Full Breakdown
Delaware Primary Highlights Senate Race and Statewide Contests
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Senate Race Overview
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Coons is seeking a third full term and faces three Democratic primary challengers: University of Delaware history professor Jeff Appelhans, naval architect Mary Louve, and former Republican Senate nominee Eric Hansen, who appears on the ballot as “E. No-Trump Hansen.” Coons reported raising about $6.9 million for his campaign, while Appelhans raised roughly $1,500; Hansen and Louve have not filed any fundraising reports for this cycle (Associated Press).
On the Republican side, former state senator Michael Katz and U.S. Army Reserves Colonel John Shulli are competing for the nomination. Katz has raised about $159,000, compared with roughly $118,000 for Shulli (Associated Press).
Statewide Primary Context
The primary includes all 41 state House seats and roughly half of the 21 state Senate seats that will be contested in the 2026 election cycle. Democrats currently hold roughly a 2-to-1 majority in both chambers. Since the 1990s, Delaware has shifted heavily Democratic: Republicans have not won the governorship since 1988, a U.S. Senate seat since 1994, or the U.S. House seat since 2008. New Castle County, the state’s most populous region, contains Wilmington and the University of Delaware’s Newark campus, making it the pivotal prize in statewide contests (Associated Press).
Voter Participation Data
As of early September, Delaware had about 808,000 registered voters, including roughly 331,000 Democrats and 199,000 Republicans. In the 2024 gubernatorial primary, about 86,000 Democratic votes and 37,000 Republican votes were cast. Early-in-person and mail ballots accounted for roughly 26 % of Democratic primary voters and 23 % of Republican primary voters. By the time the Senate primary was underway, about 30,800 ballots had been cast—approximately 22,200 from Democrats and 8,500 from Republicans (Associated Press).
Official Reporting and Recount Rules
The Associated Press began posting primary results about 22 minutes after polls closed and completed counting by 11:30 p.m. ET. The AP will declare a winner only when no remaining votes could alter the outcome and does not issue projections. Automatic recounts are triggered in statewide primaries if the margin is under 1,000 votes; for other races, a recount occurs if the margin is under 1,000 votes or 0.5 % of the total vote, whichever is lower (Associated Press).
Outlook Toward the General Election
The primary determines the Democratic and Republican nominees who will face off in the November general election, where Republicans aim to break the Democratic lock on statewide offices. The next major electoral milestone is the 2026 midterm elections, scheduled 49 days after the primary (Associated Press).