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Kamela T. Smith is an American politician. She is a Democratic Party member of the Delaware House of Representatives, representing the 15th district.

Biography

Smith grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1994. At the university, she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. A single mother, she moved with her family from Philadelphia to Delaware around the early 2000s.

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. 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.

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. She faced off in the primary against Valerie Longhurst, who had held the seat since 2004 and was the active Speaker of the House. Endorsed by the progressive Working Families Party, 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). She later won in the general election unopposed.

References

1. ^ "Kamela Smith". Ballotpedia.
2. ^ Petrowich, Sarah (December 7, 2023). "Democrat Kamela Smith considers primary challenge against House Speaker Valerie Longhurst". WDDE.
3. ^ Phillips, Mike (December 6, 2023). "Speaker of the Delaware House might have a primary challenger". WDEL.
4. "Kamela Smith, WFP-Endorsed Candidate, Defeats Incumbent Speaker of Delaware House". Working Families Party. September 10, 2024.
5. Petrowich, Sarah (September 11, 2024). "How a new challenger beat the House Speaker, what it means for the future of progressive candidates". WDDE.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. "2024 Delaware State House General Election Results". USA Today. November 5, 2024.

• Living people
• Politicians from Philadelphia
• University of Pittsburgh alumni
• Democratic Party members of the Delaware House of Representatives
• 21st-century members of the Delaware General Assembly