W. Charles Paradee

William Charles "Trey" Paradee III (born July 18, 1969) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Delaware Senate representing district 17. He was a member of the Delaware House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018.^[1]

W. Charles Paradee
Official State Senate photo.
Member of the Delaware Senate from the 17th district
Incumbent
Assumed office November 7, 2018
Preceded by	Brian Bushweller
Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 29th district
In office November 7, 2012 – November 7, 2018
Preceded by	Lincoln Willis
Succeeded by	William Bush IV
Personal details
Born	(1969-07-18) July 18, 1969 (age 56) Dover, Delaware, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Residence(s)	Dover, Delaware
Alma mater	University of Delaware

Paradee earned a BA in English and an MBA from the University of Delaware.^[2] He began his career working for his family's gas company before becoming a financial advisor in 2000. He founded his own financial firm, Paradee Financial LLC, in 2011.^[3]

Legislation

In 2021, Paradee introduced legislation providing some students with full tuition and fees at Delaware State University.^[4]

Paradee is a supporter of campaign finance reform and sponsored SB 176, which established fines for candidates that fail to submit financial documents when running for state office.^[5]

Electoral history

• In 2008, Paradee challenged incumbent Republican Pamela Thornburg, but lost the general election by 50 votes.^[6] Thornburg retired from the legislature at the end of this term.
• In 2012, Paradee challenged incumbent Republican Lincoln Willis, and won the general election with 5,183 votes (54.3%).^[7]
• In 2014, Paradee won the general election with 3,332 votes (57.4%) against Republican nominee Peter Kramer.^[8]
• In 2016, Paradee won the general election with 6,777 votes (62%) against Republican nominee Janice Gallagher and Green nominee Ruth James.^[9]
• In 2018, Paradee ran for an open seat in the Delaware Senate, and won the general election with 9,343 votes (64.3%) against Republican nominee Justin King.^[10]
• In 2022, Paradee defeated Republican nominee Ed Ruyter with 7,551 votes (64.4%) in the General Election.^[11]
• In 2024, Paradee was unopposed in the General Election.^[12]