Rob Arlett announces campaign for U.S. Senate

In a three-stop tour of the state April 16, Republican Rob Arlett announced his run for U.S. Senate, saying his campaign will focus on the voters.

Arlett, who has served as District 5 Sussex County councilman since 2014, spoke to a crowd of fellow Republicans on The Circle in Georgetown to announce his candidacy. He will face financial and business consultant Eugene Truono of Wilmington in the Republican primary.

The primary winner will likely face Democrat Sen. Tom Carper, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2001 and has served in elected office since 1977.

“This campaign is about family and about the great people of Delaware. It’s not about upstate vs. downstate or east vs. west. It’s about you,” Arlett said. “It needs to be for the people and not party politics.”

Arlett, who was accompanied by his wife, Lorna, said the run for federal office was a family decision. His announcement means he will step down from his council seat when the term expires Monday, Dec. 31.

Arlett, 51, said Carper has been in office 41 years. “It’s time for the next generation of leadership in this great state,” he said, adding he understands the task ahead of him. “We are running against a machine, but people want change. They are seeking leadership with courage. My mission is to bring that to you. It’s not going to be an easy task, but we are doing what God wants us to do.”

Arlett said the political system has failed because legislators in Washington are voting along party lines and not on principles. “I will not vote the party line,” he said, adding his record in county council is proof of that.

“It’s not my voice. It’s your voice; your campaign,” he said. “Let’s make Delaware great again.”

Arlett moved to the Fenwick area 12 years ago and is the owner of Beach Bound Realty. He is a graduate of George Mason University, and he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve as an intelligence specialist.

Born in Rhode Island, he was raised in California but has lived in several states growing up in a military family.

Arlett served as state chairman for the Donald Trump for President campaign and was emcee at Trump’s Harrington rally. He also served on the president’s inauguration committee. Arlett and his wife have two sons.

Arlett's son, Jared, is a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy thanks to a nomination by Carper.

Arlett votes for two controversial applications

On two of the most controversial applications before county council over the past few years, Arlett did not vote with the majority of council.

He was the lone councilman to vote in favor of a rezoning for the Overbrook Town Center shopping complex. And he was also the only councilman to vote in favor of enacting Sussex County as a right-to-work zone, an ordinance he introduced.

The right-to-work debate created a stir of opposition among unions throughout the state. At least two union members have attended every council meeting since that vote was taken.