While incumbents reigned supreme in the state election in Delaware’s southernmost county, the Sussex County Council will have not two but three new members in January.

Democrat Jane Gruenebaum turned things around by taking the District 3 seat from incumbent Sussex County Councilman Mark Schaeffer. In Rehoboth Beach, Democrat Claire Snyder Hall will replace outgoing Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, but otherwise the incumbents kept their seats in Sussex County.

Here’s who will ride on the winner’s side of the carriage in return day in Georgetown on Thursday.

Sussex County Council

Sussex (Lewes) County Council District 3 seat went to Democratic newcomer Jane Gruenebaumwho defeated the current Republican Marcos Schaeffer 20,610 to 17,050 votes.

One of the first things she wants to focus on is a voluntary school evaluation or equity mechanism, she said when we reached her by phone Tuesday night.

“There are different ways to get developers to pay the costs of impacts to our schools,” he said.

He also wants to create a forest protection ordinance and require supporting infrastructure before development, he said. Gruenebaum has held leadership positions at several Washington, D.C. policy-oriented nonprofit organizations, worked in the executive search field, and taught political science at Columbia University. their website says. She was the founder of the Sussex Preservation Coalition and resigned as president to run for office.

The District 3 race was the only Sussex County Council race in the general election after newcomers Matt Lloyd, R-District 1, and Steve McCarron, R-District 2. they won their primary races and he did not face any Democratic rival.

Senate District 6 (Lewes)

Democratic incumbent Russ Huxtable defeated republican Kim Hoey Stevenson in this race. He was first elected two years ago, after Republican Sen. Ernie Lopez retired and turned the district blue.

Huxtable graduated from the University of Delaware and, for more than 18 years, has “worked for a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of affordable housing in Sussex County” and Delaware, his website says.

The issues Huxtable focuses on include transportation and infrastructure, investing in Delaware and the District 6 community, more balanced growth, housing, quality of life, health care, education, environmental stewardship, public safety, equality and voting, says its website.

House District 4 (Long Neck)

Incumbent Republican representative. Jeff Hilovsky defeated Democratic challenger Greg Lindner in this election, 10,529 to 7,629 votes.

House District 4 was created in 2022 as a result of an ordered redistricting process due to population growth. Hilovsky, an optometrist and retired Air Force reservist, was the first representative elected there.

Issues important to him include improving education, finance, public safety, supporting small businesses, veterans, manufactured housing, government accountability and improving health care, his website says.

House District 14 (Rehoboth Beach)

Democrat Claire Snyder-Hall will fill the seat that outgoing Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf held for more than 20 years. He defeated Republican Mike Simpler, 9,627 to 7,989 votes, in the general election. after defeating Kathy McGuiness and Marty Rendon in the primary.

“I really want to be at the table when laws are made for the state of Delaware,” she said when we reached her by phone Tuesday night, “so we can make the state even better and stronger.”

Snyder-Hall is especially interested in voting rights, such as early voting and voting by mail, she said. He also wants to “get rid of Jim Crow language, specifically the requirement for a literacy test,” in the Delaware Code, he said.

Snyder-Hall has a doctorate in political science, her website says. She is the former director of Common Cause Delaware, held Democratic Party leadership positions in Delaware and Florida, and, before moving to Delaware in 2011, taught political science at George Mason University, according to her website.

20th House District (Milton)

incumbent democrat Stell Parker Selby Republican challenger narrowly defeated Nikki Miller in Milton, 8,854 to 8,610 votes.

Parker Selby turned House District 20 blue when he won in 2022, defeating Republican challenger Dallas Wingate after Republican Steve Smyk vacated the seat to run (unsuccessfully) for senator.

Parker Selby has a master’s degree in educational instruction, his website says. She was a teacher and administrator in the Cape Henlopen School District for more than 30 years and then spent five years on the school board. Parker Selby’s “focus points,” as he calls them on his website, include smart growth, environmental preservation, education, healthcare, security and human rights.

House District 36 (Milford)

Incumbent Republican Bryan Shupe defeated Democratic challenger Rony Baltazar-López in Milford, 7,460 to 4,351 votes.

Shupe defeated fellow Republican Patrick Smith in the primary by just 12 votes. He has been a District 36 representative since 2018 and, before that, served as mayor of Milford. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and owns four companies, according to his website, including Delaware LIVE News, Milford LIVE News, Fur Baby Pet Resort and The Farmacy Market.

According to his website, Shupe’s “Vision for Delaware’s Future” includes reviving the economy, restoring law and order, fixing health care, reforming education, promoting government transparency and accountability, embracing innovation and promote responsible growth.

House District 41 (Millsboro)

Republican representative. rich collins will keep his Millsboro seat after defeating Democratic challenger Tom Brett.

Collins graduated from the University of Delaware, his Delaware House Republicans biography says, previously worked in insurance and is now a “hardworking farmer.” He was first elected in 2014, and in the General Assembly, Collins “has sponsored numerous bills to reduce the tax burden imposed on Delawareans, restrict the regulatory authority of state agencies, and make public officials more accountable to the people they serve,” the Delaware House Republicans website says.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports from southern Delaware and beyond. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @MarvelMcNaught.

This article originally appeared in the Delaware News Journal: Election 2024: Sussex County results