United States House of Representatives election in Delaware, 2024

	2026 → ← 2022
Delaware's At-large Congressional District
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: July 9, 2024
	Primary: September 10, 2024; General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in Delaware
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic; DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Democratic; Inside Elections: Solid Democratic; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
	U.S. Senate battlegrounds; U.S. House battlegrounds; Federal and state primary competitiveness; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
	Delaware's At-large Congressional District; U.S. Senate • At-large; Delaware elections, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Delaware 2024 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • All other local • How to run for office

Sarah McBride (D) defeated John Whalen III (Delaware) in the general election for Delaware's At-Large Congressional District on November 5, 2024.^[1] Incumbent Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was first elected in 2016, did not run for re-election. According to CNN, McBride is the first out transgender person to serve in Congress.^[1]

The primary was September 10, 2024. The filing deadline was July 9, 2024.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.^[2] As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215.^[3] To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 55.5%-43.0%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 58.8%-39.8%.^[4]

To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Delaware At-large District

Sarah McBride defeated John Whalen III in the general election for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Sarah McBride (D)	57.9	287,830
	John Whalen III (R)	42.1	209,606

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 497,436
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District

Sarah McBride defeated Earl Cooper and Elias Weir in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah McBride	79.9	66,764
	Submit photo	Earl Cooper	16.2	13,557
		Elias Weir	3.9	3,286

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 83,607
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District

John Whalen III defeated Donyale Hall in the Republican primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on September 10, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Whalen III	55.8	19,880
	Donyale Hall	44.2	15,752

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,632
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Joseph Arminio (R)

September 10 Democratic primary

See also: United States House election in Delaware, 2024 (September 10 Democratic primary)

Ballotpedia identified the September 10, 2024, Democratic primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Democratic primary, click here. For more on the Republican primary, click here.

Sarah McBride (D) won the Democratic primary for Delaware's At-Large Congressional District on September 10, 2024. Click here for more detailed results.

Earl Cooper, Sarah McBride, and Elias Weir ran in the Democratic primary for Delaware’s at-large congressional seat on September 10, 2024. The filing deadline was July 9, 2024. McBride led in fundraising, noteworthy endorsements, and polling. Incumbent Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) ran for U.S. Senate, leaving the seat open.

If McBride had won the general election, she would have been both the first person identifying as transgender elected to federal office and the youngest person from the state elected to federal office since President Joe Biden (D) won the U.S. Senate seat in 1972. Eugene Young was McBride's leading competitor in the primary, but he dropped out of the race on June 12, 2024.^[5]

McBride was elected to the Delaware State Senate in 2020. Before holding elected office, she worked for the Human Rights Campaign, the Center for American Progress, in the White House during the Obama administration, and for former Gov. Jack Markell (D) and former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden (D). Her endorsers included Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings (D), Delaware State Treasurer Colleen Davis (D), and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. McBride said she ran “to be Delaware's member of Congress who's focused on making progress on all of the issues that matter to Delawareans of every background.” As of May 30, 2024, McBride had raised $1,867,314.^[6]

Cooper was a businessman in Wilmington. He founded a heavy construction and highway traffic company in 2018.^[7] Cooper also launched the Housing Pilot Program, which according to his website, "offers our people the opportunity to attain homeownership through their dedicated efforts, known as 'sweat equity.' As homeownership continues to symbolize the American Dream, Mr. Cooper, is committed to improving the city's infrastructure and rejuvenating local neighborhoods. Our focus is on creating high-quality, affordable living spaces within our communities."^[8]

Weir was born in Puerto Cortes, Honduras. He earned a bachelor's degree from the New York Institute of Technology in 1994. Weir's career experience includes working in the finance industry.^[9]Weir ran for this seat in 2016, finishing last in a field of six candidates with 0.7% of the vote.

