Campaign Phone
302-428-9614
Neighborhood/area of residence
Heatherbrooke
Education
Brown University and Boston University School of Law
Work Experience
Attorney
Community Involvement
I have volunteered with several Delaware nonprofits, led multiple professional and civic organizations and served on Delaware’s Public Integrity Commission. I am a past president of the Junior League of Wilmington and a founding member of Spur Impact Association, an organization that encourages civic engagement among young professionals. I currently serve on the board of the Delaware Bar Foundation.
Additional Information
I began my professional career as a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice before clerking in Delaware Superior Court. I have worked in private practice since 2014, and I volunteer in Family Court representing children in foster care. After becoming a vocal advocate for the successful Equal Rights Amendment to the Delaware Constitution, I was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2020, becoming the first Democrat to represent the Fifth Senate District in more than 40 years. I currently serve as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Legislative Oversight & Sunset Committee, and a member of the Senate Education, Elections & Government Affairs, Rules & Ethics, and Veterans Affairs committees.
I will continue to lead the fight to make reproductive freedom a reality in Delaware, and I will work to keep communities safe by supporting common-sense gun laws. There is an urgent need to improve outcomes and reduce stark disparities across our state. I believe that opportunity for all requires strong investments in education, increased access to primary and specialty healthcare, and continued criminal justice reforms with a focus on returning citizens. If elected, I will continue to focus on the working people who keep our state strong; I will invest in our workforce through legislation that promotes economic mobility for working parents, creates jobs equipped for our future, and helps small businesses grow and thrive in the First State
Children with access to high-quality early education attain higher academic achievement and economic advancement. Increasing investments in early childhood education – including the workforce – is good for all: it sets kids up for success and enables parents to stay in the workforce.
Delaware must have competitive educator salaries. Securing funding to increase minimum teacher pay, adjust salaries for veteran teachers, and to reflect the contributions of educational support professionals will not be easy, but not acting is no longer an option.
Students’ academic challenges don’t end at the classroom door. In order to promote learning inside the classroom, we must connect students and their families with resources outside the classroom.
As the nation's lowest-lying state, Delaware is at particular risk of climate change impacts. The Climate Change Solutions Act aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate these effects, and the state must meet targets set by the Act. Above all, Delaware should accelerate its adoption of various renewable energy sources – including wind, hydroelectric, hydrogen, and solar power. The state can expand energy efficiency and tax credit programs, create incentives for new construction projects that meet reasonable energy efficiency requirements, and continue to promote sustainable transportation options like public transportation.
Addressing homelessness in Delaware requires an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on addressing the needs of the whole person or family. The state should invest in building an effective crisis response system that involves community outreach to connect unhoused individuals and families to services. Also critical is the development and support of a robust rapid rehousing program that offers wrap-around supports like educational, employment, and mental and physical health services to ensure all the needs of formerly homeless individuals are met. On a larger scale, Delaware must also invest in the creation and preservation of affordable and accessible housing to ensure the availability of permanent, stable housing for all Delawareans.
Yes, I have consistently supported police reform measures. During my time as a state senator, I have voted to require the use of body-worn cameras, limit deceptive policing tactics and the use of chokeholds, and increase data collection and record transparency. Measures like these help to build trust between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve, leading to better policing and increased community support, while also combating systemic inequities. As Lt. Governor, I will continue to advocate for evidence-based reforms. Our law enforcement system should be based on trust, create space for officers to effectively do their jobs, and uphold values of fairness and equity.
Government works best when it is inclusive of all the people it represents and serves. I was proud to vote to codify the Hispanic Commission this year, and as Lt. Governor, I look forward to partnering with the Commission and leaders in the Latino community to enhance outreach and recruitment efforts for all positions in state government, with a particular focus on leadership roles. Communication and outreach are key, and I will promote the use of Spanish-language materials and translation resources across the state government. In addition, inclusive employment policies and practices can ensure a state working environment that is supportive of the diversity of all employees.
I've seen the devastating consequences that addiction has had on Delawareans, which is why I voted for legislation to support our state agencies and community prevention partners. Still, gaps exist in our system of care. Increased funding should be provided to evidence-based treatment opportunities, including those integrating mental health and addiction services and expanding Medication Assisted Treatment access. Treatment programs should support the whole person by offering wrap-around supports addressing social determinants of health barriers. And above all, we need to work to break the stigma and silence that surrounds addiction, as well as educate our communities to strengthen addiction prevention and early intervention efforts.
Campaign Phone
3028562772
Neighborhood/area of residence
Georgetown
Education
MS: Human Resources emphasis Leadership and Instruction; BS: Business (Management) AAS Medical Technology
Work Experience
Various progressive and extensive leadership roles in the public and private sector in Delaware with emphasis on health care services, education, banking and finance as well as professional trade association leadership. This culminating into start up of a Women Business Enterprise, Workforce Solutions Today.
