Why 6 Delaware Republicans refused to congratulate, express support for Joe Biden

Six Delaware Republican senators refused this week to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for winning the 2020 election.

It was the latest sign that GOP lawmakers at the state Capitol may be less willing to compromise on crucial bills this year as they move away from moderate traditions to a polarized, partisan split.

Lawmakers on Thursday voted on two Democratic resolutions — which essentially serve as a formal statement without any legal or material consequence — to congratulate the state's former U.S. senator and his running mate on achieving the highest office in the country.

While the resolutions don't have any direct impact on residents the way other bills do, their vote showed that political tensions in the General Assembly are already growing in the first week of the six-month legislative session.

Sens. Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View; Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown; Dave Lawson, R-Marydel; Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford; Sen. David Wilson, R-Cedar Creek Hundred; and Colin Bonini-R-Dover voted against congratulating Biden and Harris on Thursday.

Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes, was the only Republican to vote "yes" for both resolutions. Lopez represents a split district that covers the Delaware beaches, including blue Rehoboth Beach, where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans.

"I have not and will not allow disagreements of the day to stand in the way of demonstrating collegiality and respect towards a fellow public servant," Lopez said in a statement about his vote.

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How they voted

Delaware Online/The News Journal reached out to several of the other senators, who did not respond individually.

Instead, a Senate spokesman sent joint a statement from the caucus later that night accusing Senate Democrats of straying away from "long-held ideals" by using the two resolutions to "further drive the partisan wedge."

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"It’s our sincere hope that our friends on the other side of the aisle choose to work in a more unified manner than what we saw today," the statement said.

"Bipartisanship is not one side bowing to the demands of the other. True bipartisanship is coming together to share common ground. Delawareans deserve better than one side calling all the shots."

Republicans in the state aren't just sore over Biden's win, but also with Democrats further taking over the Statehouse in November.

Democrats gained two seats in the Senate after unseating Republicans in the general election, giving them a three-fifths majority in both chambers.

Several longtime moderate Democrats were also usurped by more progressive lawmakers in the September primary, pushing the majority party further left.

The GOP Senate caucus' statement pointed to how the resolution expresses support for the Biden-Harris administration, not just congratulations.

Most Republicans voted "no" on congratulating Biden and Harris not because they don't want to congratulate them, but because they do not support their policies, he said.

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How Democrats responded to the resolution

Democratic leadership censured the senators who voted against the measures.

"They demonstrated where their true allegiances lie," said Senate Majority Whip Tizzy Lockman, D-Wilmington, in a statement on Thursday.

"Make no mistake. Their votes today were intended to cast further doubt on the sanctity and security of our democracy, while securing support among conspiracy theorists and supporters of last week’s attempted coup by armed insurrectionists."

It's a stark contrast from Delaware's compromise-driven, bipartisan political traditions, famously dubbed the "Delaware Way," that the state has long prided itself in.

That includes the 200-year post-election tradition of Return Day where winners and losers bury a literal hatchet in Georgetown to symbolize moving away from any animosity that ensued during their campaigns.

Republicans had even called on those traditions earlier this week after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building, including two men from Laurel who now face federal charges stemming from the insurrection.

Two days before Thursday's vote, Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, one of the lawmakers to vote against the congratulatory resolutions, told his 20 fellow senators that "the divisive rhetoric we've seen from our nation's Capitol doesn't have to and should never define us as Delaware elected officials."

"Never lose sight of what sets us apart from D.C.," he told them.

But political analysts and operatives in the state have warned for years that the General Assembly has been headed on this path as national politics becomes more polarized.

It doesn't help that Republicans have been slowly losing power in state government with each recent election, making it less and less likely that they are able to turn their agendas into law.

Republicans in the Statehouse still hold some powers that will prove crucial later this year — especially as the Democratic Party pushes for more progressive policies such as legal weed, gun control and raising taxes on the wealthy.

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House Republicans can still block bills that require a two-thirds vote, such as constitutional amendments.

Both House and Senate Republicans can also block bills that require a three-fourths vote, which includes the bond and the grant-in-aid bills — two of the biggest spending bills that lawmakers have to pass every year.

And Republicans in recent years held hostage those bills in order to force Democrats to yield to their wishes on issues such as increasing the minimum wage.

All 15 Delaware Republicans in the House, meanwhile, voted unanimously to congratulate the Biden, the former Delaware senator, when the resolution came up to a vote.

But unlike in the Senate, the Biden resolution was lumped in with two other resolutions to express thanks to first responders and ask the Department of Transportation for a report on street paving costs for subdivisions.

House lawmakers had to vote on all three at once, instead of individually.

The highest-ranking Republican in that chamber — House Minority Leader Danny Short, R-Seaford — was quick to point that out when asked about his caucus' vote on the Biden resolution.

"We have no further comment on the issue and that we're more focused on the bills we will be debating this year that could actually have a significant impact on the lives of Delawareans, not inconsequential resolutions," Short said.

The House is likely to vote on the Harris resolution late next week.

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Sarah Gamard covers government and politics for Delaware Online/The News Journal. Reach her at sgamard@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2281. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGamard.