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United States House of Representatives election in Delaware, 2026

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2024
Delaware's At-large Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: July 14, 2026
Primary: September 15, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
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: Pending
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, 2026
See also
Delaware's At-large Congressional District
U.S. SenateAt-large
Delaware elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

The U.S. House of Representatives election in Delaware is scheduled on November 3, 2026. Voters will elect one candidate to serve in the U.S. House from the state's one at-large U.S. House district. The primary is September 15, 2026. The filing deadline is July 14, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.


Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

The primary will occur on September 15, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

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

Incumbent Sarah McBride is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on September 15, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

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

Earl Cooper, Donyale Hall, and Lee Murphy are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on September 15, 2026.


Candidate Connection = 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.

Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Delaware

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

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 has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Sarah McBride Democratic Party $2,419,367 $859,928 $1,766,566 As of September 30, 2025
Earl Cooper Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Donyale Hall Republican Party $534 $270 $263 As of September 30, 2025
Lee Murphy Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. 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.[1]
  • 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.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Delaware's At-large Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
12/16/202512/9/202512/2/202511/25/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe 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 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Delaware, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Delaware U.S. House Ballot-qualified party N/A 3480 7/14/2026 Source
Delaware U.S. House Unaffiliated 1% of eligible voters N/A 9/1/2026 Source

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General election

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

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

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

Total votes: 497,436
Candidate Connection = 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

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

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

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride
 
79.9
 
66,764
Earl Cooper
 
16.2
 
13,557
Image of Elias Weir
Elias Weir
 
3.9
 
3,286

Total votes: 83,607
Candidate Connection = 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

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

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

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

Total votes: 35,632
Candidate Connection = 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

General election

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

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lisa Blunt Rochester
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D)
 
55.5
 
178,416
Image of Lee Murphy
Lee Murphy (R)
 
43.0
 
138,201
Image of Cody McNutt
Cody McNutt (L)
 
1.0
 
3,074
Image of David Rogers
David Rogers (Nonpartisan Party)
 
0.6
 
1,958
Image of Scott Walker
Scott Walker (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
15
Image of Edward Shlikas
Edward Shlikas (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
3

Total votes: 321,667
Candidate Connection = 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

The Democratic primary scheduled for September 13, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for September 13, 2022, was canceled. Lee Murphy (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

General election

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

Incumbent Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) defeated Lee Murphy (R), Catherine Purcell (Independent), and David Rogers (L) in the general election for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lisa Blunt Rochester
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D)
 
57.6
 
281,382
Image of Lee Murphy
Lee Murphy (R)  Candidate Connection
 
40.2
 
196,392
Image of Catherine Purcell
Catherine Purcell (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
1.4
 
6,682
Image of David Rogers
David Rogers (L)
 
0.8
 
3,814

Total votes: 488,270
Candidate Connection = 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

The Democratic primary scheduled for September 15, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

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

Lee Murphy (R) defeated Matthew Morris (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Delaware At-large District on September 15, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Lee Murphy
Lee Murphy  Candidate Connection
 
73.8
 
39,179
Image of Matthew Morris
Matthew Morris  Candidate Connection
 
26.2
 
13,901

Total votes: 53,080
Candidate Connection = 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.

District analysis

  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 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.


See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is . This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were the national average. This made Delaware's At-large the district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Delaware's At-large Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
% %

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Delaware, 2024

Delaware presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 16 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 2024
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 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 October 2025.

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 October 2025.

State executive officials in Delaware, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Matt Meyer
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Kyle Evans Gay
Secretary of State Democratic Party Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez
Attorney General Democratic Party Kathy Jennings

State legislature

Delaware State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 15
     Republican Party 6
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 21

Delaware House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 27
     Republican Party 14
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 41

Trifecta control

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

Political context

This section will be updated with information about the political landscape in Delaware.


See also

Delaware 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Senators
Representatives
Democratic Party (3)