Rep. McBride on State Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola’s Retirement

Wilmington, DE -Today, Delaware's Congresswoman Sarah McBride released the following statement in response to the announcement by Delaware State Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola that he would not seek re-election later this year.

"Senator Dave Sokola is my 'forever president pro tem.' It was more than an honor to serve alongside Dave in the State Senate, it was also a pleasure. I've known Dave for much of my life. Whether I was a young volunteer, an advocate, or a colleague in the legislature, he has always been the same thoughtful and kind man to me just as he is to everyone he meets. But that's just Dave: he is a truly good and decent person and a courageous leader.

"From his deep passion for empowering everyone from early childhood onward to his leadership passing non-discrimination protections and marriage equality, Dave reaches to the margins of society to pull people in. And when he became president pro tem at the start of my time in the State Senate, I had a front row seat to Dave pushing past other's skepticism and resistance to action in order to deliver a bold agenda for Delaware: a $15 minimum wage, historic investments in high-need schools, paid family and medical leave, strong gun safety and reproductive freedom protections, the list goes on. He made the Delaware State Senate a laboratory of ideas and an engine of action for Delaware.

"Our State of Neighbors is stronger, better, and kinder because of Dave Sokola. And so, too, am I for having the chance to serve alongside him.

"Congratulations on a well-deserved retirement, Dave, and thank you for your decades of service to Delaware!"

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