Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2010
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Elections for the office of Delaware State House were held in Delaware on November 2, 2010. Elections were held in all of Delaware's 41 representative districts.
The primary nomination process for candidates wishing to run in these elections to gain the party's nomination were at state conventions held by the state's two major political parties in May. Candidates wishing to run as independents could submit nominating signatures up through July 30. The primary election day was September 14, 2010.
In Delaware, representatives serve two-year terms with no term limits.
The incumbent representative ran for re-election in 36 of the 41 districts with elections in 2010. (87.80%)
The Delaware House was one of the few chambers where seats were gained by the Democratic party. Democrats gained two seats, slightly increasing their majority.
- See also: State house elections, 2010 and Delaware State Senate elections
November 2 General Election Results
The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:
- Dennis P. Williams
- Stephanie Bolden
- Helene Keeley
- Gerald Brady
- Melanie George Smith
- Debra Heffernan
- Bryon Short
- S. Quinton Johnson
- Rebecca Walker
- Dennis E. Williams
- Gregory Lavelle
- Deborah Hudson
- John Mitchell Jr. (Delaware)
- Peter Schwartzkopf
- Valerie Longhurst
- James Johnson (Delaware)
- Michael Mulrooney
- Michael Barbieri
- Robert Gilligan
- Nick Manolakos
- Michael Ramone
- Joseph Miro
- Teresa Schooley
- Edward Osienski
- John Kowalko
- John Viola
- Earl Jaques Jr.
- Lincoln D. Willis
- William Outten
- Darryl Scott
- E. Bradford Bennett
- Harold Peterman
- Donald Blakey
- David Wilson (Delaware)
- Harvey Kenton
- Ruth Briggs King
- Clifford Lee
- Daniel Short
- Gerald Hocker
- John Atkins (Delaware)
- William Carson Jr.
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
Heading into the November 2 election, Democrats were the majority party in the Delaware House of Representatives:
| Delaware House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 24 | 26 | |
| Republican Party | 17 | 15 | |
| Total | 41 | 41 | |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state house in Delaware in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state house races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 88 | $2,583,173 |
| 2008 | 75 | $2,334,401 |
| 2006 | 79 | $2,156,700 |
| 2004 | 80 | $2,020,644 |
| 2002 | 83 | $1,824,680 |
In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in house campaigns was $2,583,173. The top 10 overall contributors were:[2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ellis, David E | $83,043 |
| LaVelle, Gregory Francis | $52,700 |
| King, Stanley & Ruth | $30,000 |
| Manolakos, Nick T | $25,665 |
| Delaware Racing Association | $21,503 |
| Delaware Association of Realtors | $20,731 |
| Kenton, Harvey & Jeanne | $20,000 |
| Delaware Education Association | $19,203 |
| Gallogly, Kay Wilde | $17,920 |
| Delaware Citizens for Economic Development | $14,700 |
Incumbency
Unopposed incumbents
16 incumbents (44%) faced no competition in the November 2 general election.
- 9 Democratic incumbents faced no November challenger.
- 7 GOP incumbents faced no November challenger.
Primary challenges
Only 5 incumbents (13.8%), all Democrats, faced competition in the September 14 primary. District 2 incumbent Hazel Plant lost to challenger Stephanie Bolden. The following four incumbents won their primaries:
- District 3: Incumbent Democrat Helene Keeley
- District 8: Incumbent Democrat S. Quinton Johnson
- District 10: Incumbent Democrat Dennis E. Williams
- District 27: Incumbent Democrat Earl Jaques, Jr.
Retiring incumbents
Five incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 36 incumbents (87.8%) ran for re-election. Of the 5 incumbents who did not seek re-election, one was a Democrat and four were Republicans.
Incumbents who retired were:
- District 9: Incumbent Republican Richard Cathcart.
- District 24: Incumbent Republican William Oberle, Jr..
- District 29: Incumbent Republican Pamela Thornburg.
- District 36: Incumbent Republican V. George Carey.
- District 41: Incumbent Democrat John Atkins.
Qualifications
Article II, Section 3 of the Delaware Constitution states: No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-four years, and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State three years next preceding the day of his election, and the last year of that term an inhabitant of the Representative District in which he shall be chosen, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this State.
