Newcomer puts hat in ring for 6th District Senate seat

Lewes resident Russell Huxtable, a newcomer to politics, has announced his intent to run for the 6th District Senate seat held by Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes.

Huxtable, a Democrat, has worked as an advocate for affordable housing for two decades; he currently serves as vice president and chief operating officer of the Milford Housing Development Corporation.

His experience has given him a bird’s-eye view of the affordable housing issue facing the coastal communities.

“Being part of housing and community development in this area, in this state, in this community, I was tired of bringing up issues that we should be doing and providing suggestions, with nothing really being done to advance certain things that I thought were better or more balanced for our community and how we are growing,” he said.

The area is growing so fast, Huxtable said, he is concerned about healthcare capacity, education capacity, as well as affordable housing. 

“They go hand in hand,” he said. “As this area grows, we will need places for people to live. Homes are where jobs go at the end of the day. If we don’t have affordable housing, then people who may be attracted to this area but aren’t getting paid wages of $100,000-plus can’t afford to live here.”

Huxtable said the amount of money that has gone to state affordable housing opportunities from the state’s general fund has been flat for 20 years now. Funding from other sources has increased a bit, but some is targeted to specific jurisdictions. “We are thousands of units behind in providing affordable housing,” he said.

One revenue source that could be explored, Huxtable said, is the record amount of transfer taxes that has been flowing into state coffers. A better level of state investment could pay dividends, he said.

“There are federal monies sitting on the sidelines because we don’t invest to the level that we should be investing,” he said.

More work needs to be done with the county to address transportation and traffic issues, Huxtable said, through a better balanced growth strategy. “There needs to be better collaboration,” he said.

Huxtable, 48, is a lifelong Delawarean who went to public school in New Castle County and graduated from the University of Delaware. He moved to Lewes 14 years ago, and he and his wife Courtney have two children attending Beacon Middle School.

He has served on the Delaware Governor’s Council on Housing, and locally plays first base with the Lewes Base Ball Club. He has also volunteered as a coach for the Henlopen Soccer Club for the past decade, and volunteers with Lewes in Bloom’s Pumpkins in the Park, a Halloween event that places jack-o-lantern luminaries in Zwaanendael Park. 

Huxtable is the second Democrat to announce a run for the 6th District seat after Lopez, a Republican, announced his retirement in 2021. With Huxtable in the race, it sets up a primary with Democrat Jack Bucchioni, who announced his candidacy in September.