By Joseph Edelen

DOVER — House Minority Leader Mike Ramone is seeking the Republican nomination in this year’s gubernatorial race, he announced in front of Legislative Hall on Monday.

With his eyes set on being Delaware’s next chief executive, Rep. Ramone, R-Newark, will not seek reelection to his seat representing the state House of Representatives’ 21st district, which encompasses parts of Newark and Pike Creek.

“I’m running for governor because Delaware wants a breath of fresh air. We need something different; the toxicity of polarized politics is hurting our communities,” the Republican candidate said during his campaign announcement.

Since Rep. Ramone was elected to his current post in 2008, Delaware’s state government has been led by a political trifecta, with Democrats owning control of the governor’s office and both houses of the General Assembly.

The Republican House leader – who filed his candidacy with the Department of Elections on Monday – said this Democratic dominance has rendered Republican lawmakers to control unintended consequences of legislation and regulations offered by the state.

Rep. Ramone toured the state to announce his candidacy on Monday, beginning at The Circle in Georgetown and ending at the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington.

His second stop was at Legislative Hall, where he was joined by his wife, Lisa, and fellow House lawmakers, Minority Whip Lyndon Yearick, R-Magnolia; Rep. Charles Postles, R-Milford; Rep. Jeff Spiegelman, R-Clayton; and Rep. Rich Collins, R-Millsboro.

In front of the state capitol building, Rep. Ramone said his goals were to enhance Delaware’s economy, build small businesses and “create an environment where we have a fiscally responsible government.”

“Our government shouldn’t be the biggest employer in the state — it should be the most efficient employer in the state — and our small businesses are constantly getting the brunt of increased taxes, runaway inflation … (and) overzealous regulations that make it very difficult for us to get in business and stay in business,” he said.

Should Rep. Ramone win the Sept. 10 primary election against Jerry Price — a former New York City police officer who is also seeking the party’s nomination — and the general election, he would be the first Republican governor since Gov. Dale Wolf in 1993, as he served for three weeks after then-Gov. Mike Castle resigned to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Amongst his priorities, Rep. Ramone is also focused on improving education. He noted that, while Delaware ranks high among states on educational spending, the state ranks among the lowest in quality and outcomes.

In his gubernatorial announcement, Rep. Ramone also pledged to better manage taxpayer dollars, as he mentioned the state’s inability to cut taxes, even in years with budget surpluses.

“We need to bring the jobs back to Delaware; we need to bring the people back to Delaware; we need to create a Delaware that has a place where the young people in our state want to stay, and our seniors are able to come and have a nice quality of life,” Rep. Ramone said. “It’s not about a person when you’re governor, it’s about a team.”

Hours before the House minority leader kickstarted his campaign efforts on Monday, Delaware Republican Party Chair Julianne Murray announced that she would not move forward with a gubernatorial pursuit of her own.

In an April 25 newsletter, Ms. Murray wrote that she intended to run for the office, noting that, after meeting with several prospective candidates, “no one met the criteria we were hoping to find.”

Following Rep. Ramone’s campaign announcement, a press release from the state Republican Party said that, while she would no longer pursue the office, Ms. Murray would continue to “fight the potential threat of a Democrat super-majority in both houses of the General Assembly” as party chair.

As Rep. Ramone joins Mr. Price in the Republican field ahead of the Sept. 10 primary election, the Democratic field is headlined by Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and National Wildlife Federation CEO Collin O’Mara, who was the state’s Department and Natural Resources Secretary under Gov. Jack Markell.

Department of Elections