Introduction
David B. McBride (born June 23, 1942) is an American politician who has served continuously in the Delaware General Assembly since 1978. After two years in the House of Representatives, McBride was elected to the Delaware Senate in 1980. He represents District 13, which includes the greater New Castle area. A Democrat, McBride was chosen as President pro tempore in 2017.
Early life and career
McBride is a native of the Wilmington area, attending grade school at Richardson Park School from 1948 to 1957. He graduated from Conrad High School in 1960. After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force. After being stationed in Texas and Alabama, he served in the Pacific, with stints in Okinawa and Tokyo in Japan, and one in Thailand. McBride was enlisted from 1961 through 1969, when he was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant. During his time in the service, he took various secondary courses at several universities in the United States and Japan.
In 1969, McBride returned to Delaware and enrolled at the University of Delaware, earning a BS in civil engineering in 1972. He earned his MS in civil engineering from the University of Delaware in 1975. He has been a member of the Society of Professional Engineers since 1976, and has worked as a civil engineer and consultant.
Political career
From 1976 to 1978, he was a member of the Conrad Area School Board, including vice president from 1977 to 1978. He was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1978, before his election to the Delaware Senate in 1980 after the retirement of incumbent Senator Francis J. Kearns. In 2012, he was elected as Senate Majority Leader. In 2017, he was elected as President pro tempore of the Delaware Senate. He chaired the Senate Natural Resources & Environmental Control Committee for 24 years.
Electoral history
- In 1978, McBride defeated incumbent Representative Robert L. Byrd in the Democratic primary and then won the four-way general election with 80 percent of the votes against Republican nominee Catherine Kelly and two other candidates.
- In 1980, McBride ran for an open seat in the Delaware Senate and was unopposed in the general election.
- In 1982, McBride was reelected to the Senate with no opponent in the general election.
- In 1986, McBride won the Democratic primary and then defeated Republican nominee D. Drew Angeline with 65 percent of the votes in the general election.
- McBride has not faced an opponent in an election since the 1986 race.