House District 41 Primary Conversations: Doug Conaway & Jacki Slonin

Spotlight Delaware · Maggie Reynolds · September 7, 2026

Spotlight Delaware reporter Maggie Reynolds recently spoke with Doug Conaway and Jacki Slonin, who are seeking the Republican nomination for House District 41 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election. Their opponent, John Atkins, declined to be interviewed without conditions.

The seat is held by Republican incumbent Rich Collins, who is retiring after 12 years of service in the House of Representatives.

Conaway is a retired Army veteran who now runs a construction company, while Slonin is a marketing professional and local advocate. Atkins is a former state representative, who has a checkered legal past but says he has now found a new life.

The winner will face Democrat Ryan Stuckey in the November general election.

Readers can find condensed versions of the candidates’ answers below, while the accompanying podcasts feature unedited excerpts from our conversations.

Doug Conaway

Can you introduce yourself? I was originally born in Oklahoma, but I grew up in Laurel, Delaware.

I graduated from Epworth Christian School, went to Delaware Technical and Community College, and then from there I joined the U.S. Army and spent a total of 27 years in the armed services. After my first tour of the army, I spent about five years working with the New Castle County Police, transferred to the Delaware State Police, where I worked at Troop 2 up in New Castle County for two years.

And then after 9/11, I decided to depart from the state police and go back into the Army full-time, where I completed a total of 27 years of military service. And currently I own my own business, Douglas Builders, and we’re a small building company.

To start, can you give some background about what led you to join the race? Well, as I stated, I had 20 some years in the military. So when I left Delaware, and when I returned, I noticed the only thing that changed was the population and the growth.

We didn’t do anything to increase the infrastructure for roads, increase medical facilities, dental facilities, optometrists, all the medical necessities that should be happening with growth.

So I believe my military experience will help me to look not only at where we’re at currently, but 20 years down the road and make sure that we’re developing and growing in the right way.

How would you approach growth and development in the Millsboro area? The biggest concern I would look at is with our roads. We’ve always looked at the income Sussex County generates and what goes forward to the state, and we don’t think we get our fair share. I would agree.

But what we really need to be looking at is evacuation routes. If we look at the number of people who are down visiting our beaches on a summer day, and we look at the number of people traveling to our beaches, and we look at the number of people that live here.

If we have a real emergency, unfortunately, there will be some lives lost because we don’t have proper evacuation routes or proper road structure to get those people out. That just doesn’t affect the 41st or Sussex County. That affects people up north that are visiting our beaches down here.

If you look at our emergency routes, we have two lane highways which are Route 1, 13 and 113. Everything leading to that is a single-lane road. There is nowhere near enough capacity to allow people to evacuate in a timely manner, and it’s a safety issue. And that’s something that the state needs to do, is ensure that us citizens are provided a safe environment, and I don’t think we’re doing that.

Another theme in the General Assembly in recent years has been the local control debate, which has manifested in the offshore wind project debate and then Senate Bill 23 this year. What are your thoughts on local control, and how would you approach a topic like SB 23 if elected? Well, I think local control is very important. The people spoke and the state’s not listening. That’s what’s important. They don’t want offshore windmills, and we need to look at other electrical or power sources, such as small modular nuclear energy that is reliable.

Nuclear has a lifespan of 60 years versus 20 years for offshore wind. Then at the end of that wing turbine lifespan, that stuff just gets put somewhere because it’s not biodegradable.

So if we’re really talking green energy, I don’t think wind is the way of the future. Small modular nuclear, which has been on our Navy submarines and Navy warships for years with sailors sleeping next to it, is where we need to start looking.

You mentioned infrastructure and roads as primary concerns in your campaign. Are there any additional issues you would cite as most pressing to your district? Well, taxes are always important to everybody throughout the state. We need to ensure that we’re not raising taxes. People are stressed. They’re hurting. They’re hurting with the cost of living, and they’re hurting with the price of gas.

All that needs to be thought out when we’re looking into raising taxes, and we don’t need to raise taxes.

I also think education is very important. We need to ensure that as we build medical facilities here, that we’re doing the right thing. For instance, if we build medical facilities, and we won’t have people within Sussex County to fill those positions, that means we have to bring more people in from outside of the county.

We need more houses. We’ve got more cars on the road. It doesn’t make sense. So our schools, whether it be Sussex Tech or whatever school it is, needs to look at how do we grow medical jobs and jobs altogether. But medical field would be great so that when our kids graduate school here, they have a job to go into within our community, and we don’t have to look for housing.

There’s also a sizable agricultural population in the 41st. What would be your approach to representing the farming community in Dover? Absolutely. Agriculture is very important. My wife’s family’s been growing on the same piece of land for more than 120 years.

Delmarva, and Delaware as part of that, has a large chicken industry, and part of that chicken industry is making sure that we’re growing corn, wheat, soybeans to feed those chickens so that we can produce the millions of pounds of chickens that leave Delmarva.

So yes, it is very important. But what we also need to do what we can to preserve that land to keep developers from grabbing it. We need to look into farmland preservation and getting farmers a fair amount of money for their land so that we can preserve it and take it out of the developer’s hands.

