Delaware Primary Unofficial Results
The Delaware Primary election still unofficial and should be certified on Friday. Voter turnout was over 22% with 124,763 of 556,668 registered voters casting a ballot either by machine vote, absentee or early ballot.
In Sussex County – two County Council seats have gone to upset winners tonight.
SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL/DISTRICT 1
County Council President Mike Vincent was challenged by two candidates. Matt Lloyd who took nearly 58% of the vote over incumbent Mike Vincent who had just under 38% of the vote. Christie Shirey got into the race late – and ended with just over 4%. Lloyd is not challenged in the General Election – and will be sworn in to the County Council in January.
SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL/DISTRICT 2 was also an upset with incumbent Cindy Green falling to challenger Steve McCarron who grabbed over 58% of the votes. McCarron will also move on to his seat in the Council Chamber in Georgetown as he also is not challenged in November.
There was no primary race for the District 3 County Council seat, however voters in District 3 will go to the polls in November as incumbent Mark Schaeffer is challenged by Democrat Jane Gruenebaum.
STATE SENATE/DISTRICT 18
Incumbent Dave Wilson has held the lead over former Sussex County Sheriff Bob Reed throughout the night. Wilson will retain his seat in Dover winning with over 75% of the vote. He has no challenger in the November General Election.
STATE HOUSE/DISTRICT 14
Long time District 14 Representative and former Speaker of the House, Pete Schwartzkopf announced that he would retire at the end of his current term. Three Democrats are seeking his seat. Claire Snyder-Hall has held the lead since results began to arrive. Schwartzkopf threw his backing to former State Auditor Kathy McGuiness who trailed the pack with 26% of the vote. Marty Rendon grabbed 32% of the vote.
STATE HOUSE/DISTRICT 20
Georgetown resident Brian Jenkins filed to run against 1 term Representative Stell Parker Selby who came out of the gate with big numbers – and ended with 83% of the vote.
STATE HOUSE/DISTRICT 36 was the closest race of the night.
Representative Bryan Shupe started the night with over 55% of the vote, but those numbers have slowly fallen under a tough challenge from Patrick Smith of Ellendale. In the end, just 11 votes separate them. Shupe leads with 1156 to Smith’s 1145. Shupe will go on to face Democrat Rony Balthazar-Lopez in the General Election in November.
KENT COUNTY/REGISTER OF WILLS
Colin Bonini, who lost in his last election for State Senator in 2022 will take on the Kent County row office winning over 59% of the vote over Susanne Whitney who received nearly 41%.
KENT COUNTY/LEVY COURT – DISTRICT 5
Incumbent Commissioner George Jody Sweeney won over 59% of the vote over Susan Lanyon in a Democrat primary. He will return to the Levy Court – along with Democrat incumbents Joanne Masten in District 1 and Allan Angel in District 3 – none face a challenge in the November General Election.
US CONGRESS
Delaware will have a new representative in the US Congress in November with Lisa Blunt Rochester making a run for Senator Tom Carper’s US Senate seat. There was a primary election on both sides of the US Congress race. Sarah BcBride easily won the Democrat bid for the Congressional race with over 79% of the vote – and winning in all three counties over Earl Cooper and Elias Weir.
For the Republicans, John Whalen III who has served with the Delaware State Police and then built houses in Sussex County before retiring, edged out US Air Force Veteran Donyale Hall with nearly 56% of the vote
GOVERNOR
John Carney won two terms as Governor and has no option but to step down with the end of his term. There are 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans looking to take over the Governor’s office. Democrat Matt Meyer jumped out to a big lead as the results started to come in, but through the night those numbers have slowly decreased with former Lt. Governor Bethany Hall Long putting up a good fight. Meyer, with over 47% of the vote will move on to the November General Election – challenging former State Representative Mike Ramone, who held a commanding lead throughout the night and finished with over 72% of the vote over Jerry Price and Bobby Williamson
LT GOVERNOR
Three Democrats look to advance to the General Election. Kyle Evans Gay/attorney – and a former deputy attorney general and a State Senator grabbed 48% of the vote to win the nod in November. Sherry Dorsey Walker – 3rd District State Representative since 2018 – won nearly 37% of the votes and Retired US Army Colonel Debbie Harrington, a Desert Storm Veteran, won nearly 15% of the vote. Kyle Evans Gay will face Republican and former 37th District State Representative Ruth Briggs King in November.
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
Incumbent Trinidad Navarro will move on to the November General Election after winning with nearly 74% of the vote over Kayode Abegunde. Navarro will face Republican Ralph Taylor in November.
Click here to see the results of all the races in the Delaware Primary Election
