SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. — The Democratic primary for Delaware’s 20th House District is shaping up as a contest between two candidates offering sharply different visions for how the state should address housing, development and local government.
Incumbent State Representative Alonna Berry, is defending her first term after winning a 2025 special election, while challenger Ruby Keeler Schaeffer is campaigning on a promise to repeal Senate Bill 23, legislation aimed at increasing Delaware’s housing supply that she says will take away the public's ability to comment on developments up for approval.
Berry and Schaeffer are the Democratic candidates for Delaware's Sept. 15 primary. Republican Gene Dvornick is the candidate for the District 20 seat in the Nov. 3 general election.
At the center of the Democratic primary is Senate Bill 23, also known as the Housing for Every Delawarean Act. The legislation aims to increase Delaware’s housing supply and affordability while giving local jurisdictions flexibility in developing strategies to address housing needs. The bill went through two Senate substitutes before the final version was signed.
Berry, who co-sponsored the legislation, said Delaware is facing a housing crisis and argued that the bill is intended to create more housing opportunities for workers who are increasingly being priced out of the communities they serve.
“The goal of the bill was doing just that, expanding access to housing for people who need it most,” Berry said. “We're talking about affordable housing for teachers, for our restaurant workers, for our doctors and nurses, for our firefighters who are serving in our community.”
Berry said she has heard from those who live in District 20 who are struggling to remain in the communities where they work.
“I've heard from neighbor after neighbor that they're being priced out of their ability to do that,” Berry said. “That's a problem.”
Berry said the legislation was designed to encourage what she described as smart development while allowing municipalities to determine which tools work best for their communities.
“Every town is not the same,” Berry said. “So if I'm talking about affordable housing in Lewes, where there's virtually no land left to build on, you have to take a different approach than if I'm talking about affordable housing in Milton, where developments are going up all the time.”
But Schaeffer, who is challenging Berry in the Democratic primary, has made opposition to Senate Bill 23 a central part of her campaign.
“The most important thing for me is repealing Senate Bill 23,” Schaeffer said.
Schaeffer questioned whether the legislation will actually produce the affordable and workforce housing that Delaware communities need.
“We do have a need for true affordable housing and workforce housing in this area, but that bill does not provide for that,” Schaeffer said. “There are no guardrails in there for affordable or workforce housing.”
The bill's final version says it seeks to increase access to housing while allowing local jurisdictions flexibility in developing their own strategies.
Berry also pointed to the two substitute versions of the bill as evidence that lawmakers listened to local concerns.
“What I like about the substitutes is that it gives local control,” Berry said. “It allows for the towns to be able to decide which tool works best for their town.”
Schaeffer argues the legislation limits opportunities for residents to participate in development decisions.
“Imagine waking up in the morning and you have a field across from you, and there are trees being bulldozed and houses being built, and you had no notice that that was going to happen,” Schaeffer said.
When asked about concerns that the legislation eliminates public comment, Berry said the bill does not prevent people from participating in the process.
“Does the Housing for Every Delawareans Act prevent public comment? No, it does not,” Berry said. “The legal expert said, no, it does not, and it does not prevent public comment.”
Berry said the change in terminology from a public hearing to a public meeting also does not eliminate public comment.
“It does not. The change of the word hearing to public meeting does not prevent public comment from happening,” she said.
Schaeffer disagrees with Berry's interpretation.
“So actually, that's not quite true, and I think she knows that,” Schaeffer said. “Because the time for public comment will only be every 10 years when a new comprehensive plan is being developed by either the county or the towns.”
Schaeffer said people would not have the same opportunity to comment during the development process for individual projects.
“That is when public comment will be able to be heard, but not during the development phase of any community that may be going in in front of you,” Schaeffer said.
Experience versus change
Beyond housing, Berry is emphasizing her record during her first year in Legislative Hall.
Berry said she was able to deliver 10 bills of her own during a partial legislative session, with half signed into law at the time of the interview.
“I was thrust in in the middle of the legislative session, I was still able to deliver on 10 bills of my own from my desk and get them to and through the process,” Berry said. “That takes expertise and wisdom and the ability to be able to work across the aisle.”
