Early voting is underway in Delaware and one race that has captivated the LGBTQ community is the 14th District House seat being vacated by longtime ally Pete Schwartzkopf. Claire Snyder-Hall, a lesbian, won the Democratic primary and faces Republican Mike Simpler. But Simpler says the LGBTQ community shouldn’t discount him simply because he’s a Republican.

“I was kind of upset that they would even think of me being a Republican, that I would discriminate against the LGBTQ community in general,” Simpler told the Blade. “It’s kind of upsetting knowing that I’m born and raised here, and I’ve had family members that way. I mean the treasurer of my campaign is a lesbian. It’s just upsetting that people feel that way about the gay community in general.” 

Simpler, a lifelong resident of Sussex County and the current president of the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company said that his experience in the role has allowed him to work alongside many different types of people, including members of the LGBTQ community. 

“We probably have the most diverse fire company in the state of Delaware, when it comes to the LGBTQ group,” he said. “People need to realize that the LGBTQ [community] is no different than the rest of the people in the world.”

Simpler also shared with the Blade that he has had firsthand experience with a unique aspect of LGBTQ culture — drag. He dressed up in drag at a fundraiser held at The Pines, a popular gay venue in Rehoboth Beach.

“I was asked to volunteer for a fundraiser, and next thing you know, I find out I’m going to be in drag at The Pines,” Simpler said. “We had a ball! I mean, I had so much fun.”   

Not only did Simpler definitively say he supports the LGBTQ community in Delaware, but he added he supports legislative protections for these communities. He pointed out that providing a safe space for marginalized communities is ingrained in American history.  

“Protect them,” he said when asked about the potential of supporting pro-transgender legislation amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ state legislation being passed nationwide. “You’ve got to. They’re trying to escape. For example, they’re trying to escape the process like the Jews did, like the Chinese when they came here. They’re trying to move away from an issue where they’re being prosecuted against to somewhere where they can be free and enjoy their life that they want to live.” 

In addition to promising LGBTQ support, Simpler says he backs smarter growth in the region by prioritizing better development and efforts to alleviate traffic. He also pledges to attract high-quality jobs to the region.

Simpler faces Synder-Hall in the Nov. 5 general election. Read the Blade’s profile of her, here: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2024/09/24/claire-snyder-hall-interview/

Early voting is already underway. 

Following a close three-way primary race in Delaware’s 14th District, voters chose Claire Snyder-Hall to face Republican Mike Simpler in November for control of the district’s seat in the Delaware House of Representatives. 

Snyder-Hall sat down with the Blade after winning the primary to discuss her plans for the general election, her goals moving forward, and why she dubs this election “the year of the woman.”

“I decided to run because I felt really overwhelmed by all of the negative things that are happening in the world,” Snyder-Hall said when asked about why she decided to get involved in local politics. “While I loved my job as the head of Common Cause Delaware and working on democracy agenda in Delaware, there’s a range of other issues I care deeply about, and I just felt like I have to do something.”

For five years, Snyder-Hall led the Delaware office of Common Cause, a non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening democracy across the state. Prior to her work at Common Cause, she taught political science at schools across the country for 20 years, including Princeton University, Rutgers University, Hunter College, Illinois State University, New College of Florida, and most recently George Mason University. She explained that because of her experience she stood out against her opponents.   

“The challenge when you’re running in a Democratic primary is to differentiate yourself,” Snyder-Hall said. “I have, because of my five years as the head of Common Cause Delaware. I’ve developed a strong network of good relationships on the ground in Dover.” 

Those relationships, she argues, will allow her to make the changes at the state level during a time that has been described — to put it lightly — as politically tumultuous. 

“This is the most important election of our lifetime. Choice is on the ballot. LGBTQ+ rights are on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot,” Snyder-Hall said. “And in eastern Sussex [County] our quality of life is on the ballot. And I just felt like I had to do something positive.”

That positive thing, Snyder-Hall explained, involves her three-part plan to protect rights in Delaware. 

“There are three really important components of this job, and I take all of them very seriously. One is advocating for your district. Making sure that our district gets the money we need.” 

In June, the Delaware House passed its 2025 Operating Budget of $6.1 billion to support critical programs across the state. If Snyder-Hall wins, she wants to see some of that money going to the state’s neediest residents. 

“Things like more long-term care options, more mental health services, drug treatment, wraparound services,” she explained are at the top of her list. 

In addition to those services, she highlighted the plight of many trans youth. A recent study of anti-trans legislation from The Williams Institute has found that 93% of transgender youth ages 13-17 in the U.S., (an estimated 280,300 transgender youth) live in states that have passed or proposed banning access to gender-affirming care.

“We have a lot of trans people who are moving to Delaware, fleeing persecution in other states. We want to make sure we have the services that are needed to get them up, going, and situated in the community.” Snyder-Hall said. “First thing, bringing resources back.” 

“The second thing,” she continued, “is serving constituents. When constituents have a problem they need to have somebody that can call. Unfortunately, a lot of times it takes a phone call to your elected official to get something going.”  

