Special election victories by former State Rep. Ray Seigfried and United Way of Delaware COO Dan Cruce help Senate Democrats maintain a supermajority this legislative session.
Cruce was elected to represent Wilmington’s Senate District 1, winning a three-way race against Republican Steve Washington and Nonpartisan Party candidate Riley "Liv" Figliola with 79% of the total vote.
Seigfried beat out Republican Brent Burdge for the Talleyville-area Senate District 5 seat with 67% of the vote.
The two New Castle County legislators officially became senators as of midnight on Feb. 16, but their swearing-in is anticipated for early March when lawmakers return after state budget hearings conclude.
Their wins maintain Democrats' supermajority in the State Senate, brining the caucus member total to 15 against a 6-member Republican caucus.
Seigfried succeeds Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay, who represented the 5th District for four years prior to becoming Delaware’s second-in-command.
Cruce takes over for Congresswoman Sarah McBride, who served the 1st District for four years after former State Sen. Harris McDowell held the position for 44 years.
“On almost every door where folks open and talk to us, they've got a story about Sarah or Harris and how they were in their neighborhoods, at their neighborhood meetings, making things happen in their neighborhoods — certainly at the policy level," Cruce said.
He hopes to take the same approach to his leadership style, making effective change at the local level for Wilmington by focusing on working families, senior citizens and quality education.
He says in the final weeks of the campaign, Wilmington residents made it clear they're not only focused on the economy but preserving human rights.
"[What] really became super clear of the last couple of weeks — and this is, I think it's a reaction to what's happening at the national level — is the fight for human dignity and the fight for respect, particularly for folks that are being attacked, that are being harassed now in ways that they just haven't before. And what really resonated is, it's not about politics," Cruce said. "Those weren't political issues when we were on those doorsteps, those were really human issues, and I think that's why we also saw not just Democrats come out, but when you look at the numbers, I think we actually— that resonated with Independents and even with some Republicans as well."
Seigfried says healthcare remains at the forefront of his policy goals — previously serving as Senior Vice President of Administration at ChristianaCare Health System for over 25 years — but he is also ready to take on the state’s current hot button issues like the Edgemoor container port project.
“I'm very, kind of on high alert on I think the Port of Wilmington as well as Edgemoor. I am keenly aware of what's going on there and what we're doing. So I mean I think there's a lot from business to healthcare to education that I will be really focused on," Seigfried said.
He also plans to focus on the legally contested Hospital Cost Review Board — also known as House Bill 350 — which legislatively created a politically appointed body to review hospital spending budgets in an effort to curb rising healthcare costs.
"I will be really focused particularly on House Bill 350. I mean, the horses are out of the barn. I'm going to be looking very hard at how that progresses and how well that really affects reduction in either the premium or out-of-pocket cost for Delawareans, and that to me is where the rubber hits the road. And I want to work as hard as I can to ensure that healthcare cost relative to Delawareans are reduced."
Turnout was extremely low in both races, only 7% in the District 1 race and about 9% in District 5.
