4 races to watch in the Delaware primary

Delaware, the site of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, is the last state in the United States to hold its primary. | Olivier Douliery / AFP via Getty Images

The country’s first state is hosting the country’s last state primary on Tuesday.

Delaware may be the first state, but it has the last primary in the country.

The second-smallest state will conclude the nation’s primary season on Tuesday with several key state and county-level races, including primaries for the US Senate and a governor’s race.

The Democratic U.S. Senate primary features a now familiar dynamic, with a center-left incumbent taking on an insurgent progressive challenger who supports the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all. (Although the race here between Sen. Chris Coons and his challenger doesn’t seem as close as some of the House primaries we’ve seen in 2020.) Meanwhile, the state’s GOP Governors Primary is a six-candidate contest that will serve as a key ideological indicator for a seemingly declining Delaware Republican Party.

More than 100,000 missing ballots were requested for the state primary on Tuesday, and about 56,000 had already been returned last Wednesday, according to the State Department of Elections. The end of the state primaries will result in a compressed electoral season; the postal ballots for the general will have to be sent out only four days after the primary.

Polling stations close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and completed ballots must be received before polling day to be counted. Here are four main primary breeds that we watch in Delaware.

Moderate vs progressive: a familiar Democratic primary dynamic

Outgoing Democratic Senator Chris Coons was first elected in 2014, and in his six years in office he has earned a reputation as a moderate, albeit socially liberal, Democrat who has shown his ability to work across the aisle on key issues. . In his first re-election campaign, he faces progressive challenger Jess Scarane, a 35-year-old candidate who has been backed by America’s Democratic Socialists and campaigning for a Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all.

“The Senate race is interesting because as it is, it was kind of a scenario in the Democratic primaries where you have a more centrist incumbent challenged by a more progressive candidate,” the University of Delaware professor said. , Paul Brewer, an expert on local politics. Vox.

Brewer compared this year’s primary to a similar race two years ago between Sen. Tom Carper and progressive Kerri Evelyn Harris, in which the left-wing challenger got around 30 percent of the vote. “It’s substantial support. On the other hand, she didn’t come close to beating him in the primary, ”Brewer said. “One of the things to look for is [whether] Scarane gets closer to Coons. It would be a very big annoyance if she beat him.

While some recent Democratic primaries have turned bitter, Democrats in Delaware see these races differently. “We often wonder if the primaries are good for the party or bad for the party,” Delaware Democratic Party executive director Jesse Chadderdon told Vox. “More than anything, they symbolize what’s healthy about the holiday, which is this huge influx of new ideas and new energies.”

On the Republican side, James DeMartino and Lauren Witzke are clashing for the right to contest a Senate seat that Cook’s political report assesses in Democratic security.

Six-candidate Republican primary will test state party leadership

Ten years ago, the average Delaware statewide Republican candidate was generally moderate and pro-business, but according to Chadderdon times have changed. “I no longer know where that voice is in the party, the stereotypical Republican Chamber of Commerce.

However, Delaware Republican Party President Jane Brady told Vox that these types of politicians don’t match today’s Republican voters in the state. “I don’t think there are a lot of Republicans in Delaware who fit what I think is an outdated stereotype of who are Republican voters and who are Republican candidates,” she said.

Brady is excited about this year’s championship because she is working to expand the party’s electoral bench. Of the six candidates for primary this year, three candidates stand out. Scott Walker is a relative political underdog who made a name for himself two years ago when he won a surprise victory in the Republican primary for the State House race. He also has a history of making inflammatory remarks.

While showing up at US House in 2018, Walker wrote a long tirade on Facebook, calling Carper a “redneck,” accusing all Democrats of being racist, accused Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg of “hating Israel “, Challenging former vice president and Delaware native Joe Biden to a debate and calling him a” racist loser, “and calling his opposition Democratic representative Lisa Blunt Rochester” Aunt Tom. “

Walker faces a group of Conservative candidates, including State Senator Colin Bonini, who was the party’s candidate four years ago, losing to incumbent Democrat John Carney. But despite the presence of two former candidates from across the state in the race, neither succeeded in securing the approval of the state party. This went to Julianne Murray instead, who was the only one of the three to attend the State Party convention, where she gave an anti-mask and anti-lockout speech.

“There are some differences [between the candidates], but their perspective on the issues is similar enough that if you support any of them, you can support our ultimate candidate. I’m excited about this, ”Brady said.

Brewer is watching closely to see what voters in the state’s Republican Party are looking for this year. “It will be interesting to see what the Republican primary electorate really wants, because at the state level, they’ve had a bad 10 years,” Brewer said. “I’ve lived here for about nine years and not much has happened for the Republican GOP and Republican of Delaware. They have struggled to field credible candidates statewide.

Legislative races for counties and states to watch

In Delaware, the bulk of local government services are provided at the county level, making races for the three county governments particularly important in the state. The long primary season spawned marked intra-partial fault lines in several key county races.

In New Castle County, incumbent county manager Matt Meyer was criticized by unions when they felt he was not offering enough full support for a worker-written apprenticeship bill. He also upset the local police union during an ongoing contract dispute.

As a result, these groups recruited former JPMorgan employee and state employee Maggie Jones to challenge Meyer. Jones, a Democrat, is backed by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, which represents county police, supports Trump and is anti-Black Lives Matter.

In the state’s largest city, Wilmington, 29-year-old LGBTQ activist Sarah McBride is running for a Senate seat in the state’s First District. If elected, she would become the country’s first openly transgender state senator and Delaware’s first transgender elected official.

McBride first rose to prominence four years ago when she became the first openly trans person to address a major party convention at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

“My interest in politics and my interest in government have always been to make changes, whether in elected office or working for campaigns,” McBride told Vox last year. “It wasn’t a question of position or title… I just wanted to get things done.”

Despite facing a main challenger from Joseph McCole, who campaigned for the same seat last cycle, McBride is expected to win on Tuesday and take on the former Democrat and executive secretary of the Wilmington Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Steve Washington in November. , where she will be the favorite. But Democratic voters in her district, including Chadderdon, believe McBride would take the job seriously if elected.

“On a daily basis, when Sarah talks to voters, when issues are raised, [her identity] just isn’t coming, ”Chadderdon said. “There are people who are excited about its historical nature, I don’t want to minimize that. Just talking to my neighbors there is an excitement we have. We are going to be really well represented. “

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