Delaware Political Weekly: Week Ending January 15, 2026

Had to rewrite this due to this late-breaking news:

1.  President Pro-Tem Dave Sokola Will Not Seek Reelection.  I flat-out can’t believe he’s been there for 36 years.  I really am old. I was one of the people at his very first Sunday evening kitchen campaign meetings.  Some people govern through fear, Dave governed with kindness. In my opinion, the best President Pro-Tem during and after my time in Dover.  Richard Cordrey would be #2.  Sarah McBride says it better than I ever could:

“Senator Dave Sokola is my ‘forever president pro tem.’ It was more than an honor to serve alongside Dave in the State Senate, it was also a pleasure. I’ve known Dave for much of my life. Whether I was a young volunteer, an advocate, or a colleague in the legislature, he has always been the same thoughtful and kind man to me just as he is to everyone he meets. But that’s just Dave: he is a truly good and decent person and a courageous leader. 

“From his deep passion for empowering everyone from early childhood onward to his leadership passing non-discrimination protections and marriage equality, Dave reaches to the margins of society to pull people in. And when he became president pro tem at the start of my time in the State Senate, 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.

“Our State of Neighbors is stronger, better, and kinder because of Dave Sokola. And so, too, am I for having the chance to serve alongside him.

“Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement, Dave, and thank you for your decades of service to Delaware!”

2.  D Files Committee In NCC District 3.  Whether or not Janet Kilpatrick decides to unretire, she will face a strong opponent.  Dyani DeSantis has filed her committee for the race.  I have yet to meet her but (a) I’ve heard positive things; and (b) I will be meeting her shortly.  Oh, and there’s (c): If Janet Kilpatrick runs, Dyani will be running against Janet Kilpatrick.  I’ll provide more info as it becomes available.

3.  D Nisha Lodhavia Files For SD 15.  The seat being vacated by R Dave Lawson, an R who truly deserves the ‘Rethug’ label.  Here’s a good bio of her:

Nisha Lodhavia is a retired professor of epidemiology and biostatistics with more than 25 years of experience teaching and mentoring students. A committed community advocate, she has held extensive volunteer leadership roles in education and healthcare access. She currently serves as a Trustee at the University of Delaware, sits on the board of Easterseals Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and is a member of the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame Committee, appointed in 2023 by then-Governor John Carney. In 2024, he also appointed her to the Delaware State Board of Education.

Lodhavia is especially proud of founding the Junior Advisory Board (JAB) of the Hope Medical Dental Clinic, a group of high school students advocating for under-served and uninsured communities. Under her mentorship, the JAB developed its inaugural bylaws, mission and vision, budget, and a series of impactful fundraisers that have cultivated a lasting commitment to community engagement. She continues to advise students on college and medical school admissions, helping them navigate the process and build strong, strategic applications.

R Emily Thompson, who we profiled last week, has, like Lodhavia, qualified for the ballot.

4.  Dr. Rob Bahnsen (D-RD 12) Is On The Ballot.  RD 12, which encompasses part of Wilmington, then moves northward into Talleyville and adjacent environs, is currently represented by Musk/Zuckerberg apologist Krista Griffith.  I’ve heard reports that Bahnsen is a door-knocking demon.  Plus, word on the street is that he’s raised a (caution: technical term ahead) shit-ton of money.   This may well be the most-likely flip from a Delaware Way insider to a progressive of the cycle.

5.  At Least A Two-Way R Primary In RD 41.  Douglas Conaway and Jacki Slonin have qualified for the ballot.   Anybody heard from John Atkins lately?  Which reminds me, is Atkins even eligible to run based on his law-breaking?  That, BTW, is a serious question.  After all, I consider strangulation a serious offense.  Don’t you?   Hmmm, The Suxco Strangler.  Has a nice ring to it.

6.  One Helena Creamer Has Filed In Race To Succeed Penrose Hollins On County Council As a D.  Curtis Linton has already filed, Jason Hoover is running, there have been other names floated as well.  Creamer seems well-qualified:

She currently serves as Revenue Manager for the City of Wilmington, where she manages complex financial operations and ensures transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of public funds. Her career reflects a results-driven approach grounded in integrity and sound governance.

Beyond government, Helena is the Senior Leader of Cathedral of Fresh Fire, Inc., where she continues a legacy of service as her mother’s successor. Through this role, she has led with compassion and vision; supporting families, strengthening neighborhoods, and responding directly to community needs.

Helena is a proud graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing, providing her with the strategic insight and fiscal expertise needed to advance smart, sustainable policies.

7.  Shané Darby Files In RD 1.  Like clockwork, Rethug Bryan Shupe recycles an anti-police message that Darby posted in 2021.  Uh, Shupe didn’t do this on his own.  The Rethugs aren’t winning this seat.  You can look at the Pete Schwartzkopfs and the Franklin Cookes to understand where this comes from and why it is coming out now.  Schwartzkopf and Cooke conspired together to kill LEOBOR reform back in, not coincidentally, 2021 and 2022.  The cops who have fought reform ever since they got carte blanche to abuse the law have seized upon the death of Trooper Snook to go after Darby.  To which I say, that’s all the more reason to support her.  When Darby’s biggest enemies are the most blatant practitioners of Delaware Way corruption, you know why they fear her election. BTW, we don’t yet know if incumbent Nnamdi Chukwuocha will seek reelection.

8.  Councilman Dave Carter Makes The Case For His Reelection.  I’m convinced:

In the upcoming primary election for New Castle County Council District 6, to be held on September 15, 2006, my opponent has positioned himself as “the Data Center Guy,” promoting large-scale data center development above all else while brushing aside legitimate concerns from residents about traffic congestion, electric grid strain, rising electric costs, noise, emergency service capacity, and the permanent changes these projects impose on our communities.

I respect organized labor and support good-paying jobs. But no single developer, industry, construction union, or national funder should dictate land-use policy, and no community should be told to accept lasting harm so others can profit and move on.

That’s why I have never accepted campaign money from development interests, and never will. These decisions must remain accountable to residents, not to those seeking development approvals.

This election will decide whether New Castle County continues down a path of responsible, evidence-based development, or whether outside money and special interests, backing a candidate focused on data centers above all else, succeed in overriding community voices.

Where do you donate, you ask?  Right here.

His primary opponent, the data center guy, has also filed.  Christopher Muntz.  A Maravelias puppet.

9.  Filings This Week:  R Mark Pugh (Candidate-SD 14); Senator Brian Pettyjohn (R-SD 19);  Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner (R-RD 37);  Sussex County Councilman John Rieley (R-District 5).

That’s all I’ve got this week.  What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?