Delaware Political Weekly: Week Ending May 7, 2026

Conventional wisdom holds that the later one’s campaign starts, the less likely it is to be a winning campaign.  I mean, it only makes sense, right?  A finite number of days to prevail over a presumably better-known incumbent with financial resources already at-hand.

This week, however, marked the start of two campaigns which, for reasons I’ll detail, have every opportunity to upset the conventional wisdom.  Do I start with the breaking news, or the semi-breaking news?  Decisions, decisions.

1.  BREAKING:  Dover Community activist LaChelle Paul announces candidacy in RD 32.  Who, you may ask, is the incumbent in RD 32?  None other that Rep. Kerri Evelyn Harris.  It’s hard to think of someone who sold out as quickly as Kerri Evelyn Harris did.  A lot of us were inspired by her story of triumph over hardship.  We came to believe, ultimately mistakenly, that this was a truly empathetic person whose principles would be guided by that empathy.  Instead, after a half-hearted campaign against Tom Carper, she was installed as the Democratic National Committeewoman (I liked that at the time), and was subsequently elected to the General Assembly, where she prioritized establishing coalitions with Val Longhurst and then Mimi Minor-Brown and others who expressly have thrown every roadblock imaginable at the passage of progressive legislation.  They’ve decided that fighting members of their own caucus is more important than passing good legislation.

All of which might not mean anything if LaChelle Paul hadn’t already proven herself to be a change agent in this Dover area district.  Here is her website.  Here is why she is running:

I have been on the front lines in Dover, speaking up on public safety, government accountability, and transparency when others chose not to. I shown up, asked the hard questions, and demanded answers on behalf of our constituents.

Now, I am running for State Representative to take that work to the state level where laws are passed, budgets are decided, and oversight happens.

​My votes will reflect the priorities of the constituents I represent. I will hold my office to a standard of full accountability, maintaining an open door policy with consistent, responsive communication so residents can raise concerns at any time and expect action not just during election season.

​I won’t just talk. I will fight, take action, and be held accountable for delivering results.

​Dover deserves leadership that is present, accountable, and committed to action.

​I will ensure your voice is heard, your concerns are represented, and decisions are made with transparency, accountability, and sound judgment.

​I will not just talk. I will fight for you, take action, and be held accountable for delivering result residents are followed through.

She walks the walk:

Paul On Dover Budget.

Paul On Pedestrian Safety.

Here is the map for RD 32.  You will note that the bulk of the district’s population comes from the northwest portion of the district, most of which is in the City of Dover.  The primary in effect is the general, as here are the voter registration figures for the district:  6688 D; 3018 R; 6686 I.  

I think Chelle Paul has a great chance as it’s at least possible that she’s already as well-known in the district as Kerri Evelyn Harris, whose current renown doesn’t extend much beyond Leg Hall.  Hmmm, wonder how much of Phil Shawe’s $$’s Speaker Mimi will commit to protecting her sidekick.  In checking Kerri’s 2025 annual finance report, it’s striking how virtually all of her money comes from PAC’s and lobbyists. There may, or may not, be two non-lobbyist contributors from the 32nd District.  I couldn’t tell. There are no more than two, I can tell you that.  She’s beholden to the Delaware Way.  They own her.

2.  KEONNA WATSON IS THE REAL DEAL!  She recently announced that she will primary Nicole ‘No Longer’ Poore in the 12th Senate District.   I had the chance to speak with her this week, and I can tell you that, although it’s a late-starting campaign, she is incredibly well-organized, has her action plan all set, and has some of the best political minds in the state helping her out.  Plus, she’s the kind of person you’d want to see in the State Senate.  Here is her website.  Here is why she’s running:

I’m for the people. I am the people. As a Black and Brown woman, a mother, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and a lifelong Delawarean, I don’t just fight for this community — I am this community. Together, we’ll build a Delaware where every family has a home, every person has access to care, and no one is left behind.

I’ve dedicated my career to public service and advocacy, earning a doctoral degree not to distance myself from my community, but to bring more tools back to it. My education deepened my understanding of the systems that shape people’s lives — housing, healthcare, food access, safety, rights — and strengthened my resolve to change the ones that fail us. I know what policy looks like on paper, and I know what it feels like when it falls short in real life.

Long before I decided to run for Senate District 12, I was already here — listening, organizing, and advocating alongside the people of this community. I was a young single mother who figured out how to keep going when the road was hard. That experience taught me resilience, yes, but more importantly it taught me empathy. I’ve spent years showing up to community meetings, knocking on doors, and making sure that the voices of everyday Delawareans were heard by those with the power to act on them.

Now that Val Longhurst is in the electoral, if not jurisprudential, rear-view mirror, Keonna is running against the General Assembly’s most blatant surviving double-dealer in Nicole Poore.  (One more, because I like it.)  You might recall that, following Sarah McBride, Kyle Evans Gay, and Marie Pinkney being elected to the State Senate, the first thing the Caucus did was to dump Poore from leadership, largely because she and President Pro-Tem Dave McBride (who Marie Pinkney defeated) had broken their promise to allow common-sense gun reform to be considered.

If you look at the map for SD 12, it’s a district ripe to be won by a challenger.  It runs from New Castle to south of the Canal and west to Caravel Farms.  Two progressive challengers recently won election from the innards of SD 12–Kam Smith, who defeated Speaker Val Longhurst in RD 15, and Eric Morrison, who defeated incumbent Earl Jaques in 2020.  7 of Kam’s ED’s are in SD 12, as are 5 of Eric’s.  Most of the area south of the Canal is represented by R Kevin Hensley, where there is a two-way D primary to challenge him.  Speaker Mimi Minor-Brown represents the Delaware City area, which actually might be a bone of contention between her and Poore.  Val Longhurst bailed out of Delaware City during the 2020 redistricting, leaving Minor-Brown to deal with the corrupt mess that Poore and Longhurst had created with the ‘Underwater City At Fort DuPont’.  Franklin Cooke has the other ED’s and, let’s face it, he’s in no position to get involved in this primary.

When I was knocking doors for Kam in 2024, what struck me wasn’t so much that people disliked Val, but that, even though she was the House speaker, few had ever heard of her.  I suspect that Nicole has been equally non-diligent in attending to her constituents’ concerns.  Meaning, there’s no reason why Keonna can’t follow in Kam’s footsteps.

They both have ‘Donate’ links. Now’s the time if you’ve got the dime.

3.  Oh, Gawd, we have another D candidate for State Treasurer.  If you have your hopes up, prepare for them to be dashed.  It’s that Mike Miller guy.  Not quite a perennial candidate, but a joke nonetheless.  One excerpt:

Miller ran for Congress in 2000 and 2002 against Republican Mike Castle; he was defeated in both races. A graduate of Cape Henlopen High School, Miller ran unsuccessfully for a seat on Cape Henlopen School Board in 2009.

In June 2009 – one month after the school board election – Miller was involved in an argument at Shields Elementary School. He was ultimately banned from school property and prohibited from making contact with school personnel.

*Sigh*.  I guess this means I have to invite him to our RD’s Candidate Forum.

4.  Filings:  Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton (D-RD 26); Incumbent Levy Court At-Large Terry Pepper(D).

I know I promised you a list of those incumbents who have not yet filed for reelection this week.  But the press of news and opinion intervened.  Next week, I promise–unless the press of news and opinion intervenes.

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