MILFORD, Del. - The race for the District 36 seat is heating up just weeks before the election. Republican candidate Bryan Shupe has held this seat since 2018. His opponent, Rony Baltazar-Lopez, was the youngest school board member in the Milford School District, elected at 24, and the first Latino to serve on the board. Baltazar-Lopez has also worked under Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
General Election
Though the candidates stand on opposite sides of many issues, their paths to politics are strikingly similar. Shupe, 39, and Baltazar-Lopez, 29, were both born and raised in Milford and graduated from the University of Delaware.
One issue both candidates have taken strong stances on is campaign funding. Shupe alleges that Baltazar-Lopez is supported by developers who Shupe says "exploit residents."
"My response to Representative Shupe is that he needs to have a conversation with the Fannins and the developers he’s accusing." said Baltazar-Lopez. "Shupe is attacking me, saying that I’m relying solely on developer funds, and that’s far from the truth. I invite people to review my campaign finance reports, which are all public."
In response, Shupe said, "I have taken these developers to the Department of Justice in Delaware." Shupe continued, "For them to fund him should be a warning to people."
Baltazar-Lopez continued about what he represents, "My values are unwavering." Baltazar-Lopez continued, "Representative Shupe is attacking me on something I'm not the representative for."
Shupe gives his reason for being against these developers. "The real reason I'm against these developers is because they have abused our neighbors in the past."
Primary Race
Baltazar-Lopez advanced to the general election without opposition in the primary. Shupe, faced Patrick Smith for the second time in a row and narrowly won the 2024 primary with 50.3 percent of the vote—just 12 votes ahead of Smith.
Smith called for a recount, but it did not proceed. According to Title 15, Section 3172 of the Delaware Code, the margin must be within one-half of 1 percent for the state to fund a recount. The difference in this race was 0.52 percent, narrowly exceeding the threshold for an official recount.