DOVER, Del. - Delaware Democrats are entering the next legislative session with more political power than ever before, securing a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly for the first time since at least 1992.
Three Republican-held seats flipped blue in Tuesday's election, giving Democrats 30 of 41 seats in the House of Representatives. Democrats already held a two-thirds majority in the Senate, with 15 of 21 seats.
While Democrats already controlled both chambers and the governor's office, the additional seats give the party enough votes to advance constitutional amendments without Republican support.
Under Delaware's Constitution, proposed amendments must receive a two-thirds vote in both chambers during two consecutive General Assemblies before becoming part of the state constitution.
That expanded power is raising concerns among Republican lawmakers, who say the new political landscape could make bipartisan cooperation less necessary.
Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Del., says the supermajority could leave Republicans with less influence over major legislative decisions, including constitutional amendments and spending measures.
"The greatest fear is that legislators in the majority party will focus on the wants of legislators and not the needs of Delawareans," Buckson said.
He said the previous balance of power sometimes required Democratic leadership to seek Republican support on legislation requiring a higher vote threshold.
"That's no longer the case. As long as they can shut their caucus door and work it out amongst themselves, there is no need for the Republican side of things to come on board," Buckson said.
Newly elected Republican State Sen. Emily Thompson shares concerns about the importance of having different perspectives represented in the legislative process.
"It's concerning because I think effective policy is shaped with balance and different perspective," Thompson said. "With that being said, I am fully prepared to build relationships across the aisle and work with whoever I need to work with in order to accomplish what needs to be done and to be the voice for the district."
Thompson, who will represent the 15th Senate District, says her priorities include agriculture, government accountability and transparency, small businesses, education and early intervention.
She also emphasized that her concerns about a supermajority are not limited to which party holds power.
"If roles were reversed and the Republicans had the super majority in the House and the Senate, I don't think that's appropriate either," Thompson said. "There has to be checks and balances. There has to be accountability and transparency."
But Democratic leaders say having a larger majority does not mean they intend to shut Republicans out of the legislative process.
House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris said Democrats plan to use their expanded majority to address issues including affordability, education and health care.
She also pushed back on concerns that Republicans will lose their voice in Dover, saying lawmakers have made an effort to work across party lines.
"There was never a point where we were, 'Hey, that's a Republican bill. We're not going to move it.' If it's a good bill, we're going to move it," Harris said. "We want to make sure Delaware is doing better."
Democratic State Rep. Kyra Hoffner was reelected to represent the 14th Senate District Tuesday night. She also emphasized the importance of representing individual communities, even within the majority party.
"All our communities are very different. So we all have to work together," Hoffner said. "We can't just take bills and be like we're just running people over with them. Now, every district is different, even though we're all Democrats. We have to keep in mind our communities."
Harris said voters are looking for lawmakers to act with urgency, particularly on issues affecting their everyday lives.
She acknowledged that addressing those challenges will not happen overnight, but said Democrats see the election results as a call to action.
There are already eight proposed constitutional amendments that could get their final vote when Delaware's new General Assembly convenes. Lawmakers return to Legislative Hall in January.
