Whip Count

In 2008, Governor Ruth Ann Minner left political office having led one of the most extraordinary political careers in Delaware history. A twice-widowed mother of three who never finished high school, she worked her way up from a job as a Delaware House of Representatives attache to being a two-term governor.  While in office Ruth Ann tackled tough issues head-on, and has left a lasting legacy in o...

Welcome back to the 150th Delaware General Assembly and to Season 2 of Whip Count! This season we're going even farther into the quirks, history, and characters of Legislative Hall. Our session begins with a momentous occasion: former Governor Ruth Ann Minner's 85th birthday. Governor Minner has a fascinating and unique story, and this week we delve into it with some of the people who knew her bes...

In 2019, Democrats in Delaware's General Assembly began an unprecedented effort to reform our state's criminal justice system on a large scale, introducing 19 bills aimed at reforming sentencing, reentry, and more. At the same time, Delaware's new Attorney General Kathy Jennings has been changing practices within the Department of Justice to make the system more equitable. This week on Whip Count,...

A Delawarean dies every 22 hours from an opioid overdose. This crisis has reached a point where it affects nearly everyone in our state, and Delaware lawmakers are fighting back. This week we are joined by Rep. David Bentz, the chair of the House Health Committee, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, the chair of the Behavioral Health Consortium, and David Humes, a board member of Attack Addiction to d...

On a busy session day Legislative Hall is bustling and crazy, but underneath that chaos there is a team of people who make sure everything runs smoothly. Many of the people who work here have years of insight into our state government, and their unique stories and backgrounds are part of what make this building special. We sat down with staff from the Legislative Library, Facilities, the Leg Hall...

In 2019, 8 new legislators joined the Delaware House Democratic Caucus. They come from a variety of backgrounds and bring unique perspectives and experiences to the General Assembly, which has helped them already make an impact on the policies that affect every Delawarean. We spoke to five of the new representatives about their lives, their journey to the House of Representatives, and the unique e...

Voting is the fundamental right that underpins our democracy, and giving people the option to vote early in-person makes that process easier, simpler, and more accessible. In this episode of Whip Count we spoke to Rep. David Bentz and Jennifer Hill from Common Cause Delaware about early voting and the fight for its passage in our state, and cover the signing ceremony for Delaware's new early votin...

Just 10 years ago in Delaware it was legal to discriminate against someone because they were gay. A landlord could refuse to rent to you, you could be denied insurance, and you could show up to work to find that you were fired simply for who you loved. That was the reality. The LGBTQ community didn't gain legal protections in our state until 2009, when the General Assembly passed landmark legislat...

"There is still magic in this place. Just a total happenstance that's going to change someone's life forever." Legislative Hall is rich with history and tradition. Few people in this building have a better knowledge of these distinctly Delaware quirks than long-time staffers Rich Puffer, Dick Carter, and Bernard Brady. In this special episode of Whip Count, we're going to let them speak for themse...

If you thought Delaware already guaranteed women equal rights under the law, well you wouldn't be the only one. But it wasn't until this year that lawmakers passed an Equal Rights Amendment, enshrining equality under the law for Delaware women.   The fight for women's equality has been 100 years in the making, with Delaware lawmakers paving the way in 1972 by ratifying the federal ERA. Unfortunate...

Every bill starts with an idea, Schoolhouse Rock taught us that. But there may be plenty of things that go on behind the scenes that not everyone gets to see. Consider this a crash course in what happens in-between an idea and a law. This is the inaugural episode of Whip Count, a podcast by the Delaware House Democratic Caucus. Join an issue advocate, a cabinet secretary, a state representative, a...