Delaware

Who has Working Families endorsed for Delaware governor, General Assembly?

Published

2 years ago

April 30, 2024

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Who has Working Families endorsed for Delaware governor, General Assembly?

The Working Families Party has endorsed former Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara for state governor.
The political party also announced endorsements of seven other state House of Representatives candidates.
The party will host a kickoff event announcing the endorsements on Saturday, May 4.

Former Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary and Democratic candidate for governor Collin O’Mara has been endorsed by the state Working Families Party.

This is the first endorsement O’Mara has received in the race for Delaware’s governor, and the Working Families Party’s slate of endorsements is the first among political parties in the state.

Current candidate filings have O’Mara pitted against Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer in the Democratic Primary in September. Two Republicans are also vying for the seat – Jerrold Price, who filed his candidacy in December 2023, and Delaware GOP chair Julianne Murray, who announced last week she plans to run for governor.

Karl Stromberg, political director for the Delaware Working Families Party, said party “champions” in the legislature is why the state has seen “immense progress” on things like a $15 minimum wage, paid family and medical leave and moving to clean energy.

“However, due to resistance from our current governor and state House (of Representatives) leadership, progress on issues like free school meals for all, true police reform, and community workforce agreements has been stalled or non-existent,” Stromberg said in a news release announcing the endorsements. “We believe that these leaders the WFP was proud to endorse will move us forward on all of these critical issues that working class people in Delaware want progress on.”

Former DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara is first Democrat to file for gubernatorial primary

The Working Families Party also announced a slate of endorsements for the General Assembly.

O’Mara excited to ‘join forces’ with Working Families Party

O’Mara, CEO of the nonprofit National Wildlife Federation, served as DNREC secretary from 2009 to 2014 under then-Gov. Jack Markell.

His gubernatorial campaign has pledged to utilize federal funding to create “family-sustaining jobs” and focus on improving Delaware’s economy, education, environment and equitable access to housing, healthcare and public safety. O’Mara said he’d also focus on job creation that helps the state achieve 100% clean energy and net-zero emissions.

“As Democrats, it’s on us to enact durable solutions that support Delaware’s working families — from strengthening our public schools, creating well-paying jobs, and eliminating child hunger to ensuring healthcare, housing, and childcare are more affordable, leading on climate change, and protecting fundamental rights,” O’Mara said in the release. “I am excited to be joining forces with the Working Families Party to fight for new bold policies that will expand opportunity for all Delawareans.”

Party endorses 7 candidates for the state House

The Working Families Party will host a kickoff event to celebrate the party’s first round of endorsements for the 2024 election on Saturday, May 4.

MORE: What Delaware General Assembly seats are up for election?

The endorsements include:

Branden Fletcher Dominguez, an affordable housing advocate, for state House District 3. He has yet to file his candidacy with the state Department of Elections, while Wilmington resident Josue O. Ortega has filed to run on the Democratic line.
Odessa resident Terrell A. Williams for state House District 9. Williams, a Democrat, is challenging Republican incumbent state Rep. Kevin Hensley for the seat.
Kamela Smith for state House District 15. Smith, a Democrat, is challenging incumbent House Speaker Valerie Longhurst.
Frank Burns for state House District 21. Burns, a Democrat, is looking to flip the seat currently held by House Minority Leader Mike Ramone. Michael Smith, a former legislative aide and substitute teacher, also seeks the Democratic nomination.
Monica Beard for state House District 22. Beard, a Democrat and policy coordinator for the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, is looking to flip the seat held by Republican state Rep. Mike Smith.
Eric Morrison for state House District 27. Morrison, who is the incumbent, is being challenged by Democrat Margie López Waite. Morrison has yet to file for candidacy.
Monica Shockley Porter for state House District 29. Shockley Porter, a Democrat, is challenging Democratic incumbent state Rep. Bill Bush for the seat.

Over the last two election cycles, the party has endorsed 12 state legislative candidates, winning seven of those races.

In 2020, the party endorsed Marie Pinkney for state Senate and she defeated Senate Pro Tempore David McBride. In 2022, the party endorsed DeShanna Neal for state House of Representatives, and Neal defeated House Majority Whip Larry Mitchell.

