DE's State/Local Primary is Tuesday, 9/10
Voting Info, Local Election Coverage & Links to Candidate Info
A friend and reader reached out about how hard it was to find good information for our local elections, particularly for primaries other than the governor’s race… and we agree! So here is a quick voter guide for upcoming elections.
Like our previous coverage of the race for governor, this is a non-partisan resource, simply offering helpful links. City Topics makes no endorsement in any federal, state or local election.
One nonpartisan observation is that many of these races’ November sequels will be unexciting or even functionally nonexistent. Given Delaware’s heavy Democratic leaning and a lack of Republicans or others even running in some of these races - such as County Executive - Tuesday’s primary is even more important. That’s also part of why we’re sharing this post.
Many of the links lead to general info like who is running, how to check your registration and vote, etc.
For learning who stands where on what, there are also links to coverage from news orgs like WHYY, Delaware Online, and Spotlight Delaware. And of course, there are links to candidate pages to read their positions in their own words.
Lastly, this guide is certainly not exhaustive. However, the links provided can be used to find additional info on the Insurance Commissioner race, and others.
Off to the Races - General Info
The following links offer general information on all of the races coming up on Tuesday. Our listings below draw info from these sites.
iVote.DE.gov is the state’s official voter site - registration tools (too late for the primary, sorry), ballot info, polling places, etc. Enter your address for personalized info.
The Delaware Elections website offers a full list of Tuesday’s contests. It also has a full list of General Election Races, which shows currently-qualified candidates for November (such as those unopposed in the primary) and will be updated after Tuesday with finalized GOP and Democratic candidates.
Ballotpedia’s 2024 DE Elections page - independently verified basic info on all races, with links to thorough sources and additional sites for further info.
Vote411.org also offers an independent source for voter info. You can enter your address to see your personalized ballot.
WHYY’s 2024 Voter Guide for DE has info on voting for the three big races (Gov., Lt. Gov., and US Representative), with links to their coverage.
US Senate
While Delaware will elect a new United States Senator in November, there will be no primary.
From Ballotpedia: “The Republican primary election was canceled. Eric Hansen advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Delaware… The Democratic primary election was canceled. Lisa Blunt-Rochester advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Delaware.”
Hansen and Blunt-Rochester will face independent candidate Michael Katz on November’s general election ballot.
Ballotpedia Page for the 2024 Delaware US Senate Race. Candidate info, historical data, available polling, campagaign finance info and more.
OpenSecrets.org tracks campaign spending for national races like Senate and House, and for some state races like Governor.
US House of Representatives
From Ballotpedia: “Earl Cooper, Sarah McBride, and Elias Weir are running in the Democratic primary for Delaware’s at-large congressional seat... McBride leads in fundraising, noteworthy endorsements, and polling. Incumbent Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) is running for U.S. Senate, leaving the seat open…
“Donyale Hall and John Whalen III are running in the Republican primary.”
See Ballotpedia’s Full Coverage with links to info for each party (though not as much on the GOP), historical data, and more.
A Wikipedia Page for the Race also has candidate info, polling and historical data.
Spotlight Delaware hosted a Congressional Candidates’ Debate.
Delaware Governor
The Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s Primary are Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, County Exec. Matt Meyer, and Collin O'Mara. On the GOP side, State Sen. Mike Ramone, Jerry Price and Bobby Williamson vie for their party’s nomination.
Links DE Gubernatorial Election and Candidate info:
Ballotpedia - Loads of info and links, including candidate statements and positions, endorsements and political spending info and more.
Spotlight Delaware Election Coverage has excellent coverage of this race from the relatively new local news team. There are articles focusing on where candidates stand on given issues, their Governor Candidates’ Debate and links to other Forums the candidates have participated in, and more.
Wikipedia Election Page (nicely condenses lots of info, including polls)
Candidate websites (alpha order): Bethany Hall-Long (D), Matt Meyer (D), Colin O’Mara (D), Jerry Price (R), Mike Ramone (R), Bobby Williamson (R)
Delaware Lieutenant Governor
From Ballotpedia: “Sherry Dorsey Walker, Kyle Evans Gay, and Debbie Harrington are running in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware on September 10.”
Ruth Briggs King is running unopposed in the GOP Primary.
Spotlight Delaware has some coverage of the Lt. Gov. candidates.
There’s a Ballotpedia page for this race, and
There’s a Wikipedia page for this race.
Delaware State Senate and Assembly
This is going to be an uneventful year at this level in New Castle. Democratic State Sen. Nicole Poore’s 4-year term runs through 2026. Meanwhile, Democratic State Reps. Franklin Cooke and Mimi Minor-Brown face neither primary challengers, nor any declared oppostion from the GOP or other candidates on the general election ballot.
New Castle County Executive & Council
As County Exec Matt Meyer is running for governor, the race for County Executive is wide open. The candidates for the office are Karen Hartley-Nagle, the current County Council President, and Marcus Henry, who served in a senior roles at the Wilmington Housing Authority, and in Meyer’s administration as General Manager of the Dept. of Community Services. No Republicans are running (Carter Hill having withdrawn).
There are also five people running for Ms. Hartley-Nagle’s old seat as President of County Council: George Frankel, Val Gould, Jason Hoover, Monique Johns, and Robert Williams, all Democrats. The winner will face Republican Melissa Brayman in November.
In County District 12, which includes most of New Castle, Kevin Caneco and George Dudlek are running. The winner has no registered GOP opposition.
There is a disapponting dearth of information online about county-level races (it’s easier to find independent info on municipal contests). They are listed on the State Department of Elections pages above, but independent coverage by election info sites and even local media has been slim.
On this count, Delaware Online has the best Guide to County Races we’ve seen.
Primary Day is Tuesday, 9/10, 7am-8pm
Local polling places include the Senior Center, William Penn HS, and the Methodist Church on Delaware Street. All official info is at the links above.
Please vote!
Thanks for reading - If you know someone who could use this guide, please Forward or Share!
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Thanks also to the reader who suggested this, and to host site Substack for several recent new features that made it possible to put together quickly.
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