Following former Speaker of the House Valerie Longhurst’s reelection loss to progressive newcomer Kamela Smith (D-Bear), the State House’s top leadership opened up, positioning a shakeup in Democratic leadership.
The caucus promoted former Majority Whip Kerri Evelyn Harris (D-Dover) to be the new Majority Leader and selected State Rep. Ed Osienski (D-Newark) to take over as Majority Whip.
The new Speaker of the House is expected to be former Majority Leader Melissa Minor-Brown (D-New Castle), who has been selected by the Democratic caucus but will be confirmed by a full chamber vote on January 14.
Minor-Brown began serving in the House in 2018 and says her background as a nurse has helped her view things holistically — noting that unity is needed now more than ever following the General Election.
"People are hurting right now, but Delawareans have elected us into this position, and they're looking to us to be leaders and to legislate and to get stuff done. And I know that we have the ability to do that as a caucus — as such a diverse caucus. Priority number one, we need to be proactive in protecting and preserving the progress that we've made in our state over the last few years and just continue to improve on the lives of our constituents in our respective communities, and I don't mean just the Democratic caucus," she explained. “We have to work together, we have to work with the Republican caucus. It's going to take all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to come together united in working on the needs of those who have elected us to represent them.”
Democrats were looking at gaining a potential supermajority in the House, which would have given the caucus the power to pass the first leg of constitutional amendments without Republican support.
Democrats only picked up one seat in the House following this election — leaving them one seat shy of the supermajority — but Minor-Brown believes working across the aisle to enshrine certain rights is still possible.
Constitutionalizing abortion rights, outlawing the death penalty and solidifying various voting procedures have all been on the table the past few years, and Minor-Brown has particular faith in passing legislation to re-instate voting rights.
"Democrats weren't the only individuals that were utilizing early voting, right? There were Republicans as well. In some districts, the percentages showed that Republicans were utilizing early voting greater than the Democrats. We just have to educate people on the importance of all these things. So I think as long as we can communicate and educate the other side of the aisle and work together, we can get these things done," Minor-Brown said.
Republicans have largely been supportive of adding early voting to Delaware's Constitution, even having introduced their own version of a constitutional amendment to do so, but have not been as supportive of no-excuse mail-in voting and permanent absentee voting.
The current Democrat-introduced constitutional amendment would enshrine all three voting procedures, although it failed an initial vote in the House.
Minor-Brown has also been a champion of legislation to secure women's reproductive rights and improve Black maternal health outcomes but says more work is to be down in the health care equity space, particularly with protecting gender-affirming care providers.
"When you think about gender-affirming care, people have to really remove their biases from the overall arch, which is health care. How are we ensuring that health care providers, health care professionals, are able to deliver quality care to their patients without fear of retribution?" she said. "People have to remove themselves from whatever bias exists and focus on the fact that we need quality health care delivered to all of our constituents throughout our state, no matter what it is."
A bill to do just that narrowly made it out of committee but did not reach the House Floor last legislative session.
Minor-Brown would be Delaware’s first Black Speaker of the House and first Black woman to serve in the top role. Evelyn Harris is also the first open member of the LGBTQ+ community to serve as House Majority Leader.
A recent wave of top female politicians have made it a point to campaign on their credentials — rather than their identity — including Vice President Kamala Harris during her presidential run and Delaware's own Sarah McBride, who just became the first openly transgender member of Congress.
Minor-Brown says for her, while it's important to uplift women because of their historic dismissal from leadership spaces, it's about keeping decision-making bodies diverse and qualified as a whole.
"I'm a proud Black woman, and have I had to overcome a ton of adversity? Absolutely, And do I feel that I definitely missed out on opportunities that I was over-qualified for and they were offered to a person that was not Black and maybe less qualified? Absolutely. So we know that that already exists," she said. "I've learned firsthand that leadership is so much more than just managing votes and passing bills, right? Because that's what legislators are known for. But really, it's about bringing people together. It's about building trust. It's about finding common ground in the pursuit of the greater good. It's about unity. So we have to just make sure that we are not only focusing on gender, but we're actually focusing on the quality of our caucus members."
Osienski will bring a fresh face to the leadership team, and Minor-Brown says his work on passing legislation to legalize recreational adult-use marijuana is proof he's ready for the job.
"He's super qualified. He knows how to work with the caucus members. He's another one that can work both sides of the aisle, and he knows how to get things done. So he will be a great asset to the leadership team," Minor-Brown said.
Republicans are also gaining a new leadership team following former Minority leader Mike Ramone's gubernatorial run.
State Rep. Tim Dukes (R-Laurel) is stepping into the role as Minority Leader. Dukes served as Minority Whip for four years, took two years off from leadership, and is now ready for a new legislative session.
He says he is equally as excited for new leadership across the board, including Democratic Governor-elect Matt Meyer.
“This gives opportunity with five new people in positions of leadership — It gives us an opportunity to work together to really accomplish things on a new level," Dukes said. "I think there's a real willingness from us five to really work together to accomplish some great things in Delaware. It's also going to be interesting, from another perspective, being in the minority — we have a new governor coming in who's not your typical insider in Delaware politics, and that can be refreshing. It can also be concerning, because we don't know exactly where his platform is going to go. I have had conversations with Governor-elect Matt Meyer, and I'm really look forward to working with him and growing and building relationships."
Dukes said while he has yet to meet with the caucus's policy team, he already has his sights set on honing in on education and healthcare this upcoming session.
"One of our most primary functions as the legislature is approving an over $6 billion budget, and that's one of the most important things we do. There's a lot of side issues that come about, but our two biggest money grabs is education and health, and that's where I think we're going to have to spend a lot of our time, and our economy and our income dictates a lot of that. So we just looked at our budget and 65% of it is [Department of Health and Social Services] and education — that's where a lot of focus has got to come."
State Rep. Jeff Spiegelman (R-Clayton) will serve alongside Dukes as House Minority Whip in his first leadership role.
Senate Democratic leadership also elected its leadership team for the 153rd General Assembly, which stayed consistent with the prior session.
State Sen. Dave Sokola (D-Sokola) has been nominated again to serve as President Pro Tempore, while both Sen. Majority Leader Bryan Townsend (D-Newark) and Sen. Majority Whip Elizabeth "Tizzy" Lockman (D-Wilmington) have been re-elected to continue serving in their respective leadership roles.
“Our caucus is made up of 15 dynamic members that bring a unique and valued perspective to our legislature — yet we are united in our passion to make Delaware a better state for all families,” Sokola said in a statement, who has served as Senate President Pro Tempore since January 2021. “I thank my colleagues for allowing me the privilege to continue serving as the leader of the Senate, and look forward to us taking up a bold legislative agenda during the 153rd General Assembly.”
A formal leadership election for the Senate President Pro Tempore will take place among the full Senate when it reconvenes for Extraordinary Session on Monday, December 16.
Republican Senate leadership is expected to be chosen on November 21, although current Sen. Minority Leader Gerald Hocker and Sen. Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn's seats were not up for reelection this year.
