Delaware’s three candidates for Attorney General faced off in a debate hosted by Spotlight last week in Wilmington.
The Attorney General acts as Delaware's chief legal officer. The role is expansive. Its duties include suggesting legislation, enforcing state law, making key appointments within the DOJ, and conducting investigations.
A significant issue during the debate was addressing staffing challenges within the AG’s office. During budget hearings last year, the DOJ told the General Assembly it was “critically understaffed,” and struggling to compete with private firms.
Incumbent AG Kathy Jennings said her office unionized last year, and secured raises for attorneys, 20% over three years.
"We fight to get them raises," she said. "Our office is a union shop right now, and that is a very good thing. With the union's help, I advocated successfully with a brand new governor that we should get a substantial raise for the people in our office."
Dwayne Bensing, ACLU of Delaware legal director, argued that staffing should never have reached crisis levels, because it means outsourcing work to private law firms.
"I've spent my career as a public interest attorney, and could see this crisis coming down the pike," he said.
Under his oversight, he said the Delaware ACLU legal team grew from a department of one to three staff attorneys, two first-year legal fellows, and a paralegal.
Patty Rickman, a business owner and survivor of domestic violence-turned advocate said inclusive leadership is crucial to retaining staff. Her experience in these roles means she'll lead with accountability.
"I feel like the buck stops with me," she said. As an advocate, she said she heard from staff that, "policies and procedures were not followed and abided by, and that it was seemingly a catch and release system."
She said when that's the case, it can contribute to turnover that her approach would prevent.
Spotlight Delaware said gun deaths peaked in Delaware in 2022, when 82 people died in 233 shootings. The number of deaths has gone down since, but 47 people died last year from gun violence in the state.
The state implemented several measures in the last several years to prevent gun deaths. A Firearms Transaction Approval Program was implemented in 2024 to investigate and seize illegal firearms. But Bensing said the state needs a more strategic approach.
"I think that this whack-a-mole approach to gun violence that we've had, really lends itself to unconstitutional policing," he said. "We have stops that occur and then we seize the weapon. We need a more strategic approach that really addresses the supply side."
Delaware's General Assembly passed SB 300 during the most recent legislative session, which adds new requirements for gun vendors. It got significant pushback from GOP lawmakers.
Rickman, said the DOJ needs to meet people where they are, improve relationships with police, and create more youth programs.
Incumbent AG Kathy Jennings said violent gun crimes have reduced since she took office in 2019 through police investment into crime gun intelligence centers, which helps trace guns used in a crime to its origin.
All three candidates are Democrats. There is no Republican on the ballot for Attorney General yet.
Delaware’s primary election is Sept. 15.