As of June 7, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the general election as Solid/Safe Democratic. Mike Castle, the last Republican to represent Delaware in the U.S. House, left office in 2011.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.^[10] As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 55.5%-43.0%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 58.8%-39.8%.^[11]

See more

See more here: United States House election in Delaware, 2024 (September 10 Democratic primary)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Sarah McBride

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Delaware State Senate District 1 (Assumed office: 2020)

Biography: McBride received a bachelor's degree from American University in 2013. Before holding elected office, she worked for the Human Rights Campaign, the Center for American Progress, in the White House during the Obama administration, and for former Gov. Jack Markell (D) and former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden (D).

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

McBride highlighted her work in the state Senate to expand paid family leave in Delaware. She said, "government should do more to make it easier for people to raise a family." Her campaign website described her as playing "a critical role in passing bold policies that make government work better for families and workers."

McBride prioritized expanding access to affordable healthcare. She said, "at a minimum, we should expand Medicare to cover dental, vision, and hearing while lowering the age of eligibility and providing a public option."

Referencing her work in the state Senate to pass legislation requiring a permit and training to own a handgun, McBride said she would "vote to strengthen background checks, ban assault weapons, and institute safeguards to prevent dangerous individuals from getting guns."

Show sources

Sources: X (formerly Twitter), "Sarah McBride on X," accessed June 5, 2024; Sarah McBride 2024 campaign website, "Priorities," accessed June 5, 2024; Sarah McBride 2024 campaign website, "About," accessed June 5, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Delaware At-large District in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Delaware

Election information in Delaware: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 12, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 12, 2024
Online: Oct. 12, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2024
Online: Nov. 1, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 25, 2024 to Nov. 3, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Earl Cooper	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Sarah McBride	Democratic Party	$4,091,643	$3,884,516	$207,127	As of December 31, 2024
Elias Weir	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Donyale Hall	Republican Party	$45,937	$45,937	$0	As of December 31, 2024
John Whalen III	Republican Party	$20,030	$11,849	$7,745	As of December 31, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[12]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[13]^[14]^[15]

Race ratings: Delaware's At-large Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic	Solid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic	Safe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Delaware in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Delaware, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Delaware	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	N/A	$3,480	7/9/2024	Source
Delaware	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	1% of eligible voters	N/A	9/3/2024	Source

District analysis

Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

Competitiveness

Presidential elections

State party control

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Delaware.

Delaware U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	1	1	1	5	2	1	1	100.0%	0	0.0%
2022	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0.0%	0	0.0%
2020	1	1	0	3	2	0	1	50.0%	0	0.0%
2018	1	1	0	3	2	0	1	50.0%	0	0.0%
2016	1	1	1	7	2	1	0	50.0%	0	0.0%
2014	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0.0%	0	0.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Delaware in 2024. Information below was calculated on July 18, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Five candidates ran for Delaware's At-Large Congressional District, including three Democrats and two Republicans. Two candidates ran in 2022, three candidates ran in 2020, and three ran in 2018.

The five candidates who ran in Delaware in 2024 was the highest number of candidates since 2016, when seven candidates ran.

Delaware’s At-Large Congressional District was open in 2024 because incumbent Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) ran for the U.S. Senate. The only other year that the district was open in the last 10 years was 2016.

The Democratic and Republican primaries were both contested in 2024. This was the only year in the last 10 years in which both primaries were contested.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries, meaning the seat is not guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+7. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 7 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Delaware's At-Large the 154th most Democratic district nationally.^[16]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Delaware's At-Large based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
58.8%	39.8%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.^[17] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
57.4	41.4	D+16.0

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Delaware, 2020

Delaware presidential election results (1900-2020)

15 Democratic wins
16 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also: Party control of Delaware state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Delaware's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Delaware
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	1	3
Republican	0	0	0
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	1	3

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Delaware's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Delaware, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	John Carney Jr.
Lieutenant Governor	Bethany Hall-Long
Secretary of State	Jeffrey W. Bullock
Attorney General	Kathy Jennings

State legislature

Delaware State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	15
	Republican Party	6
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		21

Delaware House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	26
	Republican Party	15
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		41

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Delaware Party Control: 1992-2024
Sixteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.