DOVER — Seaford native Ted Kittila filed Thursday as a candidate for the 4th Senate District seat in the Delaware State Senate. He will be opposing incumbent Laura Sturgeon, D-Brandywine.

Mr. Kittila is a Delaware native and a product of Delaware’s public schools, from kindergarten through the University of Delaware.

Upon graduation, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Germany, after which he graduated from University of Minnesota Law School.

He is the managing partner of a national law firm headquartered in Wilmington.

In making his announcement, Mr. Kittila said, “I’m running because Delaware state government is seriously off track.”

Mr. Kittila said his campaign will concentrate on the need for better policies in the state’s schools to raise learning levels, making salaries for starting teachers competitive with surrounding states, and providing more support for first responders and nonprofits who have stepped up during the pandemic.

Mr. Kittila has been married for 22 years and has two teenage children.

“We need new ideas and policies, not the same old politics as usual,” he said. “We can do better.”