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Delaware State Senate District 1
Delaware State Senate District 1 is represented by Dan Cruce (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Delaware state senators represented an average of 47,183 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 42,899 residents.
About the office
Members of the Delaware State Senate serve both two- and four-year terms and are not subject to term limits.[1] Delaware legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November (the day after election day).[2][3]
Qualifications
Article II, Section 3 of the Delaware Constitution states: "No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-seven years and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State three years next preceding the day of his or her election and the last year of that term an inhabitant of the Senatorial District in which he or she shall be chosen, unless he or she shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this State."[4]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $50,678/year | No per diem is paid. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Delaware General Assembly, the presiding officer of the house in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election within 10 days of the creation of the vacancy. The election must be called for no less than 30 days but no more than 35 days after the writ for the special election has been issued. The governor may issue a writ if the legislature is not in session.[6]
See sources: Delaware Code Ann. tit. 15, § 7101
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On November 2, 2021, Gov. John Carney (D) signed Senate Bill 199 into law, enacting the state's new House and Senate district lines.[7] The Delaware General Assembly previously approved the final House and Senate map proposals on November 1, 2021.[8] The Delaware House of Representatives voted 40-1 in favor of the maps with state Rep. Michael Smith (R) voting against it. The Delaware State Senate approved the maps along party lines with all 14 Democrats in favor and all seven Republicans against.[8] These maps took effect for Delaware's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Delaware work? Because Delaware has only one congressional district, congressional redistricting is not necessary. The state legislature draws state legislative district lines. The governor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.[9][10]
State law requires that state legislative districts be "insofar as possible, contiguous and bounded by roads, streams and other natural boundaries." Further, state law stipulates that district lines "may not be drawn to unduly favor any person or political party." Because these requirements are statutory, the legislature may amend them at its discretion.[9][10]
Delaware State Senate District 1
until November 8, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Delaware State Senate District 1
starting November 9, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2025
A special election for Delaware State Senate District 1 was called for February 15, 2025. The major party and unaffiliated candidate filing deadline was January 21, 2025. The write-in candidate filing deadline was February 7, 2025.[11]
The seat became vacant after Sarah McBride (D) resigned on January 2, 2025, following her election to the United States House of Representatives.[11]
General election
Special general election for Delaware State Senate District 1
Dan Cruce defeated Steve Washington and Riley Figliola in the special general election for Delaware State Senate District 1 on February 15, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Dan Cruce (D) | 76.9 | 3,654 |
| Steve Washington (R) | 20.8 | 990 | ||
| Riley Figliola (Nonpartisan) | 1.9 | 88 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 17 | ||
| Total votes: 4,749 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2022
- See also: Delaware State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Delaware State Senate District 1
Incumbent Sarah McBride won election in the general election for Delaware State Senate District 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sarah McBride (D) | 100.0 | 13,204 |
| Total votes: 13,204 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Sarah McBride advanced from the Democratic primary for Delaware State Senate District 1.
2020
- See also: Delaware State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Delaware State Senate District 1
Sarah McBride defeated Steve Washington in the general election for Delaware State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sarah McBride (D) | 73.3 | 16,865 |
| Steve Washington (R) | 26.7 | 6,144 | ||
| Total votes: 23,009 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Delaware State Senate District 1
Sarah McBride defeated Joseph McCole in the Democratic primary for Delaware State Senate District 1 on September 15, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sarah McBride | 91.3 | 7,902 |
| Joseph McCole | 8.7 | 752 | ||
| Total votes: 8,654 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Steve Washington advanced from the Republican primary for Delaware State Senate District 1.
2016
- See also: Delaware State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Delaware State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was July 12, 2016.
Incumbent Harris McDowell defeated James Spadola in the Delaware State Senate District 1 general election.[12][13]
| Delaware State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Harris McDowell Incumbent |
56.32% | 11,858 | |
| Republican | James Spadola | 43.68% | 9,195 | |
| Total Votes | 21,053 | |||
| Source: Delaware Department of Elections | ||||
Incumbent Harris McDowell defeated Joseph McCole in the Delaware State Senate District 1 Democratic primary.[14][15][12]
| Delaware State Senate, District 1 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Harris McDowell Incumbent |
70.83% | 3,876 | |
| Democratic | Joseph McCole | 29.17% | 1,596 | |
| Total Votes | 5,472 | |||
James Spadola ran unopposed in the Delaware State Senate District 1 Republican primary.[14][15][12]
| Delaware State Senate, District 1 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | James Spadola (unopposed) | |
2012
- See also: Delaware State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Delaware State Senate consisted of a primary election on February 11, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 6, 2012. A total of 21 seats were up for election in 2012. Incumbent Harris McDowell defeated James Martin and David Brady in the February 7 primary elections, before defeating Bryan Lintz (L) and Robert Clark (I) in the general election.[16] [17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harris McDowell Incumbent |
85.3% | 15,155 | |
| Independent | Robert Clark | 11.6% | 2,054 | |
| Libertarian | Bryan Lintz | 3.1% | 555 | |
| Total Votes | 17,764 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Harris McDowell Incumbent |
52.2% | 2,342 |
| David D. Brady | 36% | 1,613 |
| James Martin | 11.8% | 528 |
| Total Votes | 4,483 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2022, candidates for Delaware State Senate District 1 raised a total of $884,479. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $36,853 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Delaware State Senate District 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $38,625 | 1 | $38,625 |
| 2020 | $295,114 | 3 | $98,371 |
| 2016 | $153,990 | 3 | $51,330 |
| 2012 | $67,430 | 5 | $13,486 |
| 2010 | $13,619 | 1 | $13,619 |
| 2006 | $177,406 | 6 | $29,568 |
| 2002 | $69,324 | 3 | $23,108 |
| 2000 | $68,971 | 2 | $34,486 |
| Total | $884,479 | 24 | $36,853 |
See also
- Delaware State Legislature
- Delaware State Senate
- Delaware House of Representatives
- Delaware state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Delaware State Legislature, "Delaware State Senate," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 4," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ The Delaware Code Online, "Article II. Legislature - Section 3," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Delaware Legislature, "Delaware Election Code," accessed May 22, 2014 (Statutes § 7101 and § 7104, Delaware Code)
- ↑ Delaware General Assembly, "Senate Bill 199," accessed Nov. 15, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 WGMD, "Redistricting Legislation Passes in Delaware – Waiting for Governor’s Signature," Nov. 1, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 All About Redistricting, "Delaware," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Delaware Code, "Title 29, Chapter 8," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 State of Delaware, Department of Elections, "Proclamation of Special Election," January 11, 2025
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Delaware.gov, "General election candidates," accessed September 27, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "glist16" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "glist16" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Delaware Department of Elections, "General Election (Official Results)," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Delaware.gov, "Primary election candidates," accessed July 13, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Delaware Department of Elections, Primary Election (Official Returns)," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ Delaware Secretary of State, "2012 General Election," November 4, 2013
- ↑ Delaware Secretary of State, "2012 General Primary,” November 4, 2013
