Familiar names file to run for office

Two familiar names have filed for election to area House of Representatives seats, while a seven-term legislator announced April 11 that he will not seek reelection.

Rep. Ron Gray, R-Selbyville, who represents 38th District residents of Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, Selbyville and Ocean View, is stepping down from the seat he was first elected to in 2012.

Democrat Maureen Madden of Ocean View is the only candidate so far to file for the 38th District seat.

In Rehoboth Beach, Republican Mike Simpler filed April 10 to run for the 14th District seat, setting up a rematch against Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, D-Rehoboth Beach, who won the 2024 contest by a vote of 9,630 to 7,995.

Three-candidate Republican primary in 41st

The 41st District representative race has a three-candidate primary for Republicans with the latest filing April 9 by John Atkins, a former state representative.

Atkins served as a Republican when he was first elected in 2002, before resigning in 2007 over ethics concerns in connection with domestic issues. He ran as a Democrat in 2008 and won, and continued to serve as a Democrat until 2014, when Rep. Richard Collins, R-Millsboro, won the seat. Collins announced in 2025 that he would not seek re-election.

Democrat Ryan Stuckey was the first to file for the seat in October, followed by Republican Douglas Conaway in November. Republican Jacki Slonin filed for the seat in January.  

In a previous interview and again in a Feb. 11 Facebook post, Atkins addressed his past, saying he has taken responsibility for what happened, and he is in a good place in his life now.