Community Involvement
A committed engagement in civic and parent organizations from being a Cub Scout leader, team mother, member PTA and various booster organization as well as commitment to my church through various children and youth programs and communion steward. I was a founding board member of the Georgetown Boys and Girls Club and later a member of the Oak Orchard /Riverdale Boys and Girls club. I also served on Interfaith Mission Housing of Sussex for many years and then the Sussex County Community Crisis House Board and the Cheer Senior Services Board of Directors for Sussex. Additionally, I was a Georgetown-Millsboro Rotary member and sponsor for the LongNeck Rotary club. I am member of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and assist many other organizations with Strategic Planning and leadership development. I have taught classes for La Plaza in addition to helping other organizations. I sponsor and host the Young Distinguished Womens Program, Ovarian Cancer awareness and other initiatives.
Additional Information
14 Years Delaware Legislature as State Representative 37th district with several key appointments. Governor Markell appointed me to serve on the Cancer Consortium where I remained until my departure from the General Assembly. I was invited to be a member of the Behavorial Health Consortium and opioid settlement taskforce by Lt. Governor Hall Long and recently Governor John Carney asked me to serve on Delaware's Commission for Women
My priorities are interrelated and interdependent: 1) Improve our business climate to provide sustainable revenue for businesses to start up and grow; 2) become proactive and innovative in preventing disruptive student behavior for improved educational outcomes, and 3) continue my efforts to improve public safety & ensure that safe streets & group/gang violence intervention programs are available throughout Delaware. Transparency in legislative dealings will be key to improving non-partisan efforts focused on issues - not rhetoric. I will allow public comment during committee meetings & allow testimony & debate on issues before the Assembly while affording citizens courtesy and civility from public leaders. Learn more @ RuthforDelaware.com
Delaware taxpayers are making a significant investment in education but that money does not follow the student into the classroom. Teachers say their students miss too much school, that disruptive student behavior is challenging in classrooms, and “teaching to the test” is not working. We need to return to the science of learning and get back to solid basics so our children are performing at least to grade level, if not higher. I will work to stabilize education funding and dramatically modify the unfair “unit funding system” that isn’t working. And I will see that classroom education takes priority over anything that reduces instructional time. My ideas about improving education are on my website at ruthfordelaware.com.
In the State Legislature, I saw that this 2023 bill would have a negative impact on taxpayers & our economy. The federal Energy Dept reveals that Delaware currently ranks 48th in the nation in total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – far higher than other low-population states like Montana, Wyoming & Idaho. Experts estimate that Delawareans' electric rates could rise from $400 to $545 a year under that bill. The goals I support are to reduce the State’s overall carbon footprint; create the infrastructure for more public transit; find new and sustainable energy sources, and explore ways to raise awareness to motivate all Delawareans to reduce their neighborhood & individual carbon footprints. Learn more @ RuthforDelaware.com
We still do not yet fully grasp all of the factors that cause the high degree of homelessness Delaware is experiencing. As lieutenant governor, I will bring government and community stakeholders to the table for an authentic and deep discussion of all those contributing factors, develop a strategy and action plan for addressing each factor, then invest in identified & researched ways to prevent and rectify homelessness. At the same time, we must ensure that we are identifying at-risk residents & encouraging the development of programs to address the underlying reasons for homelessness. We must address the root causes, assess the needs, offer alternatives, & coordinate services that help these Delawareans. Learn more @ RuthforDelaware.com
Yes. In the State Legislature, I was appointed to the Law Enforcement Accountability taskforce & worked for nearly two years to develop new standards & legislation to move our initiatives forward. We took significant first steps in the educational requirements, certification of policy agencies and a reporting structure. We also created an office within the Office of Homeland Security with dedicated personnel for the public to initiate complaints & investigations. I ensured funding for body-worn cameras & laws to govern the use and review of video files, including access by the public defender’s office. As lieutenant governor, I will continue to build more trustworthy law enforcement through innovative means for Delaware citizens.
I have been excited to watch the increase and advancement of Latinos in southern Delaware for nearly twenty years. I have encouraged education, business, and leadership development by working with La Esperanza, La Plaza and other groups to support the Latino community. Today, I see Latino students becoming top academic graduates at Sussex County High School. I watch as Latino teams take on key leadership roles in many Junior Reserve Officer Training (JROTC) programs. Latinos are generally more fiscally conservative and have priorities that do not align with Delaware’s majority leadership. As lieutenant governor, I will actively seek out Latino leaders who are ready now for the opportunity to serve and raise the equity bar in Delaware.
There is an entrenched bureaucracy blocking the conversation & action needed to create an effective, coordinated network of substance abuse & addiction services. For example, the Dept. of Education lacks statewide program continuity for a drug education curriculum. A key determinant is the funding sources for this & other public & private agencies involved. As LG, I will replace such silos with a coordinating body to oversee all contributing services & motivate innovation in all aspects of prevention, detection, treatment, and personal restoration. I will initiate a review of the State’s drug addiction & related social programs with the goal of coordinating services through this orchestrating oversight group.