List of candidates
| Partisan dominance in state houses heading into the 2010 state legislative elections |
 |
District 1
September 14 Democratic primary:
- Dennis P. Williams Incumbent Williams was first elected in 1994.
September 14 GOP primary:- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Dennis P. Williams: 6,044
District 2
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Hazel Plant: 645. Incumbent Plant was first elected in 2000.
- Stephanie Bolden: 676
- September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Stephanie Bolden: 4,485
District 3
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Helene Keeley: 736 Incumbent Keeley was first elected in 1996.
- Robert Bovell: 590
- Helene Keeley: 736
- September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Helene Keeley: 3,375
Robert Bovell (Working Families): 669
District 4
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Gerald Brady Incumbent Brady was first elected in 2006.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Gerald Brady: 5,298
- Richard Carroll: 2,757
District 5
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Melanie Marshall Incumbent Marshall was first elected in 2002.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Melanie Marshall: 4,921
District 6
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Thomas Kovach Incumbent Kovach was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Debra Heffernan: 4,263
- Thomas Kovach: 3,856
Matthew John Flebbe: 97
District 7
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Bryon Short Incumbent Short was first elected in 2007.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Bryon Short: 4,983
- Judith Travis: 3,619
- Scott Gesty (Ind. Party of Delaware: 87
- Scott Gesty (L): 75
District 8
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- S. Quinton Johnson: 791 Incumbent Johnson was first elected in 2008.
- Valerie V. Jones-Rabb: 361
- S. Quinton Johnson: 791
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- S. Quinton Johnson: 6,402
- Kathleen Rokosz: 3,731
District 9
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Richard H. Griffiths: 258
- Rebecca Walker: 970
- September 14 GOP primary:
- John Marino: 1,522
- Anthony Mirto: 493
- John Marino: 1,522
Note: Incumbent Republican Richard Cathcart did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Rebecca Walker: 5,583
- John Marino: 5,301
District 10
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Kenneth R. Dargis, Sr.: 280
- Dennis E. Williams: 727 Incumbent Williams was first elected in 2008.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Dennis E. Williams: 4,314
- Robert M. Rhodunda: 3,580
District 11
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Joshua Samuel Schoenberg
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Gregory Lavelle Incumbent Lavelle was first elected in 2000.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Gregory Lavelle: 5,198
- Joshua Samuel Schoenberg: 3,318
District 12
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Deborah Hudson Incumbent Hudson was first elected in 1996.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Deborah Hudson: 6,067
- James E. Christina: 767
District 13
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- John Mitchell, Jr. Incumbent Mitchell was first elected in 2006.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- John Mitchell, Jr.: 4,345
- Jeffrey Brown (Blue Enigma Party): 440
District 14
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Peter Schwartzkopf Incumbent Schwartzkopf was first elected in 2002.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Peter Schwartzkopf: 6,425
- Christopher J. Weeks: 5,546
District 15
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Valerie Longhurst Incumbent Longhurst was first elected in 2004.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Valerie Longhurst: 6,764
- James Van Houten: 2,659
- George Edward Barnett: 150
District 16
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- James Johnson Incumbent Johnson was first elected in 2004.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- James Johnson: 5,328
District 17
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Michael Mulrooney Incumbent Mulrooney was first elected in 1999.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Michael Mulrooney: 5,108
District 18
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Michael Barbieri Incumbent Barbieri was first elected in 2008.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Michael Barbieri: 3,115
- Terry R. Spence: 2,677
- Terry R. Spence (Working Families): 89
District 19
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Robert Gilligan Incumbent Gilligan was first elected in 1972.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Vincent Ruff
November 2 General election candidates:
- Robert Gilligan: 4,527
- Vincent Ruff: 1,643
District 20
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Nick Manolakos Incumbent Manolakos was first elected in 2006.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Francis J. Swift, Jr.: 3,288
- Nick Manolakos: 5,469
District 21
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Michael Ramone Incumbent Ramone was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Michael Ramone: 5,356
District 22
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Joseph Miro Incumbent Miro was first elected in 1998.
