Darius J. Brown | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Delaware Senate from the 2nd district | |
| Assumed office November 7, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Rose Henry |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Party | Democratic |
| Occupation | Legislator |
| Website | Official website |
Darius J. Brown is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. [1] [2] A former Wilmington city councilmember,he was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2018,representing district 2. [3]
Between June 2010 and January 2011,Brown was a constituent relations specialist for Connections,a nonprofit state contractor. [4] From 2011 to 2016,Brown worked as an independent contract lobbyist for Connections and other companies. [4] He became vice president of constituent relations for Connections in November 2016. [4]
In 2012,Brown was elected to the Wilmington City Council to represent the 3rd district. [5] He unsuccessfully ran for city treasurer in 2016. [4]
Brown was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2018 after winning 2,115 votes (38.4%) in a four-way primary with no opponent in the general election. [6] He is the second African-American man to be elected to the Delaware Senate. [7] [8] He was appointed chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee,and The News Journal described him as one of the "champions of criminal justice reform" for his actions while chair. [9] He was removed as chair following his May 2021 arrest for domestic violence accusations. [10] In 2021,Brown was hired as Executive Director of the Wilmington HOPE Commission,a not-for-profit organization which aims to lower recidivism by helping ex-offenders re-enter society after leaving prison. [11]
In 2024,Brown was selected to join the Criminal Justice Reform cohort of the Future Caucus Innovation Fellowship,a bipartisan coalition of Gen Z and millennial lawmakers interested in creating policies to improve the criminal justice system. [12] [13]
In 2024,Brown was the only Democrat in the State Senate to oppose a bill formally abolishing capital punishment in Delaware. [14]
Brown sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to include race,color,and national origin to the Equal Rights Amendment of the Delaware Constitution. [15] He also introduced legislation prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles historically associated with race. [16]
Brown is known for his work in criminal justice reform and has sponsored legislation to improve Delaware's record expungement system and expand employment for incarcerated individuals. [17] [18]
In 2018,federal and state tax liens were filed against Brown for over $60,000 in unpaid taxes between 2012 and 2016,which Brown failed to report on his required financial disclosures during his initial primary election. [19] He had a previous lien for over $4,000 in unpaid state taxes from 2010 to 2013. [4]
In May 2021,Brown was arrested on misdemeanor charges for domestic violence after allegedly punching a woman at a restaurant in Talleyville,Delaware during an argument about a social media post. [20] [9] He was removed as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee by Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola several days after the arrest. [21] After his arrest,the Women's Defense Coalition of Delaware called on the Ethics Committee of the State Senate to conduct a formal inquiry into the incident. [22] At trial,Brown was acquitted of all charges. [23]
2018:Brown won a four-way Democratic Primary held on September 6,2018,with 2,115 votes (38.39%). [24] He was unopposed in the November 6,2018,General Election. [25]
2022:Brown was unopposed in the General Election held on November 8,2022. [26]
2024:Brown defeated Conservative Party nominee Jon Roe with 1,880 votes (97.61%) in the General Election held on November 5,2024. [27]