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

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Delaware

Delaware state police trooper killed in active shooter incident at DMV facility; suspect also dead

Published

7 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Delaware state police trooper killed in active shooter incident at DMV facility; suspect also dead

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

Delaware state police say a trooper was killed in what officials said was an active shooter situation at a DMV facility in New Castle on Tuesday afternoon.

The suspect in this incident is also dead, Gov. Matt Meyer said.

State police said they are “are continuing to assess additional injuries.” There is no official word yet on the exact number of people injured.

Police say the active shooter incident is now over.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. at the facility on Hessler Boulevard.

No further details have been made available.

Police are asking residents to avoid the area.

Stay with Action News and 6abc.com as this story develops.

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Delaware

2 hurt after car crashes into building in Talleyville, Delaware

Published

19 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

2 hurt after car crashes into building in Talleyville, Delaware

Two people were hurt after a car crashed into a building in Talleyville, Delaware, Monday morning.

The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. along the 100 block of Brandywine Boulevard. Police said a woman was driving a light-colored vehicle when she somehow lost control and crashed through the first floor of a realty company.

A fire station is located across the street from where the crash occurred. Firefighters responded in less than a minute and the driver as well as another person were both taken to the hospital. Investigators told NBC10 both victims suffered minor injuries and are expected to be OK.

Crews removed the vehicle and boarded up the damaged building. They continue to investigate the cause of the crash.

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Delaware

Delaware-based dark money group ‘Alabama Patients First’ unleashes TV, digital attack on Blue Cross Blue Shield

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

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Delaware-based dark money group ‘Alabama Patients First’ unleashes TV, digital attack on Blue Cross Blue Shield

A brand-new, out-of-state dark-money group launched an attack on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama over the past week, and has already invested over $320,000 in negative television advertising alone.

During some of this weekend’s largest SEC football matchups, including Alabama vs. Oklahoma, the group ran a shock-style message that is now being pushed to Alabama voters more aggressively than any political campaign could afford to spend on television at this point in the 2026 election cycle.

According to business filings, “Alabama Patients First LLC” was formed in Delaware on December 11. The state is known for its Teflon business privacy laws. LLCs are not required to publicly list their ownership or members, making it an ideal vehicle for dark money to reach its target.

Since its formation, the group has been busy in Alabama.

Using a “Paid for by Alabama Patients First” disclaimer, the group aired television advertisements, launched a website, and directed SMS marketing campaigns directly to voters, igniting a costly media attack against the state’s leading insurer.

“They make a killing off telling you ‘No.’ Blue Cross Blue Shield: ‘No.’ That’s Blue Cross “B*******,” the ad says.

A station-by-station breakdown of the Alabama Patients First TV buy across multiple Montgomery-area outlets, including WSFA, WAKA, WCOV-TV, WNCF, and others, totals $226,071.

The group also spent $102,000 across Birmingham, Huntsville, and Dothan media markets.

The buy spans six weekends, ranging from its first airing on December 14, with a much smaller spend scheduled after January 1, to a wind-down on January 18, 2026.

By comparison, in the Montgomery media market, the group spent $211,633 in December and just $14,438 in January.

In total, the out-of-state group has spent at least $328,071 on pushing the TV spot to Alabama residents.

Alabama Patients First’s TV spend isn’t the whole tab, either. The professional fees required to deploy such an operation likely reach into the millions – and the timing is striking.

The attack on Alabama began the same week that Jackson Hospital and Clinic, Inc. initiated a high-visibility litigation campaign against BCBS of Alabama.

Jackson Hospital and its lender, Atlanta-based Jackson Investment Group, are on the clock for a December 31, 2025 bankruptcy court deadline to secure $100 million in public funding, which would help satisfy a debtor-in-possession (DIP) agreement the two signed earlier this year.

Yellowhammer News requested information from officials at Jackson Investment Group, Jackson Healthcare, and Jackson Hospital to confirm or deny a connection between the hospital’s lending relationship and the creation of Alabama Patients First.

At the time of publication, those requests went unanswered.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama did respond to the negative ad blitz in a statement on Monday afternoon.

“The ads are an intentional misrepresentation of how we do business,” Sophie Martin, Director of Corporate Communications for BCBS of Alabama, said.
“Based on the timing of the ads, we believe they are nothing more than an improper attempt by Jackson’s investor-lender to improperly influence litigation.”