You’re in a rather crowded primary race and one that’s been getting a lot of attention. Does that surprise you? What is your reaction to the tenor of the race in your district? Well, I think it’s everybody’s got an opportunity to run. There’s nothing that says anybody can’t run.

I think what we’re seeing is in the beginning, my name was not as prominent as some other names out there, and what we’re seeing is our campaign is growing support every day. I believe we are seeing that everywhere we go.

And I think we have a really good chance at taking Delaware back and going to represent Delaware from our campaign.

Jacki Slonin

To start, can you talk about your background and what led you to join the race? I was born and raised here, so I grew up in Selbyville. Attended Indian River School District, so went through elementary, middle school, and even high school here.

And as far as that goes being educated here, I also went to community college at Del Tech and received my associate degree in criminal justice.

Like many, I didn’t get politically involved until something happened to spark it. For me, it was definitely 9/11 and that’s where I started paying a little bit more attention at my age to things that were kind of going on around me and on a federal level as well.

And so I got a little bit involved on the advocating side. A couple of years ago, I’m not sure exactly how many years ago, but when Regulation 225 was kind of going around through the schools, I got a little bit more involved on a local level with that. It kind of opened the door for me.

I’ve thought about running for office for many years but because I do take care of my mom, I needed to make sure that I had her in a better place prior to putting my foot into the race. So it took me about two years to kind of get her kind of settled in and put things in place, and that’s when Rich Collins announced he was not going to seek re-election.

You mentioned you have a degree in criminal justice. What’s your career background? Are you still working in marketing? I was 26 when I started college, so let’s just say I thought about it for quite a long time. There were other things that I was interested in but I thought law enforcement was probably where I was best suited. I did have a personal goal to either work for the FBI or the DEA, but I needed to put my foot in basically as a steppingstone.

Unfortunately for me, I was just not able to get a foot in the door. So for about four and a half years, I applied for different positions in different things, probation and parole, things of those nature. And even with superb testing, I was not able to get an interview. So just like anybody in life, when something happens, you have to kind of pivot.

So that’s what I did. I actually wound up working for almost two decades in a career in the marketing field. Obviously has nothing to do with criminal justice, but that’s just where it took me, and it was something I fell into. Didn’t have a background in it, didn’t have a degree in it, but found out that I was actually pretty good at it.

So again, that career lasted me two decades.

For me, it’s not about politics, it’s about people. So everything I did in my marketing career is really surrounded around what I would be doing, with listening, communicating, giving solutions — the type of things I’d need in this elected position.

You touched on your prior involvement with the Indian River School District and some other advocacy interests. What do you see as the most pressing issues to your district, or what are you most focused on in the campaign? When I’m out talking to people, their main concerns seem to all be the same: the cost of living, which kind of morphs into a couple of different areas.

They talk about energy costs and the cost or access to healthcare.

And of course all of those things can also morph into the growth that we’ve had here because that plays a huge role, and that health access, being able to get into a doctor on a regular basis or when you need to, not months down the road.

We as taxpayers pay a lot of money, but we’re not seeing that return of investment of the education of our kids. The percentages of what they’re proficient in definitely need to improve.

But we also need to encourage and maybe incentivize our teachers and people who work in the schools. They’re tired too. They have to go through a lot of things, a lot more things than even when I was in school. A lot of state mandates come their way that either are not being funded 100%, or are things that they’re being sent in different directions that they’re having to go.

And the focus really needs to be on letting those people educate kids and not having to worry about some of this backside stuff.

I’ve been reached out by a few people about our seniors because apparently nobody else is talking about these things on the Republican side.

Our population has a large portion of people over the age of 65. And quite honestly, I’m going to be there one day. God willing, we’re all going to be there one day. So it behooves us to pay attention, making sure that things aren’t happening within these facilities of people being neglected or abused.

Making sure that the people that are taking care of elderly and our most vulnerable are actually certified to do so, which is hugely important. Background checks, things of those nature. I mean, all of those things across the board when we’re talking about our most vulnerable is hugely important to me.

Can you talk more about what your approach would be to the development debate given all of the growth in your district? I will start off by saying that I’m not against growth.

I think we need growth. Unfortunately, we haven’t had smart growth, which is the problem.

The damage is kind of done. So we can’t turn the clock back. There’s just no way that’s gonna happen. But we can be smarter.

I wanna stay here. Unfortunately, there are people who have been here their whole life who are being pushed out. They can’t afford to live here anymore. The people moving in here saying the taxes are lower — of course, they’re lower from where they’re coming from.

We have people on fixed incomes, so they are definitely being pushed out. The things that are being built are not affordable.

So we first need to look at building up the infrastructure prior to allowing things to come in, whether it’s on a town level or Sussex County level, to make sure that those things are put in place and what’s being put there makes sense for the space that they’re putting it.

And I understand builders want to make money, but we need people who are willing to build more for workforce housing for people who live here.

But, again, that’s also on a builder side. They have to be willing to do those things, and if they’re not going to make money off of that, then we’re not going to see that happening. But it’s definitely not affordable when homes are over $300,000 for people that live here.

