Rep. Bryan Shupe takes on Rony Baltazar-Lopez for Delaware’s 36th District seat
MILFORD, Del. – Delaware’s 36th District seat is up for grabs on November 5th. With the race heating up, both candidates are doing some last-second campaigning before election day.
Both candidates have ties to Milford and the surrounding area. Current Incumbent Representative Bryan Shupe said he has been happy seeing the area evolve to what it is now. “I was born and raised in the 36th district, so I’ve known this district for 40 years now, so I see a lot of changes from mostly farmland to a
little bit of growth. a town of 4,000 people to over 12,000”
Democratic nominee, Rony Baltazar-Lopez has had similar experiences, growing up in the 36th District. “I was born and raised in Milford my entire life; I was the son of immigrants. So, overcoming the challenges that come with being a son of immigrants and going through the public school system. I have faced my fair share of challenges and experiences I’ve built along the way.”
Rep. Shupe won the Republican primary narrowly by only 12 votes. He said it was a fight to the very end. “The primary was a drag-down fight this year, and it was really interesting to see what was important to the primary voters.”
That loss, though, Baltazar-Lopez believes is due to what he calls Shupe’s lack of engagement in office.
“I’ve watched him not being in action, whether it’s at committee hearings, not being on the floor, present for votes that matter for the district. he doesn’t take a stand for a lot of things which is concerning. If you’re going to show up and if you’re going to make a change, then you have to be willing to take difficult votes.”
If elected, Baltazar-Lopez would be the first Hispanic man to ever sit in the seat as well as the first Democrat to win in over 40 years. He promises to focus on affordable housing, affordable healthcare, and fixing the education system.
“Addressing our education system, we have a teacher shortage. we need to make sure we’re keeping and retaining in the district. That means making sure they’re paid a livable wage. Our neighboring states of Maryland and New Jersey, they pay starting at $60,000, we start out paying $40,000.”
Representative Shupe, who took office back in November 2018, disagrees with Baltazar Lopez’s claims, stating he has done a lot of good in his previous term. He Cited three education bills he worked on, as well as touted his success on a bill forcing developers to work on paving projects. Something he will prioritize if elected again.
“One of the first things I want to pursue in January, is creating impact fees for developers here, when developers are bringing in 500 families at a time, impact fees need to be imposed.”
He stated these fees will go towards EMS personnel as well as schools, so they can accommodate the extra population. And while both candidates differ on many things, they both agree, education needs to be a top priority moving forward.
November 5th is election day, and both candidates tell WMDT to get and vote.
