Peter Schwartzkopf

Peter C. Schwartzkopf (born January 15, 1955) is an American politician and former <a href="/facts/Speaker_(politics)/1yUlSU2F">Speaker</a> of the <a href="/facts/Delaware_House_of_Representatives/oufglaau">Delaware House of Representatives</a>. A member of the <a href="/facts/Democratic_Party_(United_States)/MNe3nDrL">Democratic Party</a>, he represented the 14th district from 2002 to 2024. His district covers <a href="/facts/Rehoboth_Beach%2c_Delaware/wnlq2kpQ">Rehoboth Beach</a>, <a href="/facts/Lewes%2c_Delaware/Ba9vnf3q">Lewes</a>, and <a href="/facts/Dewey_Beach%2c_Delaware/KFn2Njx2">Dewey Beach</a> in <a href="/facts/Sussex_County%2c_Delaware/kphxTlTf">Sussex County</a>. Prior to his election to the House, he was a state police officer.
He served as Majority Leader of the House from 2009 to 2013 before being elected Speaker of the House in 2013. He stepped down from his role as speaker in June 2024 and was replaced by <a href="/facts/Valerie_Longhurst/GULNy6bI">Valerie Longhurst</a>.
In 2023, Schwartzkopf announced his intention to not seek reelection in the following year. He subsequently endorsed former state auditor <a href="/facts/Kathy_McGuiness/MNPjJb6F">Kathy McGuiness</a> to take his seat representing the 14th district. Schwartzkopf is a longtime friend of McGuiness, who was forced to resign as auditor in 2022 after her criminal conviction for misdemeanor conflict of interest, a charge which Schwartkopf described as "bogus" in his endorsement. McGuiness subsequently lost the primary election to <a href="/facts/Claire_Snyder-Hall/brVw8sJE">Claire Snyder-Hall</a>, who was elected to fill the seat in the general election.

Peter Schwartzkopf open-in-new

Peter Schwartzkopf