Democratic Party primaries in Delaware, 2020

Elections in Delaware, 2020

• Primary date: Sept. 15
• Primary type: Closed
• Registration deadline(s): Aug. 22
• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No

• Early voting starts: N/A
• Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Sept. 15 (received)
• Voter ID: Non-photo ID
• Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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Date of Delaware presidential primary: July 7

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Local judges • 

2022 → ← 2018

Democratic Party primaries, 2020

Primary Date

September 15, 2020

Primary Runoff Date

N/A

Federal elections

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate

Democratic primaries for U.S. House

State party

Democratic Party of Delaware

State political party revenue

This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in Delaware on September 15, 2020. Click here for more information about the Republican primaries.

Note that the dates and terms of participation for presidential preference primaries and caucuses sometimes differ from those that apply to primaries for state-level and other federal offices, which are the subject of this article. For more information on this state's presidential nomination process, click here.

Federal elections

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Delaware, 2020 (September 15 Democratic primary)

The 2020 U.S. Senate elections in Delaware took place on November 3, 2020. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. Senate.

 Democratic primary candidates

• Chris Coons (Incumbent) ✔
• Jessica Scarane 

Did not make the ballot:

• Scott Walker

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

U.S. House

See also: United States House election in Delaware, 2020 (September 15 Democratic primary)

The 2020 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Delaware took place on November 3, 2020. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. House from the state's one at-large congressional district.

 Democratic primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Lisa Blunt Rochester (Incumbent) ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Anne Kerner

State elections

State Senate

See also: Delaware State Senate elections, 2020

The Delaware State Senate was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. To see a full list of state Senate candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

Delaware State Senate elections, 2020
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. * = The primary was canceled and the candidate advanced.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1	Sarah McBride   Joseph McCole	Steve Washington*
District 5	Denise Bowers Kyle Evans Gay   Eric Levin	Catherine Cloutier* (i)
District 7	Spiros Mantzavinos*	Anthony Delcollo* (i)
District 8	David Sokola* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 9	Jack Walsh* (i)	Todd Ruckle*
District 12	Nicole Poore* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 13	David McBride (i) Marie Pinkney	Alexander Homich*
District 14	Bruce Ennis (i) Kyra Hoffner Terrell Williams Did not make the ballot: Michelle Wall	Terrance Baker Craig Pugh
District 15	Jacqueline Hugg*	David G. Lawson* (i)
District 19	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Brian Pettyjohn* (i)
District 20	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Gerald Hocker* (i)

State House

See also: Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2020

The Delaware House of Representatives was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. To see a full list of state House candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

Delaware State House elections, 2020
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. * = The primary was canceled and the candidate advanced.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1	Nnamdi Chukwuocha* (i) Did not make the ballot: Charles Potter Jr.	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 2	Stephanie Bolden* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 3	Sherry Dorsey Walker* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 4	Gerald Brady (i) Amy Solomon	Jordan Nally*
District 5	Kendra Johnson* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 6	Debra Heffernan* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 7	Raymond Seigfried (i) Larry Lambert	James Haubrich*
District 8	Sherae'a Moore Matthew Powell   Yvette Santiago Did not make the ballot: Kenneth Boulden	Dan Zitofsky*
District 9	Debbie Harrington*	Kevin Hensley* (i)
District 10	Sean Matthews (i) Keith James	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 11	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jeffrey Spiegelman* (i)
District 12	Krista Griffith* (i)	Jeff Cragg*
District 13	John Mitchell Jr.* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 14	Peter Schwartzkopf* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 15	Valerie Longhurst* (i)	Michael Higgin*
District 16	Franklin Cooke Jr.* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 17	Melissa Minor-Brown* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 18	David Bentz* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 19	Kimberly Williams* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 20	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Stephen Smyk* (i)
District 21	Stephanie Barry*	Michael Ramone* (i)
District 22	Luann D'Agostino*	Michael Smith* (i)
District 23	Paul Baumbach* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 24	Edward S. Osienski* (i)	Gregory Wilps*
District 25	John Kowalko Jr.* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 26	John Viola (i) Gabriel Adelagunja Madinah Wilson-Anton	Timothy Conrad*
District 27	Earl Jaques Jr. (i) Eric Morrison	Donald Keister III*
District 28	William Carson Jr.* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 29	William Bush* (i)	Robin Hayes*
District 30	Charles Groce*	Shannon Morris* (i)
District 31	Sean Lynn* (i)	Richard Harpster*
District 32	Andria Bennett* (i)	Cheryl Precourt*
District 33	Rachael King*	Charles Postles* (i)
District 34	Robert Haynes Ade Kuforiji	Lyndon Dean Yearick* (i)
District 35	Darrynn Harris*	Jesse Vanderwende* (i)
District 36	Greg Fuller*	Bryan Shupe* (i)
District 37	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Ruth Briggs King* (i)
District 38	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Ronald Gray* (i)
District 39	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Daniel Short* (i)
District 40	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Timothy Dukes* (i)
District 41	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Richard Collins* (i)

State executive offices

See also: Delaware state executive official elections, 2020

Three state executive offices are up for election in Delaware in 2020: governor, lieutenant governor, and insurance commissioner.