Berry pointed to health care and transportation as two areas where she said she delivered results.
Her first bill signed into law, she said, involved modernizing the physician associate role and expanding access to primary care.
“The number one issue I hear about from constituents across the board and this community is around health care and access to health care,” Berry said.
She also said she worked with the Delaware Department of Transportation on three bills related to roads and traffic.
“The second issue that I hear about the most from constituents is roads and traffic,” Berry said.
Berry said lowering speed limits and speeding up construction projects were among the issues she worked on.
“Those bills I'm really proud of because I think, one, they're responsive to what I heard directly from constituents in District 20,” she said.
Looking ahead, Berry said education, transportation, veterans and rural health care remain priorities.
She also pointed to constitutional amendments involving health care, marriage and voting rights that she said still require additional votes.
“The work is left unfinished,” Berry said. “And so I'm excited to go back and vote yes again, to be able to protect those rights that I know are important to the people of this district.”
Berry said her experience in state government before taking office gives her a foundation for another term.
“I believe we need someone who understands what happens in Legislative Hall,” she said. “I believe we need someone who has some experience under their belt in order to continue to deliver for the people of District 20.”
Berry said she never missed a legislative session and emphasized her legislative record as a reason voters should return her to office.
“This district, Milton, Lewes, Georgetown, its surrounding areas deserves a strong leader who has experience and has a proven track record of going to Dover and getting work done on behalf of the district,” Berry said.
“There’s only one candidate that has that,” she said. “And so I stand by my record.”
Schaeffer focuses on residents and local concerns
Schaeffer said she entered the race because she believes District 20 needs a representative who will focus on issues residents are raising in their communities.
“I thought that it was a perfect time for the residents of the 20th district to have a real voice in Legislative Hall,” Schaeffer said.
She cited infrastructure, schools and health care among her priorities.
Schaeffer said she wants to take a different approach to development and housing, beginning with repealing Senate Bill 23.
She also highlighted her campaign's outreach efforts, saying she has knocked on more than 5,000 doors.
Schaeffer said some of the signs supporting her campaign, including those identifying farmers, teachers and moms, reflect people she says she has met while campaigning.
“Any sign that you see for farmers for Ruby are actually on farms that do endorse me,” Schaeffer said.
She said she and her family have connections to farming and that she is a member of the Farm Bureau, while clarifying that the Farm Bureau itself has not endorsed her.
Schaeffer also said she has received endorsements from labor organizations, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Building Trades Council and the Delaware State AFL-CIO.
“My family were union members,” Schaeffer said. “My husband was a union member, my father was a union member, all my uncles. And that's how we put food on the table and a roof over our head was through the unions in good union-paying jobs.”
Schaeffer said she wants to increase Sussex County Council from five to seven members to give eastern Sussex County more representation.
Schaeffer said she believes her campaign's strength comes from its focus on residents rather than simply legislative experience.
“I'll be there to do what's in the best interest of our residents, of our people here in Sussex, and even for the state,” Schaeffer said.
Schaeffer is married to former Sussex County Republican Councilman Mark Schaeffer. She said she is a lifelong Democrat and was registered as a Republican only while supporting her husband during his time in office.
“I’m a Democrat. I’ve always been a Democrat, regardless of whether I stood behind my husband or not as a Republican,” Schaeffer said.
She also criticized Berry's legislative record, citing a utility bill and arguing that an amendment could have allowed increased costs to be passed on to ratepayers.
The candidates also differ on their views of what constitutes effective representation.
Berry said her experience in Legislative Hall gives her an advantage.
Schaeffer said voters should judge her on whether she will represent their interests.
“I'll be there to do what's in the best interest of our residents, of our people here in Sussex, and even for the state,” she said.
Election ahead
The Democratic primary is scheduled for Sept. 15. Delaware's Department of Elections says early voting begins Sept. 2 and runs on designated dates through Sept. 13.
The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election, where Gene Dvornick is currently listed as the Republican candidate for District 20.
