Courtesy of the Rob Arlett campaign.
Republican Rob Arlett hopes to bring his local government experience to the U.S. Senate race.
BY
Senior Reporter
Rob Arlett, a Republican is running for U.S. Senate as a Republican, joining Gene Truono, another Republican, and Democrats Kerri Harris and incumbent Sen. Tom Carper.
The Republican and Democratic primary elections will be held on Sept. 6, with the general election slated for Nov. 6.
Arlett currently sits on the Sussex County Council, representing the 5th district and would like to follow the footsteps of Joe Biden and Chris Coons, former and current Delawarean U.S. senators respectively, who both went straight from county government to the Senate.
First focusing on Sussex County, Arlett highlighted the impact that farming has on the area and the presence of the Perdue Farms location in Georgetown, Del.
“Our county is the chicken capital of this country,” he said. “Perdue Agribusiness is relocating or is in the process of relocating their headquarters to my district in our county.”
Arlett also mentioned Sussex County’s status as a destination for retirees and vacationers. That is based on Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach, among other beaches and boardwalks, being major tourist locations in Sussex county.
He decided to run for the Senate because he said that the State of Delaware needs better representation in Washington, D.C., and that Carper is out of touch with everyday Delawareans due to the amount of time he has spent in the Senate .
“It’s time for the next generation to step up and lead our state,” Arlett said.
Arlett also said that his experience campaigning on the grassroots level as a county councilman would benefit him if elected as a senator.
“I’ve been travelling these roads in this state for three years… listening and learning from many people of all walks of life… and people are ready for change in Delaware,” Arlett said. “I’m not a party person, I’m a people person.”
Arlett outlined five policies that he would focus on: job creation, border security, a strong military, improved education and a focus on infrastructure. He spoke specifically about how he wants to improve the education system.
“The federal government is typically the problem in many cases, and not really the solution. So, if we have the opportunity to reign in the role of the federal government,” he said. “I think it’s better for everybody involved.”
For the U.S Presidential election of 2016, Arlett was the Delaware state chairman for now-President Donald J. Trump’s campaign, after which he was appointed to the inauguration committee. Following his appointment to the inauguration committee, a December 2016 article in the “Cape Gazette” called Arlett “an ardent supporter of President-elect Donald Trump from the very beginning.”
Arlett, though, wanted to dispel the idea that he will always agree with Trump.
“I don’t represent the president,” he said. “I represent our state in the U.S. Senate.”
To list some of the things that he takes issue with in regards to Trump, Arlett said, “I don’t like how he tweets, there are a lot of things that I don’t agree with about his personality.”
He continued on his belief that what the country needed was someone, who among other things, would bring jobs back to the country and secure the country’s borders.
“I looked at the positives with what [Trump] brought versus the negatives.”
Arlett stressed that he and his campaign welcomed any campaign-related help from university students from all of Delaware’s colleges and universities, and that anyone who is interested should go to his website: RobArlett.com.
“As a U.S. senator, I want to bring balance. I want to bring common sense and good judgement back into Washington for the Delaware people,” Arlett said.