Governor

See also: Delaware gubernatorial election, 2020 (September 15 Democratic primary)

 Democratic primary candidates

• John C. Carney Jr. (Incumbent) ✔
• David Lamar Williams Jr. 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Lieutenant governor

See also: Delaware lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2020 (September 15 Democratic primary)

 Democratic primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Bethany Hall-Long (Incumbent) ✔

Insurance commissioner

See also: Delaware Insurance Commissioner election, 2020

 Democratic primary candidates

• Trinidad Navarro (Incumbent) ✔
• Kayode Abegunde 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Context of the 2020 elections

Delaware Party Control: 1992-2025
Seventeen 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	25
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	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	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	D

State party overview

See also: Democratic Party of Delaware

State political party revenue

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Delaware utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Delaware, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Delaware, an individual must meet the following requirements:

• The individual must be a United States citizen.
• The individual must be a resident of Delaware.
• The individual must be 18 years of age by Election Day.
• The individual must be mentally competent.
• The individual must not be under a felony sentence or convicted of a disqualifying felony.

According to the Delaware Department of Elections, "The voter registration deadline is the 4th Saturday before a Primary and General Election. Voter registration applications submitted via the voter portal, ivote.de.gov, by the deadline, or received by mail by the Department and postmarked by the deadline, will be considered to be submitted by the deadline."

Automatic registration

Delaware practices automatic voter registration through Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations and website. Individuals that complete an in-person or online application for a drivers license, learners permit, or identification card, or completes an in-person or online application to change their name or address on these documents, are atumatically registerd to vote. An individual whose eligibility and citizenship status have been confirmed by the DMV is also automatically registered.

According to the Department of Election's website, voters that are automatically registered are mailed a "“Notice of Automatic Voter Registration”, which includes a “Response to Automatic Voter Registration” form. AVR voters may use the form to update their voter registration, choose a party affiliation, or cancel their voter registration."

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Delaware has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Delaware does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Delaware, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Delaware does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "if you register to vote even though you know you are not eligible, you can be fined between $50.00 - $200.00 or imprisoned for 30 days to two years, or both."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The state's voter portal allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Delaware requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting.

As of July 2024, the state website said:

“

When arriving at a polling place, a poll worker will ask you for proof of identity. A photo ID is not required. Examples of acceptable IDs: Delaware Driver’s License Delaware Identification Card U.S. Passport Signed Polling Place card Signed Social Security card Signed vehicle registration Signed credit card with photo ... When arriving at an Early Voting Site, a poll worker will ask you for proof of identity. A photo ID is not required. Permitted forms of identification include current: Valid Photo ID Copy of utility bill Bank statement Government check, paycheck, or other government document that displays your address

”

Voters who do not present proof of identity can "sign an affidavit of affirmation that the voter is the person listed on the election district record," according to Delaware Code.

Early voting

Delaware permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

On June 28, 2024, the Delaware Supreme Court struck down a ruling from the Delaware Superior Court and reinstated early voting in the state. In a 5-0 decision, the court ruled that plaintiffs failed to prove that they would be harmed by laws permitting early voting, and therefore had no standing to sue. The decision, therefore, did not rule on the lower court's determination that early voting was prohibited by the Delaware Constitution. The court agreed to hear the case on an expedited basis to provide clarity to voters and election administrators before the November election. To read more about this case, see here.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

The deadline for eligible voters to request an absentee/mail-in ballot is no later than four days before an election.

According to the state's absentee/mail-in ballot application, an individual is eligible for any of the following reasons:

“

I am in public service of the United States (U.S.) or the State of Delaware, or I am a citizen of the U.S. temporarily residing outside the territorial limits of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, or such person’s spouse or dependent when residing with or accompanying such person, or absent from this State because of illness or injury while serving the armed forces of the U.S. I am in the armed forces of the U.S. or the merchant marine of the US., or attached to and serving with the armed forces of the U.S. in the American Red Cross or United Service Organizations. Due to the nature of my business or occupation. This reason includes: the business or occupaton of providing care to my parent, spouse, or child who is living at home and requires constant care due to illness, disability, or injury; students; and otherwise eligible persons who are incarcerated. I am sick or physically disabled (temporarily or permanently). I am absent from the district while on vacation. I am unable to vote at a certain Ɵme or on a certain day due to the tenets or teachings of my religion. I am otherwise authorized pursuant to the Federal Uniformed and Overseas Citzens Absentee Voting Act to vote by absentee ballot. I am otherwise authorized by federal law to vote by absentee ballot.

”

Certain of these voters are eligible for a permanent absentee/mail-in voting status and may request to be added to the permanent list on their ballot application.

