SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. – Sussex County Democratic Party Chairperson Jeff Balk resigned overnight following bipartisan calls for his removal.
Balk posted to the party's official Facebook page around 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 26, saying in part, "I am stepping down to ensure that I do not become a distraction to the candidates who are running in the 2026 cycle, a critical time for our county, state, and country."
Sussex County's Democratic Party Chairperson Jeff Balk announced his resignation in a Facebook post Oct. 26.
Republicans and Democrats in the state called on Balk to resign after his 1988 child sex crime convictions recently came to light.
Court records show Balk was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault against three minor boys in Missouri.
Delaware's Republican Party and House Democratic Leadership were among those calling for Balk's resignation.
"We believe in reform and in giving people second chances, but second chances cannot come at the expense of survivors who are still living with the pain of what was done to them," House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris told WBOC in a statement Monday.
"For someone in a position of leadership, his actions were fundamentally against our values as Democrats, and that is why House Democratic leadership joined Democratic Party State Chair Evelyn Brady and numerous other statewide elected officials in calling for his resignation," the statement continued.
Daniel Willis, the chairperson for the Sussex County Republicans, was also one of the people calling for Balk's resignation.
"Initially, I was shocked," Willis told WBOC Monday. "It's scary because it shakes the bedrock of our government. The basis of our government is rooted in trust. This shakes it, and it permanently shatters the trust the party has in its leadership. These are the issues that are truly concerning, to say how was proper vetting not done for an individual like this?"
Willis said the Sussex County Republicans are calling on any official who publicly showed support for Balk to remain in his position to step down themselves.
"Members of that executive committee were still in lockstep and are still today in lockstep in support of making sure that they said, quote unquote, 'we will not abandon our chair'." Willis said. "If you are not abandoning your chair, he's a convicted sex offender for minors. You are abandoning every single victim who ever had the courage to come out and speak up against their crimes," Willis said.
WBOC reached out to multiple listed members of the committee, including Balk, throughout the day on Monday. None of them responded for comment.
One Sussex County Democratic chapter member did say the chapter was meeting Monday night, but would not share details of that meeting. He did say, however, that they would likely discuss the next steps. Per the chapter's code, the 1st vice chair would typically be the next member in the line of succession, according to that member.
Balk was still listed as chairperson on the party's website as of 7 p.m. Oct. 27.
This article will be updated as WBOC obtains more information.
