145th Delaware General Assembly explained

Body:	Delaware General Assembly
Before:	144th
After:	146th

The 145th Delaware General Assembly was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government, consisting of the Delaware Senate and the Delaware House of Representatives. Elections were held the first Tuesday after November 1st and terms began in Dover on the first Tuesday in January. This date was January 6, 2009, which was two weeks before the beginning of the first administrative year of Democratic Governor Jack A. Markell from New Castle County and Democratic Lieutenant Governor Matthew P. Denn, also from New Castle County.

Currently the distribution of seats for both houses was based on the interpretation of the federal 2000 census. It resulted from a large number of memberships in the New Castle County area and ruling that the election districts would abandon county lines for their boundaries, but would design whatever district boundaries that would accomplish such population equals.

In the 145th Delaware General Assembly session both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Party summary

Senate

Democratic (D)

15 (majority)

Republican (R)

6TOTAL members: 21

House of Representatives

Democratic (D)

25 (majority)

Republican (R)

16 TOTAL members: 41

Leadership

Senate

Lieutenant Governor (President of the Senate):
- Matthew P. Denn, Democratic of New Castle County.
President pro tempore of the Senate

- Anthony J. DeLuca, Democratic of New Castle County.

House of Representatives

Speaker of the House
- Robert F. Gilligan, Democratic of New Castle County.

Party leadership

Senate

Majority Leader: Patricia M. Blevins, Democratic
Majority Whip: Margaret Rose Henry, Democratic

Minority Leader: F. Gary Simpson, Republican
Minority Whip: Liane M. Sorenson, Republican

House of Representatives

Majority Leader: Peter C. Schwartzkopf, Democratic
Majority Whip: Valerie J. Longhurst, Democratic

Minority Leader: Richard C. Cathcart, Republican
Minority Whip: Daniel B. Short, Republican

Members

Senate

About half the State Senators were elected every two years for a four-year term, except the decade district redesign year, when all served two years. They were designed for equal populations from all districts and its accomplishment occasionally included some territory from two counties.

New Castle County

1: Harris B. McDowell, III (D)
2: Margaret Rose Henry (D)
3: Robert I. Marshall (D)
4: Michael S. Katz (D)
5: Catherine L. Cloutier (R)
6: Liane M. Sorenson (R)

New Castle County

7: Patricia M. Blevins (D)
8: David P. Sokola (D)
9: Karen E. Peterson (D)
10: Bethany A. Hall-Long (D)
11: Anthony J. DeLuca (D)
12: Dorinda A. Connor (R)
13: David B. McBride (D)

Kent County

14: Bruce Ennis (D)
15: Nancy W. Cook (D)
16: Colin R. J. Bonini (R)
17: Brian J. Bushweller (D)

Sussex County

18: F. Gary Simpson (R)
19: Thurman G. Adams, Jr. (D)
- Joseph W. Booth (R)
20: George H. Bunting, Jr. (D)
21: Robert L. Venables, Sr. (D)

House of Representatives

All the State Representatives were elected every two years for a two-year term. They were designed for equal populations from all districts and its accomplishment occasionally included some territory from two counties.

New Castle County