Northern Sussex will elect new legislators
It’s too early to know who it will be at this point, but one thing constituents of the 18th Senatorial and 35th Representative districts know is that for the first time in more than a decade, they will all have a new legislator.
The dominos began to fall Feb. 2 when long-time Republican Sen. Gary Simpson announced he would not be seeking re-election in the 18th Senatorial District in 2018. He has represented the district since 1998.
Within hours of Simpson’s news, Republican Dave Wilson, who has represented the 35th Representative District since 2008, had filed paperwork and announced his candidacy for Simpson’s soon-to-be vacant seat.
Three days later, Feb. 5, Republican Jesse Vanderwende announced his candidacy for Wilson’s seat in the 35th district.
At this point, Simpson isn’t saying much on his impending retirement from the Senate, other than to confirm it’s true. On Feb. 7, he said he was holding all comments until the Senate returns to the floor in March. The legislative session is currently on break while the Joint Finance Committee mulls over Gov. John Carney’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2019.
In a prepared statement, Wilson said the move to the Senate was a natural one, and he looked forward to bringing his two decades of public service to the Senate. He previously held the elected post of Sussex County register of wills and served as Sussex County Register of Chancery.
“I’ve been honored to represent the people of the 35th District for the past 10 years and I look forward to continue serving many of them in the Senate,” said Wilson, who could not be reached for further comment.
Wilson is the operator of two Lincoln-area businesses – Wilson's Auction and the breeding of Haflinger horses. Both operations are located on U.S. 113 in the Lincoln area.
Vanderwende, 30, filed his paperwork Feb. 5. In a press release the same day, he said Wilson asked him to run for the office.
In an interview Feb. 7, Vanderwende said he thought Wilson approached him because the veteran legislator thought the political newbie was qualified to lead the district.
He said the goal is to just be himself, and to take his, and his district’s, conservative values to Dover to do the best job possible.
“It’s more than just agriculture,” Vanderwende said on the campaign issues. “It’s also about education and opioid drug use, which really is a problem for young and old.”
Vanderwende is the president of the Sussex County Farm Bureau; a member and past president of the Bridgeville Kiwanis Club; the past president of the Delaware Soybean Board; and a member of the Delaware State Fair Board.
Vanderwende and his family farm 4,000 acres in western Sussex and operate a retail and wholesale ice cream business. He graduated from Woodbridge High School and earned a associate degree in agribusiness from Delaware Technical Community College.
The 18th Senatorial District stretches from the Delaware Bay to Maryland, covering the northern portion of Sussex County. The district includes all or parts of Milford, Slaughter Beach, Ellendale, Greenwood, Milton and Bridgeville.
The 35th Representative District covers the northwest corner of Sussex County and includes all or parts of Bridgeville, Greenwood, Ellendale and Georgetown.
The deadline for candidates to file for a statewide office and all other offices is noon, Tuesday, July 10.
The statewide primary election is set for Thursday, Sept. 6. The deadline to register to vote for the primary is Saturday, Aug. 11.
The statewide general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6. The deadline to register to vote for the general election is Saturday, Oct. 13.
