Special election to fill Brady’s House seat set for March 5

A special election to fill the vacancy left by embattled former Rep. Gerald Brady has been scheduled for Saturday, March 5, 2022. 

The Wilmington Democrat from the 4th District tendered his resignation Wednesday triggering a state law that requires a special election to be set by the Speaker of the House.

Whoever wins the special election won’t hold the seat for long. During the decennial redistricting process finalized in Nov. 2021, Brady’s 4th District was relocated to the Long Neck and Oak Orchard area of Sussex County.

New district lines will take effect immediately following the next election, which will be held on Nov. 8, 2022. 

Brady announced his intention to resign from office on Jan. 21 citing a recent post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis stemming from his service in the Delaware Army National Guard.

Days later, the Newark Police Department announced that Brady had been arrested and charged with two counts of shoplifting after allegedly stealing merchandise from a Newark Acme on two separate occasions. 

RELATED: Rep. Gerald Brady arrested, charged with two counts of shoplifting

While Brady didn’t mention the arrest as a reason for his resignation, he did say the PTSD diagnosis “can be punctuated by episodes or conduct that may make little sense to people who do not understand the nature of [the disorder].”

Before announcing his intention to resign, Brady had already resolved that he would not seek re-election.

In June 2021, the Wilmington Democrat sent a message from his state email in response to a plea from an out-of-state advocate asking him to consider decriminalizing prostitution. 

RELATED: Brady announces he will not seek re-election after using racial slur

In the message to Brady, the advocate referenced a Princeton University study that demonstrated a decrease in sex-related crime in one New York City police precinct when strip clubs exist in the area. 

Intending to forward the email to a friend, Brady accidentally replied to the advocate, saying, “Is the dude basically saying, if we provide free [sex acts] for Uncle Pervie there will be few rapes and few [racial slur for Asians] broads will be shipped in CONEX containers to the Port of Wilmington??”

After facing calls for his resignation, the House held an Ethics Committee inquiry into Brady’s email. It eventually dismissed the complaint after Brady announced he would not seek re-election.

RELATED: House Ethics Committee dismisses complaint against Brady