“And then the third thing, and this is one that I think sometimes doesn’t get enough attention, is that I want to be at the table when the laws are made for the state,” Snyder-Hall added. “So as a rep, I’m representing my district, but I’m also a participant in the overall governance of the state, and all three of those components are important for the job.”

 In addition to the three components of doing the job properly, Snyder-Hall also pointed out she wants to help change the way campaigns are run in the state following Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s finance scandal. Last year, the Associated Press discovered Hall-Long failed to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans in her finance reports.

“Campaign finance reform is a big one, particularly in light of some of the things that have happened recently in Delaware,” Snyder-Hall said. “I’d like to see the creation of an inspector general’s office to look for fraud, waste and abuse, and corruption. It would be a nonpartisan office so it’s not somebody’s political career.” 

Snyder-Hall was able to secure the Democratic primary win without the endorsement of longtime incumbent District 14 Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, who has held the seat since 2002. Schwartzkopf has been a longtime LGBTQ ally, supporting marriage equality, non-discrimination protections, and hate crime legislation in the Delaware House. He also served as  Speaker of the House. 

Schwartzkopf endorsed Kathy McGuiness, who came in third in the primary with 26.91% of votes (1,238 votes) following Marty Rendon in second with 31.83% of the votes (1,464 votes). Snyder-Hall won with 41.26% of votes (1,898 votes).  

Snyder-Hall mentioned that this win would not have been possible without the LGBTQ community in Sussex County. 

“I want to say that the lesbian community came out extremely strongly to support our campaign,” she said. “We have a very large community here, not just in Rehoboth and my district, but even spreading out to the west and south. They supported me financially, very generously. They volunteered for me. They spread the word. They lifted me up. I’m so appreciative of their strength in that community. And also, it wasn’t just that. I also have a big network of gay male friends and straight friends.” 

Snyder-Hall said that the number of votes she got speaks to her community’s aspirations for a leader.  

“One reason I think that the women’s community came out so strongly for me, is because they know that I will represent not just the people that live in my district, but I’ll be representing our interests as women, as lesbians, and as Delawareans,” she added.

 She also explained that this could be an indication of a “femininomenon” — to use lesbian pop star Chappell Roan’s made-up word — in government offices across the country. 

“We’re going to get Kamala Harris as the first woman president. We’re going to get Sarah McBride and LBR (Lisa Blunt Rochester). LBR will be the first woman senator [from Delaware]. And, you know, hopefully Claire Snyder-Hall from the 14th. I’m very proud to be the first woman nominated to be the representative for District 14, and I’m also the first lesbian nominated to represent District 14.” 

Blunt Rochester is poised to become Delaware’s first Black person and first woman Senator. Sarah McBride is slated to be the first transgender person elected to Congress.

“Sarah McBride is incredible. She is a star. She has it all. She has the part you can learn and the part you can’t learn,” Snyder-Hall said. “She’s going to be an incredible congressperson. She’s so young, and she’s going to be the first trans congressperson. She’s got it all. She’s super smart, charismatic, just good with people, good with communications. I think it’s really fantastic.” 

She added that she was not surprised by this, which is one of the reasons she loves her state. 

“Delaware is a very, very pro-LGBTQ+ state, and I think that it’s not a surprise that our first trans congressperson would come from Delaware.”

Delaware’s general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5. Voters will determine the race for the District 14 seat, the open congressional seat, and the Senate seat. This pivotal day will shape the state’s representation at both the state and national levels. For Snyder-Hall, this fight means more than just the office, but progress for Delawareans. “I knocked on thousands of doors all over the district. And the thing is it’s not one person’s story, but just the connection, being able to look someone in the eye and talk about the district and what we can do to make things better, that’s the thing that keeps me going,” Snyder-Hall said. “Knowing that I can help people.”

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride is poised to become the first openly transgender person elected to Congress after she won her primary on Tuesday.

McBride defeated Earl Cooper by a 79.9-16.2 percent margin in the Democratic primary for the state’s congressional seat. McBride will face Republican John Whalen in November.

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund in a press release notes McBride is “favored to win in the heavily Democratic state.”

“Voters across the country are sick and tired of the divisive politics of the past — that’s why we’re seeing an increase in diverse, young candidates like Sarah McBride clearing their primaries,” said Victory Fund President Annise Parker. “Nobody is more qualified than Sarah to represent the values of Delaware in Congress. I look forward to celebrating Sarah’s election victory in November and seeing her get to work for her constituents in Washington.” 

McBride is poised to succeed U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), who is running for retiring U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.)’s seat.

“Of course, there’s going to be discussion about the potential of this campaign to break this barrier and to increase diversity in Congress and to ensure that a voice that has been totally absent from the halls of Congress is finally there in an elected capacity,” McBride told the Washington Blade during a 2023 interview after she declared her candidacy. “While it’s not what this campaign is focused on, while it’s not what voters are focused on, it is certainly relevant to the young people who are feeling alone and scared right now.”