November 2 General election candidates:
- David E. Ellis: 2,798
- Joseph Miro: 5,767
District 23
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Teresa Schooley Incumbent Schooley was first elected in 2004.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Teresa Schooley: 4,649
- Bill Stritzinger: 2,150
District 24
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Kay Wilde Gallogly: 239
- Edward S. Osienski: 581
- September 14 GOP primary:
Note: Incumbent Republican William Oberle, Jr. did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Edward S. Osienski: 3,531
- Abraham H. Jones: 1,635
District 25
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- John Kowalko, Jr. Incumbent Kowalko was first elected in 2006.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- John Kowalko, Jr.: 3,402
- Gordon Winegar: 1,789
District 26
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- John Viola Incumbent Viola was first elected in 1998.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- John Viola: 4,819
- Hans-Erik Janco: 166
District 27
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Earl Jaques, Jr.: 781 Incumbent Jaques was first elected in 2008.
- James Maravelias: 434
- Earl Jaques, Jr.: 781
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Earl Jaques, Jr.: 4,654
- Jay Galloway: 2,513
District 28
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- William Carson, Jr. Incumbent Carson was first elected in 2008.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Karen Minner
November 2 General election candidates:
- William Carson, Jr.: 4,534
- Karen Minner: 2,161
District 29
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
- George A. Phillips: 450
- Lincoln D. Willis: 1,156
Note: Incumbent Republican Pamela Thornburg did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- John W. McCutchan: 3,673
- Lincoln D. Willis: 5,176
District 30
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- William Outten Incumbent Outten was first elected in 2004.
November 2 General election candidates:
- William Outten: 5,514
District 31
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Darryl Scott Incumbent Scott was first elected in 2008.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Ronald G. Poliquin: 535
- Ronald D. Smith: 549
November 2 General election candidates:
- Darryl Scott: 3,487
- Ronald D. Smith: 2,411
District 32
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- E. Bradford Bennett Incumbent Bennett was first elected in 2008.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- September 14 Libertarian primary:
- William McVay McVay filed as a Democrat, Republican, and Libertarian but was removed from the Democratic and Republican primary ballot.[3][4]
November 2 General election candidates:
- E. Bradford Bennett: 2,291
- Beth Buzzell Miller: 1,995
- William McVay (Ind. Party of Delaware): 204
- William McVay: 76
District 33
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- Robert Walls Incumbent Walls was first elected in 2006.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Harold J. Peterman: 1,102
- Steven W. Rust: 855
- Harold J. Peterman: 1,102
November 2 General election candidates:
- Robert Walls: 3,955
- Harold J. Peterman: 4,314
District 34
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Donald Blakey Incumbent Blakey was first elected in 2006.
Nonpartisan candidate:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Jill A. Fuchs: 2,393
- Donald Blakey: 5,015
- Michael S. Tedesco: 463
- Jonathan M. Marango (Ind. Party of Delaware): 262
District 35
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
- David Wilson Incumbent Wilson was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
- James J. Westhoff: 1,995
- David Wilson: 4,719
District 36
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
Note: Incumbent Republican V. George Carey did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- C. Russell McCabe: 4,400
- Harvey R. Kenton: 5,229
District 37
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Ruth Briggs King Incumbent King was first elected in September 2009.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Frank E. Shade: 3,189
- Ruth Briggs King: 5,149
District 38
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Gerald Hocker Incumbent Hocker was first elected in 2002.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Gerald Hocker: 9,371
District 39
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Daniel Short Incumbent Short was first elected in 2002.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Daniel Short: 4,562
District 40
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- September 14 GOP primary:
- Clifford Lee Incumbent Lee was first elected in 1990.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Clifford Lee: 5,342
District 41
- September 14 Democratic primary:
- John Atkins Incumbent Atkins was first elected in 2008.
- September 14 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Gregory A. Hastings: 3,926
- John Atkins: 4,865
See also
- Delaware House of Representatives
- Delaware General Assembly
- State legislative elections, 2010
- Primary election dates in 2010
External links
- Official Delaware General Election Results
- Delaware 2010 primary election candidates
- Delaware 2010 general election candidates
- Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Delaware House of Representatives in the November 2, 2010 election
Footnotes
