New Castle County Democrats are turning to a former Republican to run for the open 9th District seat. Jason Hortiz is set to run with a “D” next to his name come November.
The district committee chose Hortiz, a senior vice president at Bank of America, over another former Republican Andrea Daley who lost a bid for New Castle County Council in 2010.
Hortiz also failed to garner enough support as a GOP candidate in his race for New Castle County Recorder of Deeds in 2006.
He says became close friends with his opponent in that race, Michael Kozikowski, who eventually began to recast his political views.
“My wife also played a big part in challenging my thought process, but it’s just an evolution,” said Hortiz.
“You know when you grow up in a family and your dad’s a Republican and you’re close to your dad and he takes you out campaigning and stuff like that, you naturally migrate to that.”
Since then, he has worked to elect several local and statewide candidates, including Congressman John Carney.
Rep. Rebecca Walker (D-Townsend) is stepping down at the end of her term, saying she couldn’t find a balance with her other jobs at Widener University and Christiana Hospital.
Registered Democrats hold a majority in the 9th District that encompasses part of Middletown east toward the Delaware Bay, and north up to the C&D Canal.
But there are sizable Republican and third-party voting blocs, who repeatedly elected former House Majority Leader Richard Cathcart. Walker won Cathcart’s seat after he retired.
Hortiz says he doesn’t see his past GOP affiliation as an advantage or disadvantage. He says his deep ties to the area make him stand out to voters.
“I’ve been involved in the community since I’ve been six years old. I think that’s going to work for me. The fact that I was a Republican, to be honest with you, I don’t think that that plays a role in how successful I’ll be come election day,” said Hortiz.
That said, should he win this fall, he says he would oppose repealing Delaware’s death penalty, just as Rep. Walker did.
As chairperson of the House Judiciary Committee, she was one of a handful of Democrats who blocked the legislation after narrowly passing the senate in 2013.
“We do not rush to condemn people to the death sentence,” says Hortiz, noting his support for the law.
He will face Republican Kevin Hensley in November.