Delaware Senate
Delaware State Senate | |
|---|---|
| Delaware General Assembly | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 8, 2013 |
| Leadership | |
Acting President of the Senate | |
President pro tempore of the Senate | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 21 |
| File:Senate diagram 2014 State of Deleware.svg | |
Political groups | Governing party
Opposition party
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article III, Section 1, Delaware Constitution |
| Salary | $41,680/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 4, 2014 (10 seats) |
Next election | November 8, 2016 (11 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
| State Senate Chamber Delaware Legislative Hall Dover, Delaware | |
| Website | |
| Delaware State Senate | |
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term. There is no limit to the number of terms that a Senator may serve. The Delaware Senate meets at the Legislative Hall in Dover.
In order to accommodate the ten-year cycle of reapportionment, the terms of office of the several Senators are staggered so that ten Senators are elected to terms of two years at the first biennial general election following reapportionment, followed by two four-year terms, and eleven Senators are elected at the said election for two four-year terms, followed by a two-year term.
Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions, boards, or justices to the Delaware Supreme Court.
Qualifications
Senators must be citizens of the United States, have lived in Delaware for three years, and have been a resident of their respective district for at least one year preceding their election. They must also be at least 27 years old at the time of their election.
Senate Leadership
The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, the President Pro Tempore presides over the Senate. The President Pro Tempore is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the entire Senate through a Senate Resolution. The President Pro Tempore is the chief leadership position in the Senate. The other Senate leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses.
The President of the Senate is currently vacant. The Acting President and President Pro Tempore is Patricia Blevins.
The current leadership for the 147th senate is as follows:
- Sen. David McBride, Majority Leader
- Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, Majority Whip
- Sen. F. Gary Simpson, Minority Leader
- Sen. Gregory Lavelle, Minority Whip
Composition
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" | | style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | | |||
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| Begin of 145th legislature (2009) | 15 | 6 | 21 | 0 |
| End | ||||
| Begin of 146th legislature (2011) | 14 | 7 | 21 | 0 |
| End | ||||
| Begin of 147th legislature (2013) | 13 | 8 | 21 | 0 |
| End | ||||
| Begin of 148th legislature (2015) | 12 | 9 | 21 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 57.1% | 42.9% | ||
Members
Below are the Senators as of the 148th General Assembly (2015-2017), following the 2014 elections.
| District | Name | Party | First Elected | Residence | Seat up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harris McDowell III | Dem | 1976 | North Wilmington | 2016 |
| 2 | Margaret Rose Henry | Dem | 1994 | East Wilmington | 2018 |
| 3 | Robert I. Marshall | Dem | 1978 | West Wilmington | 2018 |
| 4 | Gregory Lavelle | Rep | 2012 | Sharpley | 2018 |
| 5 | Catherine Cloutier | Rep | 2000 | Heatherbrooke | 2016 |
| 6 | Ernesto Lopez | Rep | 2012 | Lewes | 2018 |
| 7 | Patricia Blevins | Dem | 1990 | Elsmere | 2016 |
| 8 | David Sokola | Dem | 1990 | Newark | 2016 |
| 9 | Karen Peterson | Dem | 2002 | Stanton | 2016 |
| 10 | Bethany Hall-Long | Dem | 2008 | Glasgow | 2018 |
| 11 | Bryan Townsend | Dem | 2012 | Westover Woods | 2018 |
| 12 | Nicole Poore | Dem | 2012 | Barbs Farm | 2016 |
| 13 | David McBride | Dem | 1980 | Hawk's Nest | 2016 |
| 14 | Bruce Ennis | Dem | 2007 | Clayton | 2016 |
| 15 | David G. Lawson | Rep | 2010 | Marydel | 2016 |
| 16 | Colin R. J. Bonini | Rep | 1994 | South Dover | 2018 |
| 17 | Brian Bushweller | Dem | 2008 | North Dover | 2018 |
| 18 | F. Gary Simpson | Rep | 1999 | Milford | 2018 |
| 19 | Brian G. Pettyjohn | Rep | 2012 | Georgetown | 2016 |
| 20 | Gerald Hocker | Rep | 2012 | Ocean View | 2016 |
| 21 | Bryant Richardson | Rep | 2014 | Laurel | 2018 |
See also
- List of Delaware State Senators (1776-1831)
- Delaware State Capitol
- Delaware General Assembly
- Delaware House of Representatives
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
