Kamela T. Smith is an American politician. She is a Democratic Party member of the Delaware House of Representatives, representing the 15th district.
Kamela Smith | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 15th district | |
| Assumed office November 5, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Valerie Longhurst |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Education | University of Pittsburgh |
Biography
editSmith grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1994.[1] At the university, she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[1] A single mother, she moved with her family from Philadelphia to Delaware around the early 2000s.[1]
Smith worked in the mental health department of a local nonprofit organization for a time before working at ChristianaCare, where she became the director of community education and engagement.[2] She also served on the board of trustees at the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation and was a member of the James H. Gilliam program run by the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.[3]
In December 2023, Smith announced her intention to run for the Delaware House of Representatives for the 15th district, which contains the community of Bear.[2] She faced off in the primary against Valerie Longhurst, who had held the seat since 2004 and was the active Speaker of the House.[3] Endorsed by the progressive Working Families Party,[4][5] Smith ended up winning the primary in a major upset, receiving 53.3% of the vote (1,453 votes) to Longhurst who received 46.7% (1,273 votes).[1][6][7] She later won in the general election unopposed.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Kamela Smith". Ballotpedia.
- ^ a b Petrowich, Sarah (December 7, 2023). "Democrat Kamela Smith considers primary challenge against House Speaker Valerie Longhurst". WDDE.
- ^ a b Phillips, Mike (December 6, 2023). "Speaker of the Delaware House might have a primary challenger". WDEL.
- ^ "Kamela Smith, WFP-Endorsed Candidate, Defeats Incumbent Speaker of Delaware House". Working Families Party. September 10, 2024.
- ^ Petrowich, Sarah (September 11, 2024). "How a new challenger beat the House Speaker, what it means for the future of progressive candidates". WDDE.
- ^ Brennan, Shane (September 12, 2024). "How a political newcomer unseated Delaware's speaker of the House in Tuesday's primary". The News Journal – via archive.ph.
- ^ Mueller, Sarah (September 12, 2024). "How political newcomer Kamela Smith pulled off the Delaware primary's biggest upset over House speaker Val Longhurst". WHYY-TV.
- ^ "2024 Delaware State House General Election Results". USA Today. November 5, 2024.