Every four years, an opportunity to serve as state governor for Delaware presents itself. The time is here to pick a leader for our state! But who will it be? Governor John Carney is about to finish his second term with a new face following in his footsteps. The Republican and Democratic primary elections will occur on September 10th with the general election following on November 5th. The three leading candidates are from the Democratic party: Bethany Hall-Long, Collin O’Mara, and Matt Meyer. Each of these candidates has different approaches and ideas on how to improve Delaware.
Delaware has not seen a female governor in fifteen years. Bethany Hall-Long has every intent of updating this statistic. Hall-Long earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University, an M.S.N. from the Medical University of South Carolina, and a Ph.D. from George Mason University. She served in the Delaware House of Representatives for six years and went on to be elected as the lieutenant governor of Delaware. Hall-Long is also the principal investigator of the Delaware Medical Reserve Corps (DMRC), meaning she leads the state’s response during a public health emergency. Born and raised in Sussex County, Hall-Long attended Indian River High School. When asked about what excites her most for the future of Delaware, Hall-Long responded, “When I travel the state and visit with people – especially our young leaders of tomorrow – I’m always impressed by everyone’s resilience and drive to do better. I’m an optimist by nature, so when I see things that aren’t going right, I view them as challenges to overcome and come out on the other side stronger.” She also added, “I want Delaware to be the best place for people to live, work, and raise a family, and I know that we can accomplish that by collaborating on ideas to improve education, housing, jobs, healthcare, and our environment.” All her accomplishments add to Hall-Long’s impressive career. She stands as an inspiration to many young women all around our state. Her hard work and dedication make her a terrific candidate and an even better fit as our next governor!
Additionally hailing from Delaware, Matt Meyer attended Brandywine District Schools and later graduated from Wilmington Friends School. Following high school, he attended Brown University and the University of Michigan Law School. Before becoming the county executive, Meyer had four other careers on his belt. He was a middle school math teacher, a diplomat in Iraq, an economic advisor to Governor Jack Markell, and an entrepreneur. He has had lots of experience. When asked about how he hopes to see Delaware in the future, Meyer responded, “As I travel up and down the state of Delaware meeting young people, I am encouraged every day by their engagement, passion, and understanding of the issues facing our communities. Our state is in great hands with our future generation of leaders, who are thinking globally and acting locally, including volunteering their time to serve the most vulnerable, like at the county’s Hope Center, and actively working to mitigate the impacts of climate change.” Matt Meyer’s history is filled with a variety of different jobs and experiences, but in the hands of Meyer, what does Delaware’s future hold? Matt Meyer is a very committed man and knows this state very well. More specifically, Wilmington Friends! Ella Fontanazza ‘26 tells how she already knew about Matt Meyer and his accomplishments for the state before arriving at Friends. “I think it’s really cool that an Alum from Friends has been able to go and achieve so much. It makes me really excited for what my classmates and I have planned ahead.” Matt Meyer’s dedication to our community puts Meyer in a fantastic position to be our next governor!
Collin O’Mara is the only one of these three candidates who was not born and raised in Delaware. O’Mara was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. After attending West Genesee High School, Collin O’Mara became a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford and a Presidential Scholar at Dartmouth College. He also completed Stanford Business School’s executive management program. Collin O’Mara is the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, America’s largest wildlife conservation organization. In his Ted Talk, O’Mara talked a lot about endangered animals and the acres of land people have destroyed. As the CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, O’Mara is an expert in our environment. He has bright plans for not just Delaware, but our country as well. Collin O’Mara’s experience and desire to persevere nature will help him in his future and possibly Delaware’s future. He fits the qualified roster for the job as the next governor!
Each of these candidates has outstanding achievements. All three of them have spent their whole lives helping our community, whether it be within our environment, the safety of our community, or addressing health inequalities. Each brings fresh ideas to the table about how to better our state. All three of these candidates have equipped backgrounds but most importantly, bright futures! Each of them would be a fantastic governor, but there will only be one winner. Only time will tell.
