Kyle Evans Gay to Run for Lt. Governor

The crowded race for Lt. Governor got another candidate last Thursday when 5th District State Senator Kyle Evans Gay joined the race, and I think she becomes the immediate front runner in the race, and I am not just saying that because she is my State Senator. I say that given her prior fundraising ability and her defeat of longtime Republican incumbent Senator Cathy Cloutier.

She joins a field that already includes State Representative Sherry Dorsey Walker, 2020 9th District Senate Nominee Debbie Harrington and David Lamar Williams, Jr. Dorsey Walker previously ran for this seat in 2016, coming second to now Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long in the 2016 Democratic primary. Harrington, a Middletown resident, serves as vice chair of the state Democratic Party. Williams ran against Governor John Carney in the Democratic Primary in 2020, garnering 15% of the vote. So you understand why I think she is the frontrunner: Gay has won the races she has run. Harrington and Williams have not. Dorsey Walker has won her RD races, but when you sought the job in 2016, she came in second, and it is likely she has the runner up position in the race in 2024.

Sen. Gay was first elected to the Senate in 2020 and has forcused on bills that provide families affordable child care, that reform our criminal justice system and protecting women’s reproductive rights.

Here is her announcement video:

Prior to her time in public office, Sen. Gay began her career as a deputy attorney general in the Department of Justice before becoming a clerk in Delaware Superior Court. She then moved into private practice in 2014, representing individuals in business matters and working pro bono for children in the foster care system.

Here is her announcement from Thursday in its entirety:

My passion is serving our community and building a better future for my family and yours. I ran for Senate to advocate for our kids and families, improve seniors’ quality of life, and fight for equality and prosperity for all Delawareans. We’ve made progress — but there’s so much more we can accomplish together.

Public service has been at the center of my work long before I ever held public office. My professional life has been rooted in advocacy for equity and justice, and I’ve seen up close the direct impacts of state policies and legislation on real people. I felt a need to amplify what I was seeing – and what our most vulnerable populations were experiencing – in our halls of government.

In Dover and through my work with Delaware’s abortion fund, I worked closely with legislative leaders and advocates to ensure Delawareans seeking reproductive care were protected from the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Whomever Delaware elects in 2024 must be willing to do whatever it takes to protect and expand reproductive rights in our state, and I’m proud of my record on this foundational issue.

I’ve worked hard to reform our child care system and increase funding to expand early education and care opportunities across Delaware. So many of the challenges our kids face in school can be traced back to lack of access to early education. We must continue to work together to holistically expand and improve child care here in Delaware.

I’ve also been committed to reforming our criminal justice system, expanding opportunity for those who deserve second-chances, and protecting and expanding Delawareans’ right to vote.

These are just a few of the issues that are important to me, but from the campaign trail to constituent coffees, my work as a public servant is most fulfilling when I’m hearing from you about your needs and priorities.

Today, I’m announcing my campaign for Lieutenant Governor because Delawareans deserve to be represented by bold leaders at every level of government who will fight for them.

I’m all in, and I hope you’ll join me.