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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 – November 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Russ Huxtable |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 16, 1976 Río Piedras, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence(s) | Lewes, Delaware, U.S. |
| Education | Gettysburg College (BA) University of Delaware (MEd) |
| Website | lopezforde |
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.[citation needed] After graduating, he worked for the university as an administrator.[citation needed]
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]
- 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]
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