Bethany Hall-Long should be elected as Delaware's next governor

Throughout my career, I have worked in federal, state, and local government. I have served as New Castle County Executive, Delaware State Auditor, in executive positions at the White House and the United States Department of Justice, and as an advocate for stronger gun safety laws.

During this time, I have met many different people from all over and I have seen the good and bad sides of public service. Bethany Hall-Long shows us the good side. Politics, as they say, can be a contact sport. It can be very harsh, but it doesn't have to be. In Delaware politics, we have always made it a point of honor to rise above petty, personal attacks to focus on issues that matter. However, this election cycle has revealed a negativity and distortion unlike anything we've ever seen before.

I have known Bethany Hall-Long for more than 15 years. She's a career nurse and educator who got into politics because of the number of homeless veterans facing mental health challenges whom she met in the course of her work and for whom she needed to find help. She began by volunteering to register people to vote. She served on local Democratic committees and then was approached to run for office.

As a person, Bethany is one of the most empathetic and caring people you'll find. There are countless stories across our state about her helping people. She brings supplies and provides care to the unhoused. She checks in on people who are struggling. She's helped numerous people find housing and get the professional care they need. And she's done all this quietly, away from the cameras - because that's who Bethany really is.

And yet, this election cycle has seen unprecedented amounts of money being used to damage Bethany's reputation and call into question her record of service. Please do not be fooled by these big-dollar lies. These groups make their living by slinging mud, using half-truths, rumors and innuendo. For instance, there is a group in Delaware soliciting donations by attacking Bethany's position on gun safety. Their mailers allege Bethany isn't a champion on gun safety laws, and they are misleading.

Let me be clear: I have been privileged to work for and with gun safety groups in Delaware for the past decade. These include Giffords, Everytown, Brady and the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence. I know who stands up to the NRA and who backs down. Bethany stands up.

Bethany has been there for Delaware families on gun safety laws. In the state Senate, she voted for stronger background checks, to close the gun show and Charleston loopholes and to protect domestic violence victims from abusers who own firearms.

After she was elected lieutenant governor, she continued to speak out, working for Delaware's first red flag law, the Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act, the assault weapons ban, the permit-to-purchase law, the law banning large capacity magazines, raising the age to buy long guns to 21, among others. She also supported keeping guns off school, college, and university properties, and out of polling places.

That's the truth. No one should doubt her commitment to passing strong gun safety laws. The Carney Hall-Long Administration has enacted 23 gun safety bills, more than any other administration in the state’s history. Bethany has also received a Gun Sense Candidate designation from Moms Demand Action.

Look at who is backing Bethany in this election: union workers, educators, healthcare professionals, the LGBTQ+ community and the Delaware Democratic Party, to name a few.

These Delawareans know Bethany. They know her character, and they know what kind of governor she will be.

That's why I will be joining them on Sept. 10, in blocking out the noise and voting for Bethany Hall-Long in the Delaware Democratic Primary.

Dennis E. Greenhouse is former Delaware State Auditor and former New Castle County Executive.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Bethany Hall-Long should be elected as Delaware's next governor