, which he attributes to knowing exactly which issues resonate with his constituents.
"Coastal tourism is going to be important. Leveraging the resources to make sure that this continues to be an attractive place for people to visit. Agriculture is something that’s extremely important. Food is something that, again, in the breadbasket of Delaware in Sussex County, we do it better that anyone else in terms of what we’re able to grow,” said Lopez.
His opponent, Rehoboth Beach realtor Andy Staton, touts his experience as a small business owner as one of the ways he’s deeply rooted in concerns of the electorate.
Bolstering the future of medical care in the 6th Senate District and Sussex County as a whole is part of the foundation for Staton’s platform.
He cites labor statistics showing the health care services sector growing by three thousand jobs in the next five to seven years, which he says isn’t the end of the story.
“On the support services side, those 3,000 jobs need to be fully supported. We need to make sure Del Tech has the appropriate facilities and infrastructure in order to train and educate people that are going to go into those jobs. We need to make sure that those who are out of work know that we have training and education opportunities for them to be retrained to go into those job opportunities,” said Staton.
Both men also consider the future of transportation as a key quality of life issues.
Lopez’s approach places an emphasis on streamlining DelDOT and focus on long-term planning initiatives with county and local officials.
Foresight also plays a part in Staton’s plan, as well as getting the small business community involved.
“I’ve proposed implementing a public-private partnership, much like we see at the ferry over in Lewes, and looking at how local companies can help provide more services at a different level to increase the number of opportunities for people to ride buses every single day,” said Staton
Each candidate points to the same overall issues facing their district, but where they stand on policy is what differentiates them.
The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Delaware endorses Staton’s campaign.
“We talk about support for Planned Parenthood and the fact the state does provide some funding to that. I tell you that that’s important to the families and to the women and children in the state of Delaware. My opponent has publicly stated that he would oppose state funding for that. That is significant in my opinion,” said Staton.
Lopez answered that he opposed using taxpayer money to fund the organization in a questionnaire issued by the Delaware Family Policy Council.
Lopez, however, believes his 30 years as a Delaware resident gives him the upper hand in better connecting with constituents and tackling the problems affecting them.
The two face another challenger in the form of Libertarian candidate Wendy Jones.
A Milton resident, Jones says she hopes to restore free-market entrepreneurship and minimize government waste if elected.