DE RD 20 seat filled in record breaking special election

Sussex County, Del. — The unofficial results are in for the special election in Delaware’s 20th Representative District. It was a close and record-breaking race, surpassing the state record for voter turnout and resulting in only a 121-vote difference.

Milton resident and representative-elect Alonna Berry said, “When I was able to come back, you know, and be in my community and see and think about the fact that I understand that and could make a difference on behalf of Representative District 20 when this opportunity for a special election presented itself, I said, ‘Why not?’”

Berry said being a mother influences how she sees the world. She added that it is the most important part of the puzzle in how she plans to lead the 20th District.

“That experience came directly from being a mother in Sussex County and having trouble finding a seat for my child, having trouble selecting the best early child care center for my son. I want to make sure that he was having the, you know, the best learning opportunities possible,” she said.

It was a close race between the Democrat and her Republican opponent Nikki Miller, who said she will not be calling for a recount at this time but plans to run again once Berry’s term ends.

“The recount is going to happen naturally because people are going to see that work isn’t going to get done. Things I think may be promised that aren’t going to happen. And, you know, for me, I am a person that gets up. I go to work every single day and I’m here and I was ready to work two jobs to be able to help our community.”

Miller said she was excited by the opportunity to make a difference in the community.

“When given this opportunity to run, I thought, you know, I could either be super independent of a school and make an impact on one district, or I could have an impact on an entire community. And so I saw this opportunity and still see it as a way to be able to have a broader, bigger impact on this area,” she said.

Despite record voter turnout, Miller said she hopes to see even more engagement next time.

“I’m still disappointed by the numbers of people who showed up with the amount of time of early voting and absentee. This said we should have had more people coming to vote,” Miller said.

Looking ahead, Berry said she is excited to serve her community and is overjoyed by the support shown at the polls.

“I was surprised, but I was really grateful and I take on this responsibility knowing that a community of people put their trust in me as a leader.”