Delaware Political Weekly: Week Ending May 14, 2026
Well–not exactly. This article has been embargoed until after 9 am because of Breaking News.
I won’t keep you waiting long–in fact, not at all.
1. FIVE Delaware Progressive candidates secure major national endorsements:
Kira Alejandro has been endorsed by Run for Something (RFS), a national organization that recruits and supports the next generation of progressive leaders for state and local office. Alejandro is the first candidate for state or county office in Delaware to receive Run for Something’s endorsement this year.
Past candidates endorsed by RFS include Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay and Congresswoman Sarah McBride. RFS focuses on candidates aged 40 or under, a demographic that is underrepresented in elected office and among voters. Alejandro is 30 and is a lifelong Delawarean who grew up in Hockessin, attended Cab Calloway and UD, and now lives in Yorklyn.
Alejandro is running for the 3rd NCC District currently held by Janet Kilpatrick.
And now, the reason why this article was embargoed: BREAKING NEWS:
State Senate candidate Shay Frisby has officially been endorsed by SEN. BERNIE SANDERS. Frisby is seeking the Democratic nomination in SD 5, a seat currently held by Ray Seigfried.
“I am incredibly proud and honored to receive this endorsement from a true champion of the people,” Frisby stated. “Not only does Sen. Sanders stand with those whose voices are too often ignored, but he inspires those of us who refuse to take corporate money.”
Both Adriana Leela Bohm and Rae Krantz have also been endorsed by Bernie Sanders. Thanks to Karl Stomberg for the link. For reasons that only they can explain, the NYTimes article did not actually provide a link to the list of endorsed candidates. Bernie doesn’t make all that many endorsements as you have to meet a strong progressive standard. These three superb candidates do just that.
2. Will The Last Rethuglican Rep. Leaving Dover Kindly Turn Out The Lights?
Two more R’s announced their retirement this week–Reps. Hilovsky and Hensley. They join fellow R legislators Reps. Gray, Collins and Postles, and Sen. Lawson in taking their leave from the General Assembly. There could well be others. The Hensley retirement in particular gives the D’s a great chance to reach the 2/3rds majority that would effectively render the R’s even more useless than they already are. Democrats Gemma Lowery and Michelle Wall are in a primary in that RD 9. The R’s have not yet announced someone to run in Hensley’s stead. I think whoever wins the D primary would be the favorite.
An R has already filed for Rep. Hilovsky’s seat. He has run for office, but in a different county. I remember the name, because who could forget a monicker like ‘Zitofsky’ which, allow me to caution, is not the name of a Polish acne medication. I will not countenance cheap jokes here. Anyway, Dan Zitofsky previously ran against both Quin Johnson and Rae Moore in RD 8, a New Castle district that is south of the Canal. He got 36% against Johnson in 2018, and 43% against Moore in 2020. D Gregg Lindner got 42.1% against Hilovsky in 2024. The registration numbers are pretty daunting for the D’s here, but who knows?
Zitofsky seems like a self-styled character, at least based on what I see on the intertubes. He’s yet another capital finance manager, don’t know why he didn’t run for State Treasurer. I have no idea what kind of roots, if any, he has in this Suxco district. Who wants to fill me in?
3. No Other Filings This Week.
4. The following incumbents who have not announced their retirement have not yet filed:
RD 1: Nnamdi Chukwuocha–he’s running. The lobbyists are throwing a big bash for him and Dan Cruce at the Columbus Inn on May 26. Because they both happily take corporate $$’s. And they know who owns them.
RD 3: Josue Ortega
RD 5: Kendra Johnson
RD 7: Larry Lambert
RD 8: Rae Moore
RD 15: Kamela Smith
RD 17: Melissa Minor-Brown
RD 18: Sophie Phillips
RD 19: Kim Williams
RD 21: Frank Burns
RD 22: Michael Smith
RD 25: Cyndie Romer
RD 27: Eric Morrison
RD 32: Kerri Harris
RD 35: Jesse Vanderwende
RD 36: Bryan Shupe
RD 39: Dan Short
RD 40: Timothy Dukes.
SD 9: Jack Walsh
SD 12: Nicole Poore
SD 13: Marie Pinkney.
To be clear, the vast majority of those who have not yet filed will indeed file. Perhaps all of them. Just wanted to share.
That’s all I’ve got this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?
Looks like Adriana Bohm and Rae Krantz also got the Bernie endorsement: https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/2055273015517020568
Woo-hoo!! I will update the article.
When the “Dog ate my homework” excuse doesn’t work blame the bookkeeper. Pro tip: Seek competent legal counsel!
https://spotlightdelaware.org/2026/05/15/crisis-at-the-pal-deepens-as-the-state-demands-it-repay-nearly-900k/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=%F0%9F%8F%80%20PAL%20of%20Delaware%20faces%20growing%20fiscal%20crisis&utm_campaign=5%2014%2026%20Newsletter%20%28Copy%29
I’ve had some minor experience with Zitofsky. He has been around the house flipping sector of the real estate business. He came off as an arrogant know it all. He is I believe, a retired New York cop who migrated to the Middletown area maybe 20 years ago. He apparently has been district shopping in Sussex. Property records show 3 properties for him in Sussex, in Ocean View, Harbeson and Lewes. Looks like the suburban Lewes property is in District 4.
Frankly, he probably will do well. The Sussex County delegation with the likely addition of this dude and John Atkins will be entertaining if nothing else.