Mara Gorman

Mara Gorman was born in Portland, Maine. She earned a high school diploma from Morristown High School, a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College in 1992, and a graduate degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1997. Her career experience includes working as a community organizer and in advocacy. She has been affiliated with Moms Demand Action, Planned Parenthood, and the NAACP.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mara has worked for years to bring equity and safety to every Delawarean. Since being elected to the Delaware House in 2024, she has sponsored and passed laws protecting immigrants, making sure that Delawareans continue to have insurance coverage for preventative care and vaccines, preventing citizens arrests and vigilante justice, and prohibiting state funds being used for private prisons.

She started her political career as a volunteer advocate, coming to the gun safety movement organically in 2015, shaken to her core by the massacre in Sandy Hook and by the amount of gun violence in the First State. She left her role as Moms Demand Action Chapter Lead in 2023 with a track record of helping candidates who supported safer gun laws win election and with a slew of those laws on the books including an assault weapons ban and a permit to purchase bill.

As Public Affairs Manager for Planned Parenthood of Delaware Mara worked to make sure that every Delawarean has access to the reproductive healthcare that they need. She has continued that work in the General Assembly as the vice-chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus where in addition to issues like menopause and health care, recent meetings have focused on housing and collaboration between community groups and state agencies.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Livable Communities: Everyone deserves affordable housing; clean water; bikeable and walkable neighborhoods; access to public transportation; and safety from gun violence.

Livable neighborhoods also demand jobs that cover the cost of living - she’s committed to worker protections and to unions. Delaware needs to make sure it pays essential workers like community health workers, paraprofessionals, school bus drivers, and many others a living wage.

Mara will also make sure that any corporation that seeks to bring a data center to Delaware does so responsibly and creatively so that energy costs for consumers do not go up, there is not noise pollution in residential neighborhoods and water is not used excessively.Upholding Democracy: We have all seen how our democracy, especially our elections, has been threatened since the current Federal administration took office. That is why Mara was proud in the House to support the first leg of constitutional amendments that enshrine early and absentee voting in Delaware. She looks forward to voting for the second leg of these bills in the Senate.

In Delaware we also need to look at the dates of our elections - particularly low-turnout elections like those for school board - and see where we can consolidate. She also will fight for measures to make voting easier, including making Election Day a state holiday.Human Rights: Immigrants are vital to the economic and cultural fabric of the First State. Mara spent the entirety of her first term working on legislation that keeps our immigrant neighbors safe. This includes the passage of bills that ban the impersonation of a Federal officer, that prohibit the use of state funds for private detention facilities and that stop local law enforcement from entering into contractual agreements with ICE. She also passed bills to ban civil arrests at courthouses and to prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with most ICE civil detainer requests.

Mara is also deeply committed to the human rights of every person, regardless of their gender identity or sexuality.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Housing, Criminal Justice Reform, AI, and the Arts

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have received the endorsement of President Pro-Tempore of the Delaware Senate Dave Sokola, who is retiring from the seat I am running for after 36 years. I have also been endorsed by Delaware Stonewall Democrats and I have received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Distinction,

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have worked for years to bring equity and safety to every Delawarean.

For the past ten years, I have been deeply involved in the work to end gun violence in Delaware. I came to the gun safety movement organically in 2015, shaken to my core by the massacre in Sandy Hook and by the amount of gun violence in the First State. I learned then that Delaware lacked many key gun safety laws. I left my role as Moms Demand Action Chapter Lead in 2023 with a track record of helping candidates who supported safer gun laws win election and with a slew of those laws on the books including an assault weapons ban and a permit to purchase bill.

I also have an unwavering commitment to reproductive rights. As Public Affairs Manager for Planned Parenthood of Delaware I worked to make sure that every Delawarean has access to the reproductive healthcare that they need.

I am committed to social justice and have worked hard in all my advocacy roles to foster inclusivity and racial equity, actively engaging in educational initiatives and community partnerships. Most recently I did this work in Newark by serving on the board of the Newark Branch of the NAACP.

And I’m also a writer and a two-time fellow of the Delaware Division of the Arts who believes in the importance of

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Everyone deserves affordable housing; clean water; bikeable and walkable neighborhoods; access to public transportation; and safety from gun violence. I will work with local stakeholders and government to ensure that every resident of the 23rd District has access to these things. Livable neighborhoods also demand jobs that cover the cost of living - I'm committed to worker protections and to unions. Delaware needs to make sure it pays essential workers like community health workers, paraprofessionals, school bus drivers, and many others a living wage.Abortion remains legal in Delaware, but not everyone has access to it or many other aspects of reproductive care, from STI testing to gender-affirming care. I will work to make sure that every Delawarean has access to all the healthcare they deserve - and that it is affordable.

In addition, Black women and babies have higher mortality rates than white women and babies during and after pregnancy and birth in Delaware; this is unacceptable. I will work for full reproductive justice and equity.As a member of the Newark NAACP Branch, I saw firsthand how inequity and racism persist in Delaware. From criminal justice reform to making sure that Black and brown children have access to all of the same resources as their white peers, I will always work to bring equity to the 23rd District.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Gun safety, Housing security and affordability, Racial equity, Reproductive access and affordable healthcare

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action. She is an example of an ordinary citizen who turned her anger into productive action that has mobilized thousands of Americans to take action for gun safety.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Poverty by America and Evicted by Matthew Desmond; Caste by Isabelle Wilkerson; the Letters from an American substack by Heather Cox Richardson

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, and commitment

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Serving the constituents of the 23rd district and working to make Delaware a more equitable place for everyone

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

I believe that the governor and the legislature should be in continual dialogue. They don't have to agree on everything, but there should be open channels of conversation and a willingness to compromise.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Housing, healthcare costs, and climate change.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. I think it's important for them to be informed and smart and involved in the community; previous political experience is always a qualification to hold office.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. Legislators have to work together to get things done.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Moms Demand Action, State Representative Paul Baumbach, AFSCME Council 81

What committees interest you?

Public Safety and Homeland Security, Jucidiary, Health and Human Development, Education, Technology and Telecommunications

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe that transparency is vital and that the government is accountable to spend money in ways that enhance the lives of everyone they serve.