Valerie Longhurst

Valerie J. Longhurst (born December 17, 1963) is an American politician. She was a Democratic member of the Delaware House of Representatives until 2024 and served as speaker her final two years in office.^[1] She was first elected in 2004 to represent the 15th district, which covers parts of Bear, Delaware City, and St. Georges.

Val Longhurst
Longhurst in 2017
Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives
In office June 30, 2023 – November 5, 2024
Preceded by	Peter Schwartzkopf
Succeeded by	Melissa Minor-Brown
Majority Leader of the Delaware House of Representatives
In office January 8, 2013 – June 30, 2023
Preceded by	Peter Schwartzkopf
Succeeded by	Melissa Minor-Brown
Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 15th district
In office November 3, 2004 – November 5, 2024
Preceded by	Nancy Cook
Succeeded by	Kamela Smith
Personal details
Born	(1963-12-17) December 17, 1963 (age 61) Kewanee, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	West Chester University

In the 2024 Democratic primary, Longhurst was defeated by progressive Kamela Smith.^[2][3]

Career

Longhurst began her career in the insurance industry and was formerly director of operations for AIG Insurance in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.^[4]

Longhurst was first elected to the Delaware legislature in 2004 and served in the state House of Representatives for nearly two decades. Four years after her first election, she became the House minority whip and went on to serve as majority leader for elevan years before becoming speaker in her final term in office.

In 2016, she defeated Democratic challenger James Burton by 28 points in the primary election.^[5] In 2018, she won the general election with 7,329 votes (87.9%) against Libertarian nominee Amy Merlino.^[6] However, in the 2024 primary, Longhurst was defeated by progressive Democrat Kamela Smith, 53% to 47%.^{[7][8][9][10]}