This leads into another question about the local control debate that has popped up over the past couple of years with the offshore wind project and most recently Senate Bill 23 and local housing and zoning mandates. What would your approach be to the SB 23 local control versus state authority topic? On a personal level, local control is something I would stand up for 10 times out of 10.

We hope on a deeper level that our elected officials listen to the people who live here.

But at the end, they’re also limited as well … You’ve probably have seen quite a few things, from different people saying, “We need to keep our farmland.”

Sure we do, but we also can’t stop people from selling land if they don’t want to farm.

So there is a fine balance there with that. And that goes back to zoning and these agencies, as well as being proactive, knowing what our community wants, making sure that they are zoned properly and not rezoning them, and then trying to fight the battle later.

I’ll say this every day of the week, we need to be more proactive. It’s a must because you can’t just think three years down the road. You have to think further out.

You are running in a pretty crowded primary field right now. I’ve seen quite a bit of discourse online about candidates in the race seeking endorsements from other elected officials or people in other leadership roles in Sussex County. I’ve also seen posts from you about your approach to not seeking endorsements. I’m not a career politician and nor do I plan on being one.

So I want to get in, if elected, and do what’s right for the people who live here, including myself because I’m one of them. And if they think I’m doing a good job, they can reelect me. It’s not something that I plan on staying until I’m 80 years old. I want to get in. I want to do the best that I can for my community, and I want to pass it along to the next person.

So with not being a career politician, I don’t want to be tied to anybody except for the people that I’m working for. And so when I say I’m not seeking out asking for endorsements, that does not mean, and I’ve been very clear about that, it does not mean that I am not willing to sit down and talk with people.

If somebody is supporting me and say they want to do an endorsement on their own, that’s their story to tell. They can do whatever they like.

I just want to make that stance very clear that I’m not in anybody’s back pocket. I’m here to work for the people of my community, and to do this together.

It’s not about my personal opinions or what I think. It’s about what’s best for the community as a whole.

How would you characterize what your strategy is for getting your message out and connecting with voters in the district? So I’m boots on the ground. I’m talking to people. For me, it’s about getting in front of as many potential voters in my district that I possibly can.

I will say, I don’t really like the word strategy because I feel like it’s some kind of sneaky plan to do something. There is no strategy. It’s just, “Here I am; this is who I am; get to know me and make your informed decision.” So that’s what I’m doing.

So I’m sharing information whether it be on social media, in person. I’ve had multiple meet and greets.

John Atkins

John Atkins is another Republican seeking office in the 41st district. Atkins declined to do a primary election interview with Spotlight Delaware unless we agreed not to mention Atkins’ past in the interview, which he said people do not care about anymore. Spotlight Delaware does not grant interviews with preconditions to avoid a specific topic.

Atkins, of Millsboro, is the owner of Atkins & Sons Materials, a landscaping supply store.

He served as a state representative for the 41st District from 2003 to 2014. Much of his campaign messaging has focused on that legislative experience and the ability to hit the ground running, if elected.

While in office in 2007, Atkins was stopped by police for drunk driving and subsequently arrested after a domestic dispute with his wife that same night.

Following those incidents, the House Ethics Committee investigated Atkins’ behavior and voted to censure him from using his legislative ID or serving on legislative committees. He resigned from the House after the censure. In 2008, Atkins switched parties and won the 41st District as a Democrat.

He served two more terms as a Democrat until he was defeated by the district’s current representative, Rich Collins, in 2014. In 2014, Atkins was issued a restraining order by the Delaware Family Court to stay away from his estranged wife and sons after his wife told the court she feared his “temper and erratic behavior.”

In 2016, he was charged with offensive touching and criminal mischief following a physical altercation with a girlfriend. Those charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. Finally, in 2018, Atkins was charged with strangulation and assault of another girlfriend and violating a no-contact order against her.

As a result of that most recent arrest, he was sentenced to 22 days in prison, a year of probation, and a requirement to undergo substance and mental health treatment evaluations.

Atkins agreed to do an interview with Spotlight Delaware in December 2025. When asked about his criminal record in that conversation, Atkins said his past is almost a decade behind him now, which has given him time to mature and apologize to former constituents.

“Circumstances change,” he said at the time. “I was in a very unsettling, bad relationship. That’s been over with for years, and I’m on the right path.”

Sussex County GOP leaders have not publicly commented on Atkins’ run for office, though some party leaders told Spotlight Delaware in late 2025 they called a meeting with Atkins to discuss his past and the possibility of him seeking office again.

When asked about Atkins candidacy in December 2025, then Sussex Republican Party Chair Dan Willis declined to comment on Atkins but did sing the praises of Doug Conaway. Retiring Rep. Rich Collins, whom Atkins, Conaway, and Slonin are vying to replace, has also publicly endorsed Conaway.

In a campaign promotion video, Atkins cited protecting Second Amendment rights, preventing a Democratic supermajority, and keeping who he called men, seemingly referring to transgender women, out of girls’ bathrooms and sports. He also said he would prioritize preserving farmland over more development.

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