The Republican State Committee of Delaware is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 in Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. Its headquarters are in the Cannery Shopping Center in unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 New Castle County, Delaware

New Castle County, Delaware

New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 its population was 538,479, an increase of 7.6% over the previous decade. The county seat is Wilmington. The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of...

. The party has regional offices in Dover

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

, Georgetown

Georgetown, Delaware

Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade...

, Newark

Newark, Delaware

Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...

, unincorporated New Castle County near Wilmington

Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

, and unincorporated Sussex County

Sussex County, Delaware

Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...

 near Rehoboth Beach.

Beginning

The Republican State Committee of Delaware got its start in the mid 1800's when the American Party(a group dedicated to prohibition of alcohol), People's Party, and former Whigs reformed under the Union Party. This party was dedicated to preserve the Union in the time of Lincoln's election. While Delaware did not secede from the Union, Delaware Democrats and other supporters often opposed Lincoln's policies. The Republican party struggled to gain control in the state from 1865 to 1898 with the Democratic Party maintaining control of both the federal and state level of government. However, changes in industry and the arrival of immigrants in key locations would soon spell the rise of the Republican party in Delaware.

The RSC's first rise to prominence

With industry and business slowly overtaking agriculture in the state, the Republican Party in Delaware began to develop the support it needed to overthrow the long incumbent Democratic Party. However, the rise of the party was not complete without some controversial actions. As it was common in the era, the late 1800s was rife with voter corruption and illegal election techniques. One candidate, John Addicks, was infamous for attempting to buy a U.S. Senate seat by exploiting the rising party. Republicans in the state divided on the issue with Regular Republicans opposing Addicks while Union Republicans supported him. Although Addicks didn't win election in 1899 or 1901, his corrupt tactics led to a vacate U.S. Senate seat for over ten years. However, Addick's corruption proved to be only a small speed bump. By 1915, Republicans controlled the Delaware Senate by a margin of 12 to 5 and the House by 23 to 10. Governors of the state remained Republican candidates from 1897 up until 1936.

Trading time with the Democrats

The modern era of the Republican Party of Delaware has largely consisted of the party trading off stretches of dominance with the opposing Democratic Party. Two Republicans, John Williams and J. Caleb Boggs, compromised 2/3 of the "Big Three" in Delaware politics during the early mid 1900s. Williams would end up serving in the U.S. Senate from 1946 to 1971 while Boggs won seven state wide elections consisting of governor, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate from 1947 to 1973.

Policies

The Republican State Committee's official statement on their party's goal provides an all encompassing focus on both national and local issues. It states "The party's goal is to defend the principles of less government, more personal freedom and a strong national defense. Republicans believe that Delawareans do best when empowered to make decisions for themselves, and that businesses most need a fair, free and predictable regulatory framework in order to prosper and create jobs." More detailed stances on policies are listed below.

National defense
The RSC of Delaware believes in establishing peace through a strong defense. Strong homeland security, confronting terrorist and national threats, and maintaining a strong intelligence network all comprise this policy. The Republican Committee also believes in establishing international relations in the quest to establish peace. However, it also believes that the United States can and should act unilaterally when it deems necessary.

Health care
The party's stance on health care revolves around the concept of "common sense" health care. The party believes that a government health care program will negatively effect patient/doctor relations, reduce competition, and won't promote quality health care. Instead, the RSC believes that competition will lead to lower cost and higher quality care.

Energy policies
Energy independence is the major principal behind the party's policy. The Republican Committee of Delaware supports

Statewide officer

In 2011, Republicans control one of the six statewide elected offices.

• Auditor: R. Thomas Wagner, Jr.

External links

• Republican State Committee of Delaware