There are now no Republicans on Wilmington City Council.
That’s because Councilman James Spadola recently announced he was switching to the Democratic Party.
Spadola is serving in the at-large seat that’s reserved for the minority party, and he was the lone GOP member until the switch.
He argues people vote for people not party’s so leaving council with no Republicans didn’t weigh on him when making his decision. He adds his record speaks for itself.
Spadola explains why he’s changing now.
"Just to go back in time, I think I always could have been a moderate Democrat. I happened to register as a Republican a while back, but I think it probably started right in 2015, 2016 my deep aversion to Donald Trump, and you know, some of the policies, and somehow Trump,2.0 being next level bad compared to even Trump 1.0," said Spadola.
One thing he didn’t think about doing is becoming an Independent.
"I think it's more like why be lost in the wilderness as an independent, especially coming up with some local races in 2026. I want to be able to vote in the primaries. I want to help out some of the candidates that I think are worthy of helping, and as an independent, I just wouldn't be able to do that," said Spadola.
City Council isn’t the only seat Spadola ran for as a GOP candidate. He lost to Harris McDowell in the 2016 District 1 State Senate race, and to Kathy McGuiness in the 2018 State Auditor’s race.
Spadola has been on City Council since 2020, he was re-elected in 2024.
Spadola is non-committal about the 2028 election, but he did say if he does run for any position it will be city related.
