Senate District 15 is a GOP stronghold, one of the few districts in Delaware with more registered Republican voters than Democrats. It has more than 40 thousand voters, a third of which are Republican. But Lawson didn’t have an opponent in his last race for this seat and this is the first time he hasn’t run since redistricting happened in 2021.
The Republican running this year, Emily Thompson, hopes to defend this GOP turf. She highlights her real-world experience and “deep conservative roots.” She also plans to keep the area’s agricultural heritage strong, expand opportunities for families, and make sure rural voices are heard in Dover.
She said, "When I'm canvassing and talking with community members and folks across the district door to door, a lot of people are fearful of losing our way of life-the quiet, agricultural, family, community-oriented environment. The real world experience part is I often talk about this dual perspective I have that's very beneficial with working in state government for over 10 years and then living on a family farm and helping with that operation."
Democrat Nisha Lodhavia understands she faces an uphill battle in this GOP heavy district. But for her, political labels are secondary.
She says she’s focused on common sense solutions, "I've never asked anyone when they've come to me and asked me or presented me with a problem or a situation. I've never said to them, "What's your party registration? The only thing I say is, "What is your problem, and how can I help you? I want people to know that I'm running as a moderate Democrat because I believe in governing from the center, not from the extremes."
On policy priorities, the district’s incumbent, Dave Lawson, is known for championing law enforcement and veteran services, which both Lodhavia and Thompson say they’re committed to continuing.
Thompson says she supports law enforcement “whole heartedly” and considered it as a career path at one point, "So that includes having uncomfortable conversations about what they're experiencing, what the barriers are to serving the community in the best way possible, and how we can support them through that. So I would want to just echo that supporting veterans and law enforcement are both priorities for me.”
But Lodhavia notes she wants to expand on Lawson’s agenda, "There are other issues that are also priorities in this district. So on a much broader level, I'll also stand with the educators, healthcare professionals, seniors, the firefighters, the agricultural industry, and the small business community. I'm not saying that I won't prioritize veterans in law enforcement, but I will also add these other spaces."
Lodhavia, a retired professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and member of University of Delaware’s Board of Trustees, says healthcare and education are areas she feels especially ready to engage in. While her policy platform highlights workforce opportunities and affordability, she sees public education as the direct line to improving both.
She said, "We have to look at how these issues fit in this bigger system…I would look at the data to understand the issues, but I also don't think affordability and economic opportunity are mutually exclusive."
Thompson, a former family crisis therapist, wants more resources dedicated to young people in foster care and their case managers. She said, "I will be a huge supporter for making sure that kids in experiencing foster care in Delaware have appropriate placement arrangements."
Another key issue in Kent County is housing and homelessness. This year’s Point in Time count says approximately 277 people were in a sheltered program in Kent. Delaware officials plan to convert the former Delaware State University Living and Learning Commons facility on Route 13 into a new homeless shelter modeled after the New Castle County Hope Center.
It will be located just 3 miles past the Senate District 15 line in Kent County. And Thompson says she’s concerned about the shelter’s location, "For public safety as it relates to folks panhandling on the roads, and you know maybe experiencing substance use disorder and kind of being disoriented and and being in the roadways."
But she also doesn’t think Kent County has enough resources to alleviate housing needs. And she wants to explore parameters to implement that find this balance.
Thompson said, "Things with a multidisciplinary team approach, where we can have coordination amongst housing providers, behavioral health services, workforce programs, community organizations, so people can access the right support before they reach crisis. I do think there needs to be space for a shelter that can support folks who are unhoused. But there has to be some parameters set around that to ensure that everyone is safe."
Lodhavia says Delaware needs to address multiple layers related to homelessness. And her focus will be on data when navigating legislative priorities.
She said, "So we have to get to the root of the problem first, and then we've got to find a way to coordinate solutions so we can focus on prevention first, and then find a way to create stability."
Lodhavia notes she’ll apply that same data drive approach to other legislation like the harm reduction bill passed this session that asks the state's partners in overdose prevention to provide sterile supplies to people. She says she couldn’t immediately lend that measure her support, "How are we paying for it?... What's the real impact? So, as I said, I'm a statistician by training, so. I always go back to show me the data. What does the data say?"
Lodhavia also wants to follow progress on results of mixed-use developments nearby to see if it’s a viable housing solution in Western Kent County.
To her, challenges related to housing illustrate what’s at stake when education, economics, and workforce aren’t coordinated. Education and health services rank as some of the fastest areas of employment growth for the area. But the state continues to outpace its healthcare spending benchmarks– something she wants to focus on in policy.
