Former State Rep. Ray Seigfried and United Way of Delaware Chief Operating Officer Dan Cruce are chosen as the Democratic Party’s candidates in the State Senate’s upcoming special elections.
With the election of Sarah McBride to fill Delaware’s lone congressional seat and Kyle Evans Gay to become the state’s next lieutenant governor, the State Senate has two seats to fill in the coming months.
Siegfried is a former state representative who served one term following his election in 2018, but lost his 2020 primary race to progressive candidate Larry Lambert who remains in that seat.
Seigfried is currently retired but has an extensive background in the healthcare industry, serving as Senior Vice President of Administration at ChristianaCare Health System for over 25 years.
“This is a great opportunity for me to continue my contribution to the state in healthcare. I think certainly that there's a keen awareness of the cost of healthcare and I think I can make a substantial contribution in that area," Seigfried said.
One of the most anticipated discussions this upcoming legislative session is around the recently passed House Bill 350, which established a politically appointed Hospital Cost Review Board intended to review hospital budgets and ensure they are adhering closely to healthcare spending benchmarks.
That legislation is currently facing a lawsuit from ChristianaCare which alleges the board is unconstitutional and threatens its mission “to care for the community.”
Delaware Healthcare Association President and CEO Brian Frazee says the association is currently in talks with lawmakers to make changes to the legislation, something Seigfried supports.
"I do think that House Bill 350 will need to be modified. I think all of us are focused on reducing healthcare cost — there's no question about that," Seigfried said. "I don't believe the bill in its current state is geared towards doing that in the best way. Number one, I want go and listen to people — I wanna hear what both avenues have to say, and then I think we can make constructive recommendations to self correct where we are."
Dan Cruce is the party's pick to run for McBride’s District 1 seat in the Wilmington, Edgemoor and Bellefonte area.
While this would be his first elected position, Cruce previously served as the deputy secretary of the Delaware Department of Education and intends to make instating universal pre-K a priority.
“There are far too many of our young folks up and down the state that don't have the supports that they have at home, don't have the resources that others have. And we have the ability, if we can move smartly and diligently through the process, to bring full-day pre-K to bear," Cruce said.
He also previously served as assistant superintendent at the Christina School District.
Cruce says the timing just felt right in terms of running for office, feeling as though his experiencing implementing policy will bring a unique perspective to the body in charge of creating those very policies.
"Being a part of this district and seeing how [Sarah McBride] has lead and seeing how [Harris McDowell] lead before that, number one, was inspirational, and number two, helped underscore the opportunity that I think I could bring to the table with my experience to continue the traditions and continue to get some things done with good government."
The nomination process for special elections has historically been left up to party leaders, but that method was recently challenged by Governor-elect Matt Meyer.
Meyer urged the parties to consider holding open primaries to allow voters to select their candidates, but party leadership argues Delaware law currently does not enable them to hold such an election.
In a statement released Tuesday, New Castle County Democratic Party Chair Kat Caudle and City of Wilmington Democratic Party Chair Cassandra Marshall noted the following:
“While detractors may continue to criticize the Party, their issue is with the Code itself. We should focus on continually improving and expanding voter access instead of taking cynical stands that drive voters away and distract from the issue at hand: in order to make progress for all Delawareans, we must elect strong Democrats to the State Senate, who will support efforts to ensure every eligible voter has equitable access to elections. While our current, long-standing system rewards participation, we must acknowledge participation does require privilege, and we appreciate the opportunity to more thoroughly discuss how our Party can be more accessible, while we ensure voters do not go long periods without representation.”
The chairs said they do not oppose reforming the Delaware Code to allow for special election primaries in the future.
The Republican Party has not yet announced its candidates for the two seats, and a date for the special elections has not been set.
