SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - The winner of the District 20 special election is Democrat Alonna Berry. She won by 121 votes. Berry received 4,653 votes. Republican Nikki Miller received 4,532 votes.
According to the Department of Elections, this is the largest special election in recorded state history with 40 percent of the district voting- 9,257 in total. In 2024's General Election, over 18,000 people voted in the District 20 representative race.
The previous record for a special election was in 2017, to fill the seat vacated by then Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long. That special election had a 34 percent turnout.
Alonna Berry: A history in education and policy
Berry's platform focuses on fully funding schools, raising teacher pay, providing housing support for educators and improving career readiness. Public safety plans include flood mitigation, funding emergency services, protecting water resources and expanding bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Her smart growth policies aim to hold developers accountable for infrastructure, promote sustainable development and support local job growth.
On Berry's first day as representative she plans to meet with constituents.
"So I want to meet with our county council. I want to meet with our towns and municipality leadership, and I want to meet, with folks in Dover and the Governor's office and in our agencies because, they're going to we're going to have to work together to get things done."
Her platform supports criminal justice reform with alternatives to incarceration, affordable housing initiatives and expanded healthcare access. It also includes measures to cut living costs, strengthen civil rights and reproductive protections, and expand voting access through early voting, mail-in ballots and same-day registration.
Berry served two years as an AmeriCorps service member before contributing to nonprofits including the Milton Historical Society, Delaware Guidance Services, the Youth Philanthropy Board and Next Generation South. She served in the Office of Governor John Carney and currently serves as the Governor’s appointee to the Delaware Community Foundation board.
Berry told CoastTV representing District 20 is very important.
"I want to make sure that, the issues that matter to me, the issue that matters to my neighbor, that there's a voice as someone in Dover representing them. And I'm excited to be that person moving forward."
The seat was vacated earlier this summer by former Democratic Representative Stell Parker Selby, following her absence from Legislative Hall this year. Her absence was due to having suffered a major stroke before the session began. Miller ran against Parker Selby in the November election for the District 20 seat. Parker Selby beat Miller by 245 votes.
While Berry will represent District 20 for the remainder of the two-year term, she will have to run again for the seat in 2026. Both Berry and Miller have already filed to run in that race. Berry has a Democratic challenger in Ruby Schaeffer, paving the way for a Democratic primary.