FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | November 12, 2026
Contact: Sarah Fulton (302) 401-1114
DOVER — Members of the Senate Majority Caucus convened Thursday to select a new leadership team for the 154th General Assembly. Sen. Bryan Townsend will serve as President Pro Tempore, Sen. Stephanie Hansen will serve as Senate Majority Leader, and Sen. Marie Pinkney will serve as Senate Majority Whip.
“Our caucus is made up of 15 talented public servants who have held diverse titles outside the walls of Legislative Hall: Educator. Union Electrician. Social Worker. Community Advocate. Affordable Housing Developer. Attorney. Mother. Father. Caregiver. Each represents a different corner of our State and brings our own life experiences and professional expertise to the table. Together, we are more than the sum of our parts, working collaboratively on behalf of the people of Delaware” said Sen. Townsend. “During my past six years as Majority Leader, Senate Democrats have championed the needs of working people over special interests. We have fought to restore the SNAP funding cut by the Trump Administration, insisted on corrections to New Castle County’s property reassessment that had left major corporations like Amazon off the hook for paying their fair share in taxes, and stood up for patients over hospitals, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies in our broken health care system. I’m honored that my colleagues have chosen me to lead the Senate through our next chapter, and look forward to continuing our work in the months ahead.”
First elected to the Senate in 2012, Townsend has served as Senate Majority Leader for the last six years. During that time, the Senate Democrats passed the Healthy Delaware Families Act that created the State’s 12-week paid family and medical leave program, raised the minimum wage to $15/hour, codified women’s reproductive freedoms, and enacted a wide range of common sense gun safety legislation.
Townsend, who once served as the Senate Health & Social Services Chair, has championed several bills to break down barriers for patients while lowering health care costs. Among those bills include Senate Bill 12, which reformed Delaware’s pre-authorization regulations, House Bill 350, which created the Diamond State Cost Review Board to better hold hospitals accountable to their patients, and Senate Bill 1, which promotes access to primary care providers and lowers hospital prices. Other significant legislative accomplishments include the Richard “Mouse” Smith Compassionate Release Act, bail reform, and Tenants’ Right to Representation.
Sen. Stephanie Hansen was first elected in a special election that gained national attention following a vacancy created by then-Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long in February 2017. An environmental attorney by trade, Sen. Hansen’s signature legislative accomplishments include transformational energy policies like the creation of the State’s community solar program, consumer protections for Delmarva Power customers and other public utility ratepayers, and landmark conservation efforts such as the state’s freshwater wetlands program passed earlier this year.
Beyond her energy and environmental portfolio, Sen. Hansen has championed several bills to improve Delaware’s delivery of substance use recovery services, and was responsible for the creation of the Behavioral Health Commission and the Opioid Impact Fee. She also represents the Senate on the Delaware Artificial Intelligence Commission.
“I am deeply grateful to my colleagues for their confidence in me to serve as Senate Majority Leader. Delawareans sent a clear message at the polls last week, and I recognize the privilege and responsibility that comes with leading at a time when so many of our neighbors are struggling with rising utility costs, housing affordability, and simply making ends meet,” said Sen. Hansen. “Now more than ever, Senate Democrats must meet this moment and make real change for the working families in our State. Come January, we will continue to focus on the issues that matter most to Delawareans and will deliver meaningful solutions that ensure every Delaware family has the opportunity to build a better future.”
Sen. Marie Pinkney, a licensed clinical social worker, joined the Senate in 2020. When first elected, she served as Chair of the Senate Corrections Committee and used that role to usher in a series of criminal justice reforms like modernizing Delaware’s probation system, meeting the health needs of incarcerated people, and improving re-entry supports.
Pinkney has long been a champion of improving maternal health outcomes, specifically for Black women. In her role as Chair of the Senate Health & Social Services Committee, she sponsored legislation to increase access to financial assistance (sometimes known as “charity care”) for hospital patients that are unable to afford their medical bills, support pregnant patients, and improve public health and harm reduction.
“For too long, we have watched extremists in Washington threaten access to our healthcare, our housing, our reproductive freedom, and the basic human dignity of working people. When federal safeguards are dismantled, it is up to us in state government to fight for the protections and resources that the residents of our State deserve,” said Sen. Pinkney. “Our work has never been more important, and I’m honored to have been chosen to step into this new role. Together with my colleagues, I look forward to amplifying the voices and ideas that will shape the future of Delaware’s state government.”
The Delaware State Senate will reconvene on Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at which time the full Senate will vote to elect Senator Townsend as President Pro Tempore.
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