Delaware’s General Assembly sees another member announce plans to retire from office after their term ends this year.
Senate President Pro Tem Dave Sokola (D-Newark) told his fellow lawmakers during Thursday’s Senate session that he plans to retire from office after the current legislative session.
Sokola says will not seek reelection to the Senate District 8 seat, after 36 years in office. He was first elected to the seat in 1990 and is currently the General Assembly’s longest tenured member. He’s been Senate President Pro Tem since 2020.
“At no point did I ever set out to become the longest serving member,” he said. “I just kept coming to work session after session.”
Sokola joins three other state lawmakers, including longtime Republican State senator Dave Lawson, in announcing plans to retire from office after this session closes in June.
Sokola said his last session is shaping to be one of the busiest. He wants to advance legislation that supports the Public Education Funding Commission’s plans to remodel the formula for how state money gets distributed to schools.
He also wants to advance legislation that “gets more energy on the grid” as Delmarva filed for its third energy rate increase with regulators in five years.
“So, depending on your prerogative, this is either a promise or a warning,” Sokola said. “Between now and June 30, I'm leaving it all on the field. As leader of this body, it's my hope, and frankly, my expectation, that you will join me.”
During time in office, Sokola sponsored marriage equality legislation to create civil unions, helped develop the state’s charter school and school choice laws and led the effort to add sexual orientation to state anti-discrimination laws.
Reactions:
Sokola’s announcement brought an outpouring reactions.
Right after his announcement on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend (D-Newark) said after years of honorable service, Sokola “can and should hold his head high.”
Sokola should enjoy retirement with his wife and daughter, and “has been absolutely amazing for the last five years as senate pro tem,” Townsend said.
Another longtime Delaware legislator, Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker (R-Ocean View) thanked Sokola for his leadership and “being there for me as the leader of the minority party.”
"You’ve always been there. Every text or email I’ve written, you’ve always come back with an answer. Although we didn’t agree with all of them, we worked it out.,” said Hocker.
Political leaders throughout the state also commended Sokola for service in Delaware's General Assembly.
State Representative Mara Gorman (D-Newark), whose House district is part of Sokola's Senate district, said his work on gun safety “played a crucial role passing the dozens of gun safety measures that the legislature enacted in the past decade, including the ban on assault weapons and the permit to purchase bill.”
Delaware Lt. Governor Kyle Gay’s, in a statement, said that Sokola affected policy by fighting for good governance, better schools, and safer neighborhoods.
On social media, former Delaware State Senator and current Congresswoman Sarah McBride called Sokola her “forever president pro tem.”
She served in the Delaware Senate from 2020 to 2025 and said Sokola delivered for the state.
"I had a front row seat to Dave pushing past other’s skepticism and resistance to action in order to deliver a bold agenda for Delaware: a $15 minimum wage, historic investments in high-need schools, paid family and medical leave, strong gun safety and reproductive freedom protections, the list goes on. He made the Delaware State Senate a laboratory of ideas and an engine of action for Delaware."
Sokola last won reelection in 2022, defeating Republican Victor John Setting II by a 63 to 37% margin.
