Democratic state lawmakers elected their leadership for the new session over the weekend, returning nearly everyone to their positions in both chambers.
In the House, Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf retained his position, though Rep. Paul Baumbach also challenged him.
Schwarzkopf says recent court challenges to key bills passed under his leadership last year won’t discourage him and fellow Democrats from pursuing their goals – including gun safety and voter access legislation – even if it requires going before a judge again.
“We can have these fights all day long, but it’s never going to be settled, never going to be solved, until it gets before a judge and a judge decides whether it’s constitutional or not," he said. "That’s why I let things go forward. It’s about time we get it out of our hands, put it in a judge’s hands and let them do their job. And I will live with whatever the result is – I will live with it.”
Schwartkopf adds that he and fellow Democrats will have to bear in mind that last year’s influx of revenue – including one-time federal dollars – won’t last forever, and they should pursue policy goals accordingly.
“We’re not going to have the money we had last year," he said. "That’s a given. But we know how much of that was extra money and how much was our normal budget. I think this next year, it’s going to be a lot less than we had last year, but it’s not going to cripple us.”
House Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst also won re-election, and Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown named Majority Whip. Minor-Brown replaces outgoing Rep. Larry Mitchell, who lost his primary. Minor-Brown is also the first Black Representative to hold a House leadership position.
In the Senate, members re-elected Senator David Sokola as President Pro Tem, along with Sen. Bryan Townsend as Majority Leader and Sen. Elizabeth Lockman as Majority Whip. Senate Democrats also gained a seat in Sussex County with the election of Rehoboth-area Senator Russ Huxtable.
