Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s office staff were found to be involved in her campaign for Delaware governor during office hours, as revealed in emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The emails showed her office staff, including her husband, assisting with tasks unrelated to her role as lieutenant governor, such as renewing memberships and making donations using campaign funds. This activity raises concerns as state employees are not permitted to engage in political activities during work hours, although Hall-Long, as an elected official, is exempt from this restriction.
One of the officials engaged in campaign-related communications was Matthew Dougherty, the director of operations in the lieutenant governor’s office, who later took a leave of absence to become Hall-Long’s campaign manager. The campaign faced challenges when two top staffers left following a campaign finance audit. The audit was commissioned by the state elections department.
Emails revealed instances where Hall-Long’s office staff coordinated her participation in events outside her official capacity, including a parade where she marched under a banner reading “Bethany Hall-Long Democrat for Governor.” Furthermore, emails discussed arranging trips for Hall-Long to Nashville and San Antonio during business hours, with unclear details regarding the nature of these trips.
A forensic review by the Department of Elections indicated discrepancies in Dana Long, Hall-Long’s husband, handling campaign funds. Long wrote numerous checks from the campaign account totaling nearly $300,000, with several checks not reported in finance records as required. Hall-Long attributed these discrepancies to bookkeeping errors related to unreported loans to her campaign, a claim contested by her political rival, who has called for a federal investigation into her campaign finances. Hall-Long has yet to respond to inquiries about the trips mentioned in the emails.
