Delaware House Democrats elected their leadership on Saturday, with women holding more than half of the seats in the majority caucus.
Five new members joined the Democratic Caucus, boosting the number of women in the caucus to a record-setting 15 of 26 members. The caucus also consists of 13 persons of color, also a record. Of that number, 10 are women.
During Saturday’s reorganizational meeting, members selected Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf as Speaker-Elect, Rep. Valerie Longhurst as Majority Leader, and Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown as Majority Whip. This is the first time the caucus has elected two women in leadership, and the first time a person of color has been elected to a leadership position.
“I’m very grateful to have the support of our caucus to lead the House for the upcoming legislative session,” said Schwartzkopf, who has served as House speaker since 2012. “I’m proud of the record of accomplishment of our caucus, the House and the General Assembly as a whole during the past several years. I’m also proud to see our caucus grow in diversity by leaps and bounds, better reflecting the residents of Delaware we represent. This allows different perspectives to shape the legislative process, which ultimately leads to better policy and better outcomes for Delaware.”
First elected in 2002, Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, previously served as majority leader from 2008-2012.
The speaker is elected by the full House of Representatives, with Democrats having a sizable majority of seats in the
First elected in 2004, Longhurst, D-Bear, previously served as majority whip from 2008-2012 and has served as majority leader since 2012.
First elected in 2018, Rep. Minor-Brown has most recently served as chair of the House Corrections Committee and vice-chair of the House Health & Natural Resources Committee.
“I’m honored that my caucus put their trust in me to serve as the first Black member of our leadership team, and to be a part of the first team that includes two women. We have an amazing, talented group of representatives in our caucus, and I can’t wait to hit the ground running,” said Minor-Brown, D-New Castle South. “I’m excited to be a model and a voice for young Black girls out there and inspire them to claim their seat at the table. They are all powerful beyond measure.”
Also on Saturday, the House Democratic Caucus welcomed its five new members to the legislature: Rep. DeShanna Neal (13th District), Rep. Sophie Phillips (18th District), Rep. Stell Parker Selby (20th District), Rep. Cyndie Romer (25th District), and Rep. Kerri Evelyn Harris (32nd District).