Lodhavia said, "We have to connect workforce development to workforce needs, and the way to do that is by connecting education to training programs, apprenticeship programs, internships, to jobs, and let me say that in a different way, like in an easier way, connecting education and training programs to jobs. What we should do is provide the apprenticeship programs,… in high school. So when they graduate, there is a seal on their diploma that says you are job ready, .. Another area in which I see a great workforce shortage is in the farming industry… There are no pipeline programs. There's no training programs."
Like Lodhavia, Thompson is interested in prioritizing healthcare. She was glad to see lawmakers address the issue through Senate Bill 13, which requires hospitals to invest more into charity care. "I do believe that we need to ensure that folks have access to healthcare. I know that the state of Delaware received a large rural healthcare grant, and I hope that that helps supports communities," she said.
On the economy and affordability, Thompson wants the state to look at more “practical” solutions related to taxes. She supports measures proposed like Senate Bill 35, which would have offered a school tax reduction for agricultural structures.
"We do have a lot of increase in people coming from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania because of the low taxes that we have, and I think we need to work on keeping young working professionals here as well... My approach is to kind of look for practical, sustainable solutions that help families keep more of what they earn, and support our farmers and small businesses, and allow people to continue building their lives here in Delaware," Thompson said.
Another big issue in Delaware’s rural areas, like Senate District 15, is land use. Over the summer, Kent County’s Levy Court passed restrictions on data centers, placing limits on noise and where they can be located.
Thompson says the state needs to be intentional about data centers. But she sees them as a necessity, with an increased reliance on technology, "It's hard to make a blanket statement on data centers. I do think we could use it to our benefit and have it help with resources that are available in the state of Delaware."
State Senator Eric Buckson previously suggested a bill to put a moratorium on data center development statewide. That bill didn’t make it through, but Dover’s city council recently passed its own moratorium.
Lodhavia questions how long Delaware can delay data centers. But she supports the Kent County Levy Court’s guardrails.
She said, "We currently share the grid with Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and if they decide to put up data centers, and it's though when I say they, I mean Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and they decide to do it without the right guardrails, it's going to impact our energy costs, and we're going to get no benefit."
Kent County has also seen other land-use debates. A 25-acre solar farm was approved south of Kenton despite strong pushback, including from State Sen, Lawson.
Lodhavia calls for a methodical review of why some rural landowners, including farmers. feel selling their land is more profitable,"Is this really a question about supporting farmers so they can be profitable and won't have to sell their land, or is this really about creating more energy?"
She says in addition to looking at profitability, more needs to be done to examine how developing land for solar affects the surrounding community.
Thompson agrees it’s a multifaceted topic. She claims Delaware lacks the infrastructure needed to connect solar to its grid, and that should be a factor in how Delaware allows solar to develop. Thompson said, "it would make sense for us to think through how to utilize what's already there before we continue to build."
But she also sees it as a property rights issue, "I believe …in owners having property rights and making the decisions that they believe are best for themselves and their families. … if it were more financially advantageous to farm it and not put a solar array, I'm certain that they would have never done it in the first place, so looking at this holistically."
Thompson wants to keep this seat in Republican hands to help GOP lawmakers maintain a voice in Dover. For example, she didn’t approve of how legislation moved on the final day of session, when lawmakers worked bills overnight before finally adjourning around 5 am on July 1.
"I wouldn't want the legislature to look like it does now if the roles were reversed with parties… it doesn't feel like the majority party appreciates any contribution," she said.
She also doesn’t agree with laws she sees limiting the right to bear arms, like the permit to purchase a handgun requirement implemented in 2025.
But she adds she is ready to work across the aisle, "I believe it's important to identify solutions that you know work for both parties and are in the best interest of all Delawareans, but yes, I mean, if I couldn't stop the legislation, I would certainly offer things to try to ensure there was clarity in what was being passed," Thompson said.
While Lodhavia hopes she can flip this seat for Democrats, she sees running for office as an extension of her community work, like helping underinsured people in Kent County access healthcare.
And in the end, she wants to put district residents first.
Lodhavia said, "If you're talking about a group of lawmakers getting together to make broad, to develop and pass broad legislation. I have to stand up for my district, and I have to do what's right by my district."
While registration numbers favor the Republican Thompson, Lodhavia has raised almost twice as much as her opponent to try and sway district voters in her direction.
