Ernesto Lopez

Ernesto B. Lopez (born November 16, 1976) is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Delaware Senate, where he had represented the 6th District from 2012 to 2023.[1] He was the first Latino elected to the Delaware Senate.[2]

Ernesto Lopez
Member of the Delaware Senate
from the 6th district
In office
November 6, 2012 – January 2023
Preceded byLiane Sorenson
Succeeded byRuss Huxtable
Personal details
Born (1976-11-16) November 16, 1976
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Lewes, Delaware, U.S.
EducationGettysburg College (BA)
University of Delaware (MEd)
Websitelopezforde.com

Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, Lopez moved to Delaware as a child with his parents.[3] After attending public schools, he earned his BA at Gettysburg College and his EdD in educational leadership from the University of Delaware. After graduating, he worked for the university as an administrator.

Lopez ran for New Castle County Council President in 2004 but lost to Democrat Paul Clark.[4] In 2012, he ran for and won election to fill the Senate District 6 seat vacated by retiring Republican Liane Sorenson whose district had been redistricted from New Castle County to Sussex County.[5] Lopez is the prime sponsor of Riley's Law, allowing for children in Delaware to have access to physician prescribed medicinal cannabis, which is named after one of his constituents.[6] Lopez is also the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 200 which bans offshore drilling and seismic testing in Delaware's coastal waters.[7]

Lopez has two daughters with his former wife.[8] In 2021, Lopez announced he would not seek reelection.[9]

Electoral history
  • In 2004, Lopez ran for New Castle County Council President and won the Republican primary with 7,320 votes (60.97%) against Gary Bowman. However, he lost in the general election to Democrat Paul Clark with 91,836 votes (41.4%).[10][11]
  • In 2012, Lopez ran for the Delaware Senate and won the Republican primary with 2,163 votes (54.9%) against Glen Urquhart.[12] He went on to win the three-way general election with 13,603 votes (56.1%) against Democratic nominee Andrew Staton and Libertarian candidate Gwendolyn Jones.[13]
  • In 2014, Lopez won the general election with 11,633 votes (63.4%) against Democratic nominee Claire Snyder-Hall.[14]
  • In 2018, Lopez won the general election with 14,781 votes (52.6%) against Democratic nominee David B. Baker.[15]

References
  1. "Ernesto Lopez's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  2. Mueller, Sarah (December 27, 2017). "State Sen. Ernie Lopez seeks third term in office". Delaware Public Media.
  3. "About Ernie". Official campaign website. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  4. Cohen, Celia (March 2013). "Unique Campaign Moves Earned Delaware General Assembly Seats". Delaware Today.
  5. "New Sussex County House and Senate seats approved". Cape Gazette. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  6. "Riley's Law helping her to be a kid again". 47abc. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  7. "Sen. Ernie Lopez Files Bill to Ban Offshore Drilling | WGMD". Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  8. "Senator Ernesto B Lopez (R)". Dover, Delaware: Delaware General Assembly. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  9. "Sen. Ernie Lopez will not seek re-election". Cape Gazette. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  10. "Our Campaigns - New Castle County Council President Race - Nov 02, 2004".
  11. "Our Campaigns - New Castle County Council President - R Primary Race - Sep 11, 2004".
  12. "State of Delaware Primary Election Official Results". Dover, Delaware: Delaware Commissioner of Elections. September 11, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  13. "State of Delaware General Election Official Results". Dover, Delaware: Delaware Commissioner of Elections. November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  14. "State of Delaware General Election Official Results". Dover, Delaware: Delaware Commissioner of Elections. November 7, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  15. "State of Delaware General Election Official Results". Dover, Delaware: Delaware Commissioner of Elections. November 6, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.


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