Democrats Dan Cruise and former Rep. Ray Seigfried will compete in the state Senate special elections
BELLEFONTE — Democratic Party precinct leaders packed the Brandywine Hundred Fire Hall on Dec. 9 to consider state Senate special-election candidates, choosing Ray Seigfried and Dan Cruce and Ray Seigfried.
A former state representative, Ray Seigfried of Arden, will vie for the seat District 5 Democrat Kyle Evans Gay will soon vacate to begin her lieutenant governorship. A United Way executive, Cruce will run to replace District 1 Democrat Sarah McBride, who will soon take the congressional seat she won last month.
Republicans have yet to select their candidates. The state will decree when the special elections take place based on when McBride and Gay resign their seats in the coming weeks. The elections are expected to happen later this winter.
Siegfried’s path to the special election
Siegfried cited his earlier two-year term as a state representative as a reason most committee members in his district preferred him. He anticipated making a vigorous run, even in a district where he enjoys a strong registration advantage.
“I think it demonstrated that people wanted experience, somebody to be a leader going into the Senate,” the healthcare policy professor and former Christiana Care senior vice president said. “I look forward; I think there’s a lot of work I have to do.”
He eked out a narrow nomination win against social services manager Shay Frisby, besting her 23 to 20. Frisby reacted stoically, suggesting she would help Seigfried if need be and that she’ll stay an active community member in the realms of charity and civics.
“A lot of the things that I do within the community will remain, so I don’t intend to go away,” she said. “That’s how we do things. This was a race for a seat, but we’re still Democrats and we still support each other, we still keep each other lifted up, and we fight for each other.”
Rep. Larry Lambert (D-Claymont), who unseated Seigfried in a primary four years ago, kept his response cordial.
“We’re looking forward to the election and hopefully getting the Democrats in office,” he said.
Despite the nomination splits, Wilmington Democratic Party Chair Cassandra Marshall predicted intra-party tension won’t hinder either campaign’s efforts.
“We worked hard to make sure there was a majority rather than a plurality, and all of these people are pros about elections,” she said. “The thing that’s going to be important is going to be shoe leather: making sure that we all get out, knock on doors, phone bank, raise money for these candidates, and get voters to the polls.”
Cruce’s path to the special election
Cruce won his nomination for Wilmington-based District 1 against runner-up Adriana Bohm, a sociology professor at Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania, getting 43 votes to her 25. Bohm would have likely mounted a pointedly left-wing campaign; her teaching has a “strong emphasis on white privilege and transgender equality,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union Delaware, for whom Bohm serves as an “equity and inclusion officer.”
Cruce dismissed any fissures apparent in the nomination contest.
“While there were multiple folks who were running, I think we’re all running on very similar issues of concern,” he said. “We’re looking forward to getting on the ground, we’re looking forward to knocking on doors, and we’re looking forward to winning the actual election.”
He cited Delaware’s economic strength as a major prospective focus of his Senate bid. New Castle County Democratic Chair Kat Caudle echoed that sentiment, adding healthcare will also figure heavily. She expected Democrats to appreciate Cruce’s approach to these issues irrespective of how they felt going into Monday’s party votes.
“I think when we understand that we have a minute amount of time between now and when the election is set, that it is imperative that we come together and we coalesce around a candidate,” she said. “And I have absolutely no doubt that Senate District 1 Democrats — voters and committee members — will coalesce around Dan.”
A third runner-up, George Frankel, received five votes, while three others — Chris Otto, Chantae Vinson, and David Vagnoni — received none.
Working Families Party disturbed by process
Frankel, who has taken issue with party establishment figures for overseeing a candidate selection process he perceived as heavy-handed, declined to give any initial thoughts on Cruce, but wished him the best for his campaign.
“I think we need to do well for Delaware, and I hope that the nominee is somebody who’s going to do what needs to get done to make sure that everybody’s quality of life is good in the state of Delaware.”
The committee’s decisions aren’t going over as well with outspoken leftists outside of it. Delaware Working Families Party (WFP) political director Karl Stomberg said the nominations buck what he deems a welcome trend of progressives, racial minorities, and women getting the nod in primaries. He believes the results would have been different if that process, rather than a nominating convention, determined the nominees.
“I think the fact that they’re the ones who were chosen shows that the kind of back-room Delaware Way politics is not choosing people who are representative of the actual districts that they are wanting to serve,” he told Delaware Live.
Seigfried and Cruce’s respective professions as healthcare and nonprofit executives, respectively, also didn’t please Stomberg, whose organization favors slates that include some working-class candidates. He doesn’t foresee the WFP aiding either campaign.
Republican Party officials will meet later this week to choose their own candidate in each of the two districts. Northern New Castle County Region Republican Committee Chairman P.J. O’Dwyer expects the two Democrats’ statism to get intense scrutiny from his party’s hopefuls.
“Voters in Claymont and North Wilmington will have another chance to weigh in on whether Delaware should continue to tax income at twice the level as Pennsylvania or allow workers to keep more of their hard-earned money; whether Delawareans will see their real estate taxes continue to creep up or if state government should exercise some discipline; whether politicians will control decisions on everything from what services your hospitals provide to what kind of car you may drive; or whether Delawareans should be able to make their own choices,” he said.
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