On October 7, 2022, the Delaware Supreme Court struck down a state law allowing any registered voter to vote by absentee/mail-in ballot.

On eligibility, Article V, Section 4A, of the Delaware Constitution reads:

“

The General Assembly shall enact general laws providing that any qualified elector of this State, duly registered, who shall be unable to appear to cast his or her ballot at any general election at the regular polling place of the election district in which he or she is registered, either because of being in the public service of the United States or of this State, or his or her spouse or dependents when residing with or accompanying him or her because of the nature of his or her business or occupation, because of his or her sickness or physical disability, because of his or her absence from the district while on vacation, or because of the tenets or teachings of his or her religion, may cast a ballot at such general election to be counted in such election district.

”

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of three Delaware counties—33.33 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Kent County, Delaware	4.87%	4.94%	9.81%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Delaware with 53.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 41.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Delaware voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 46.67 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Delaware voted Democratic all five times.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Delaware. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 28 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 35.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 27 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 31.7 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 13 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 12.8 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 22.3 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state House district
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	90.63%	8.63%	D+82	87.34%	9.62%	D+77.7	D
2	92.21%	7.06%	D+85.1	88.72%	8.32%	D+80.4	D
3	88.46%	10.52%	D+77.9	84.86%	12.35%	D+72.5	D
4	59.01%	39.33%	D+19.7	62.94%	31.39%	D+31.6	D
5	83.11%	15.90%	D+67.2	78.51%	18.23%	D+60.3	D
6	60.77%	37.50%	D+23.3	60.56%	34.04%	D+26.5	D
7	64.21%	34.08%	D+30.1	61.76%	32.89%	D+28.9	D
8	60.00%	38.72%	D+21.3	54.75%	40.34%	D+14.4	D
9	51.62%	47.03%	D+4.6	46.45%	48.21%	R+1.8	R
10	60.49%	37.91%	D+22.6	58.39%	36.45%	D+21.9	D
11	44.38%	53.62%	R+9.2	34.07%	60.29%	R+26.2	R
12	48.50%	50.01%	R+1.5	53.04%	41.44%	D+11.6	R
13	69.88%	28.51%	D+41.4	59.74%	34.95%	D+24.8	D
14	50.16%	48.86%	D+1.3	50.08%	46.81%	D+3.3	D
15	66.88%	31.72%	D+35.2	61.89%	33.61%	D+28.3	D
16	86.44%	12.71%	D+73.7	79.69%	17.08%	D+62.6	D
17	75.35%	23.44%	D+51.9	67.45%	28.15%	D+39.3	D
18	73.77%	24.71%	D+49.1	66.80%	28.17%	D+38.6	D
19	63.86%	34.20%	D+29.7	54.36%	40.20%	D+14.2	D
20	46.68%	52.12%	R+5.4	42.84%	52.98%	R+10.1	R
21	58.87%	39.52%	D+19.3	53.84%	40.20%	D+13.6	R
22	50.65%	47.97%	D+2.7	51.53%	43.26%	D+8.3	R
23	59.53%	38.25%	D+21.3	59.93%	33.33%	D+26.6	D
24	67.87%	30.39%	D+37.5	59.76%	34.09%	D+25.7	D
25	63.13%	34.55%	D+28.6	59.44%	34.18%	D+25.3	D
26	73.18%	25.66%	D+47.5	67.83%	27.17%	D+40.7	D
27	61.16%	37.36%	D+23.8	56.68%	38.07%	D+18.6	D
28	61.47%	37.05%	D+24.4	52.86%	42.09%	D+10.8	D
29	52.73%	46.05%	D+6.7	47.38%	48.10%	R+0.7	D
30	38.81%	59.30%	R+20.5	28.57%	66.67%	R+38.1	R
31	63.67%	35.03%	D+28.6	61.48%	32.66%	D+28.8	D
32	63.41%	35.03%	D+28.4	57.28%	36.72%	D+20.6	D
33	45.67%	53.08%	R+7.4	37.57%	57.12%	R+19.5	R
34	46.85%	51.75%	R+4.9	42.61%	51.87%	R+9.3	R
35	39.90%	58.62%	R+18.7	32.25%	64.32%	R+32.1	R
36	43.06%	55.73%	R+12.7	36.10%	59.53%	R+23.4	R
37	46.44%	52.42%	R+6	37.67%	59.00%	R+21.3	R
38	36.85%	62.07%	R+25.2	32.78%	64.18%	R+31.4	R
39	41.34%	57.27%	R+15.9	34.48%	61.33%	R+26.9	R
40	37.36%	61.31%	R+23.9	26.76%	69.12%	R+42.4	R
41	42.12%	56.63%	R+14.5	33.75%	62.59%	R+28.8	R
Total	58.61%	39.98%	D+18.6	53.35%	41.92%	D+11.4	-
Source: Daily Kos

See also

2020 Elections

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