Democrat Claire Snyder-Hall will be the new Delaware State Representative for District 14. In her first attempt at public office, the former CEO of Common Cause Delaware will replace the retiring Pete Schwartzkopf.
Snyder-Hall defeated her Republican challenger Mike Simpler, who was also making his initial run to hold office.
During her campaign, Snyder-Hall emphasized many of the platform items that were highlighted during the August Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
"2024 is the most important election of our lifetime; LGBTQ+ rights are on the ballot and democracy itself is on the ballot," Snyder-Hall told CoastTV. "I really want to do something. I would absolutely protect reproductive choice and want to see that in the Constitution."
While she won both her primary and general races by comfortable margins, it was not entirely a smooth ride. In the lead-up to September's primary, Schwartzkopf claimed that Snyder-Hall implied he was endorsing her. Each posted statements, with Snyder-Hall refuting it by stating, "I have never, ever said that Pete Schwartzkopf endorsed me, nor have I ever purposely implied that he endorsed me."
Schwartzkopf endorsed former State Auditor Kathy McGuiness, who finished a distant third in the primaries.
Prior to joining the Common Cause Delaware team in 2015, Snyder-Hall's political work included chairing the Democratic Committee for four years and serving on the Sussex County Democratic Executive Committee.