Delaware General Assembly Snapshot
The State of Delaware held its elections for a new state house and senate on November 4th 2024. On January 8th 41 state house members and 21 state senators were sworn into office by the Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court Collins J. Seitz, Jr. and began the currently active 2025 legislative session of the 153rd Delaware General Assembly. Among the members elected 4 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Delaware General Assembly.
Delaware Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates provided from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18-29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote, including over 8 million young voters who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms. Young voters in Delaware not only had the opportunity to make their voice heard at the presidential level, but voters also selected a new United States Senator in an open race for the first time since 2010. Ultimately Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester emerged victorious in that open senate race and became the first women and first African American to represent the state of Delaware in congress.
Nationally, according to the Pew Research Center, Millennials in 2020 overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S., comprising 31% of the population, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X makes up 28%, while the Silent Generation is the smallest at 9.9%.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Delaware’s unique demographics, voters elected 4 members to the Delaware General Assembly, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current Delaware State Legislature.
The Delaware House of Representatives 153rd Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected to the Delaware House of Representatives
- the average age of Delaware House of Representatives members is 52.4 years
- the youngest Representative was Sophie Phillips born in 1996
- the oldest Representatives elected were David Lawson, Bryant Richardson, and Stephanie Bolden all three of whom were born in 1946
- 3 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Delaware House of Representatives, all representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, Baby Boomer generation. Importantly, no members of the current Delaware House of Representatives belong to Generation Z (youngest) or the Silent Generation (oldest). Scroll below to see the generations in the Delaware House of Representatives visualized.
Partisanship in the Delaware House of Representatives
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 153rd Delaware House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan dynamics in the Delaware House of Representatives reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. While both parties include a mix of experience levels, Republican members are, on average, older than their Democratic counterparts. This difference may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – Delaware House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Delaware, four members aged 35 or under were elected to the Delaware House of Representatives. Below are all four of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth year (Age on Election Day) | Year first elected to Delaware House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sophie Phillips (D) | 18th District –
Wilimington, DE |
1996 (Age 28) | 2022 |
 |
Madinah Wilson-Anton (D) | 26th District –
Newark, DE |
1993 (Age 31) | 2020 |
 |
Sherae’a Moore (D) | 8th District –
Rehoboth Beach, DE |
1990 (Age 34) | 2020 |
Photos courtesy of Delaware General Assembly member roster
Gender in the Delaware House of Representatives
The Delaware House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Across all members, 56.1% are men, while women make up 41.46%. Age differences between these groups are notable: female representatives had an average age of 52.05 at the time of the election, compared to 56.41 for their male colleagues. Additionally Delaware elected a non-binary member to the Delaware House of Representatives, their age is reflected below.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the Delaware House of Representatives. Democratic women have the lowest average age of the four groups at 51.72, while Democratic men have a higher average age of 56.01. For Republicans in the Delaware House of Representatives, men and women are on average older, with Republican men averaging 56.69 and Republican women averaging the highest age among these groups at 57.35. These patterns show that age representation in the Delaware House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups. Additionally Delaware elected a non-binary member to the Delaware House of Representatives, this member is a Democrat and their age is reflected below.
Race and Ethnicity in the Delaware House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Delaware House of Representatives varies significantly across generations. For example, among Millennials and Silent Generation members African American legislators account for a larger than expected share, totaling 44.44% among Millennial members and 30% across the entire chamber. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Delaware House of Representatives
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White/Caucasian | – | 4
(44.44%) |
11
(64.71%) |
11
(78.57%) |
– | 26
(65.00%) |
| Black/African American | – | 4
(44.44%) |
5
(29.41%) |
3
(21.43%) |
– | 12
(30.00%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | – | 1
(11.11%) |
1
(5.88%) |
– | – | 2
(5.00%) |
| Total (Precent of Delaware House) | – | 9
(22.50%) |
17
(42.50%) |
14
(35.00%) |
– | 40*
(100%) |
*One House member’s age is currently missing
The Delaware State Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Delaware State Senate.
- the average age of Delaware State Senate members is 59.29 years
- the youngest Senator Marie Pinkney who was born in 1990
- the oldest Senators elected in 2024 were Bryant Richardson and David Lawson who were both born in 1946
- 1 Senator is a Young Elected Leader, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Delaware State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Delaware, one member was aged 35 or under was elected to the Delaware State Senate. Below is information about their local district and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age on Election Day) |
Year First Elected to the Delaware State Senate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Marie Pinkney (D) | 13th District – Dover, DE | 1990 (Age 34) |
2020 |
Photos courtesy of Delaware State Senate member roster
In the Delaware State Senate, 15 senators belong to the Democratic Party, and 6 senators are Republicans. The mean age of Democratic state senators after the 2024 election was 55.13, while the mean age of Republican state senators was 69.7. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Delaware State Senate.
Gender in the Delaware Senate
The generational makeup of the Delaware Senate also reflects important gender dynamics. Across generations, gender balance is more male skewed across generations. Younger generations, such as Millennials and Generation X, include more gender balance, while older generations, such as Baby Boomers, have a much larger proportion of men than women. These patterns suggest that gender balance varies across generational lines, with women represented in each age cohort of the Delaware Senate.
Race and Ethnicity in the Delaware Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Delaware Senate reveals generational variation in representation. While 85% of the chamber identifies as White across all generations, younger generations—especially Millennials—reflect greater diversity. For example, 16.67% of Millennial senators are Black. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the Delaware Senate.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Delaware State Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 1 (33.33%) | 8 (88.89%) | 9 (100%) | 18 (85.71%) |
| Black/African American | 1 (16.67%) | 1 (11.11%) | – | 3 (14.29%) |
| Total | 3 (14.29%) | 9 (42.86%) | 9 (42.86%) | 36 (100%) |
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Delaware which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 153rd Delaware General Assembly