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Delaware State Senate elections, 2012
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Delaware's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • Candidate ballot access |
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Elections for the office of Delaware State Senate were held in Delaware on November 6, 2012. A total of 21 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was July 10, 2012. The primary Election Day was September 11, 2012.
Although Delaware senators typically serve four-year terms, they are elected to a two-year term during the first election of the decade. Thus, rather than only half of all senators being up for election, all sitting members were on the ballot in November.
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 6 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Delaware State Senate:
| Delaware State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 14 | 13 | |
| Republican Party | 7 | 8 | |
| Total | 21 | 21 | |
Incumbents retiring
A total of two incumbents did not run for re-election in 2012. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Liane Sorenson |  Republican |
Senate District 6 |
| George Bunting |  Democratic |
Senate District 20 |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Delaware in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate 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 | 19 | $643,813 |
| 2008 | 21 | $1,211,435 |
| 2006 | 22 | $979,107 |
| 2004 | 16 | $883,364 |
| 2002 | 44 | $1,485,767 |
In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in senate campaigns was $643,813. The top 10 overall contributors were:[2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bodenweisser, Eric R | $26,000 |
| Friends to Elect Joe Booth State Representative | $23,832 |
| Moritz, John A | $23,295 |
| Bunting Jr., George H | $11,500 |
| Booth, Joseph W | $10,000 |
| Cullis, Fred | $6,800 |
| Delaware Racing Association | $6,600 |
| Delaware Association of Realtors | $5,450 |
| Delaware Trial Lawyers Association | $4,800 |
| Astrazeneca | $4,600 |
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Delaware
New maps were approved by the Delaware General Assembly in late June 2011. Two northern Senate districts represented by incumbents David Sokola (D) and Liane Sorenson (R) were merged to create a new southern district in Sussex County, including Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, and Milton.[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 election and the last year of that term an inhabitant of the Senatorial 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
District 1
September 11 Democratic primary:
- David D. Brady: 1,613
- James Martin: 528
- Harris McDowell: 2,342
Incumbent McDowell first assumed office in 1976.
September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
Libertarian candidates:
Independent candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Harris McDowell: 15,155
- Bryan Lintz: 555
- Robert Clark: 2,054
District 2
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Margaret Rose Henry Incumbent Henry first assumed office in 1994.
- Margaret Rose Henry
- September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Margaret Rose Henry: 15,197
District 3
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Eric M. Anderson: 912
- Robert Marshall: 2,504 Incumbent Marshall first assumed office in 1978.
- Timothy J. Meades, Sr.: 609
- September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Robert Marshall: 12,322
District 4
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Michael Katz Incumbent Katz first assumed office in 2009.
- Michael Katz
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Libertarian candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Michael Katz: 11,188
- Gregory Lavelle: 11,970
- Marcia Groff: 410
District 5
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Catherine Cloutier Incumbent Cloutier first assumed office in 2001.
- Catherine Cloutier
November 6 General election candidates:
- Christopher R. Counihan: 10,062
- Catherine Cloutier: 12,912
District 6
Incumbent Liane Sorenson (R) did not seek re-election.
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Robert G. Frederick: 814
- Micheal C. Miller, Sr.: 695
- Andrew W. Staton: 2,088
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Ernesto B. Lopez: 2,163
- Glen Urquhart: 1,779
- Ernesto B. Lopez: 2,163
- Libertarian candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Andrew W. Staton: 10,352
- Ernesto B. Lopez: 13,603
- Gwendolyn M. Jones: 286
District 7
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Patricia Blevins Incumbent Blevins first assumed office in 1991.
- Patricia Blevins
- September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
- Libertarian candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Patricia Blevins: 13,756
- James Christina: 1,139
District 8
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- David Sokola Incumbent Sokola first assumed office in 1991.
- David Sokola
- September 11 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- David Sokola: 10,099
- William Stritzinger: 6,535
District 9
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Karen Peterson Incumbent Peterson first assumed office in 2003.
- Karen Peterson
- September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Karen Peterson: 13,941
District 10
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Bethany Hall-Long Incumbent Hall-Long first assumed office in 2009.
- Bethany Hall-Long
- September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Bethany Hall-Long: 16,498
District 11
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Anthony DeLuca: 1,054 - Incumbent DeLuca first assumed office in 1999.
- Bryan Townsend: 1,441
- September 11 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Bryan Townsend: 12,860
- Evan Queitsch: 3,550
District 12
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Dorinda Connor Incumbent Connor first assumed office in 1997.
- Dorinda Connor
- Libertarian candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Nicole Poore: 12,875
- Dorinda Connor: 8,170
- Brad Thomas: 310
District 13
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- David McBride Incumbent McBride first assumed office in 1981.
- David McBride
- September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
November 6 General election candidates:
- David McBride: 14,444
District 14
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Bruce Ennis Incumbent Ennis first assumed office in 2007.
- Bruce Ennis
- September 11 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Bruce Ennis: 12,031
- Scott Unruh: 7,652
District 15
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- September 11 GOP primary:
- David G. Lawson Incumbent Lawson first assumed office in 2011.
- David G. Lawson
- Independent candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Kathleen Cooke: 9,004
- David G. Lawson: 9,547
- Catherine Samardza: 324
District 16
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Colin Bonini Incumbent Bonini first assumed office in 1995.
- Colin Bonini
- Independent candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Colin Bonini: 9,372
- Michael Tedesco: 2,356
District 17
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Brian Bushweller Incumbent Bushweller first assumed office in 2009.
- Brian Bushweller
- September 11 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Brian Bushweller: 13,161
District 18
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed to run.
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Matthew A. Opaliski: 712
- Gary Simpson: 1,515 Incumbent Simpson first assumed office in 1999.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Gary Simpson: 13,198
District 19
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Eric R. Bodenweiser: 1,736
- Joseph Booth: 1,555 - Incumbent Booth first assumed office in 2009.
- Eric R. Bodenweiser: 1,736
Note: Eric Bodenweiser initially suspended his campaign, but then officially ended his campaign in October 2012. He was indicted on 113 felony charges on October 22, 2012.[4][5] He was replaced by Brian Pettyjohn on the ballot.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Jane E. Hovington: 6,605
- Brian Pettyjohn: 9,817
District 20
Incumbent George Bunting (D) did not seek re-election.
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- September 11 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Richard Eakle: 6,736
- Gerald Hocker: 14,290
District 21
- September 11 Democratic primary:
- Robert Venables Incumbent Venables first assumed office in 1989.
- Robert Venables
- September 11 GOP primary:
- Libertarian candidates:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Robert Venables: 8,955
- Bryant L. Richardson: 6,889
- John F. Potter: 187
See also
External links
- Delaware Department of Elections - Primary Election Candidate List
- Delaware Department of Elections - Official Primary Election Results
- Delaware Department of Elections - 2012 General Election Candidates
- Delaware Department of Elections - Official General Election Results
Footnotes
- ↑ Follow the Money, Delaware
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Delaware Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ WDDE, "Redistricting plans for State House and Senate unveiled," May 19, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2012
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Eric Bodenweiser, Former Delaware State Senate Candidate, Indicted On Sexual Abuse Charges" accessed October 24, 2012
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Bodenweiser, indicted on sex charges, makes bail" accessed October 24, 2012
