Darius J. Brown

This article is about the Delaware legislator. For the Missouri politician, see Darius A. Brown.

Darius J. Brown
Member of the Delaware Senate
from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 7, 2018
Preceded byMargaret Rose Henry
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
PartyDemocratic
OccupationLegislator
WebsiteOfficial 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]

Career

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]

Delaware Senate

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]

Legislation sponsored

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]

Electoral history

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]

References

  1. ^ "Senator Darius J. Brown (D)". Dover, Delaware: Delaware General Assembly. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  2. ^ "Senator Darius Brown". Delaware State Senate Democratic Caucus. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Jedra, Christina (September 6, 2018). "Darius Brown to replace Sen. Margaret Rose Henry". The News Journal.
  4. ^ a b c d e Jedra, Christina (June 22, 2018). "Delaware Senate candidate owes $50K to feds, $10K to state". The News Journal.
  5. ^ Pizzi, Jenna (February 25, 2016). "Wilmington Councilman Darius Brown seeks treasurer post". The News Journal.
  6. ^ "State of Delaware Primary Election Results". Dover, Delaware: Delaware Commissioner of Elections. September 6, 2018. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  7. ^ Reed, Zoë (November 8, 2018). "Election brings more diversity to Delaware Legislature". WHYY.
  8. ^ Matt, Bittle (July 11, 2020). "Senator follows in footsteps of Black Delaware trailblazers". Delaware State News.
  9. ^ a b Hughes, Isabel (May 19, 2021). "Delaware state senator Darius Brown charged following altercation at Talleyville restaurant". The News Journal.
  10. ^ "State Sen. Darius Brown charged after punching woman in face, police say". Cape Gazette. May 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Gamard, Sarah. "Wilmington HOPE Commission hires Sen. Darius Brown as executive director ahead of trial". The News Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  12. ^ Wyatt, Garrett (December 10, 2024). "64 Gen Z and Millennial Lawmakers Chosen for Bipartisan Future Caucus Fellowship". Future Caucus. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  13. ^ "Criminal Justice Reform". Future Caucus. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  14. ^ Wilson, Xerxes (June 27, 2024). "Lawmakers repeal death penalty, while fate of constitutional amendment unclear". Delaware News Journal. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  15. ^ "Senate Bill 31." Dover, Delaware: Delaware General Assembly. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  16. ^ "Senate Bill 32." Dover, Delaware: Delaware General Assembly. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  17. ^ "Senate Bill 111." Dover, Delaware: Delaware General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2025
  18. ^ "Senate Bill 158." Dover, Delaware: Delaware General Assembly. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  19. ^ Chase, Randall (June 26, 2019). "Lawmaker failed to report tens of thousands in back taxes". AP News. Associated Press.
  20. ^ McAneny, D. J. (May 19, 2021). "Wilmington state senator charged with punching woman in restaurant". WDEL 101.7FM.
  21. ^ Cherry, Amy (May 20, 2021). "Brown stripped of chairmanship over Senate Judiciary Committee following arrest". WDEL 101.7FM.
  22. ^ Megginson, Charlie (July 9, 2021). "Women's group asks Senate to start Darius Brown ethics investigation". Delaware Live. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  23. ^ Mark Eichmann (January 6, 2022). "Delaware state senator acquitted of assault charges, still faces ethics inquiry". WHYY.
  24. ^ "2018 Primary Election". State of Delaware Department of Elections. September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  25. ^ "2018 General Election". State of Delaware Department of Elections. November 19, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  26. ^ "2022 General Election Report". State of Delaware Department of Elections. November 12, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  27. ^ "2024 General Election Report". State of Delaware Department of Elections. November 12, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
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