Delaware State Senate elections, 2010
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Elections for the office of Delaware State Senator were held in Delaware on November 2, 2010. Senate seats in eleven of Delaware's 21 districts were up for election in 2010. These districts were: 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, and 20.
The primary nomination process for candidates wishing to run in these elections to gain the party's nomination were held at state conventions held by the state's two major political parties in May. Candidates wishing to run as independents could submit nominating signatures up through July 30. The primary Election Day was September 14, 2010.
In Delaware, senators serve four-year terms with no term limits.
The incumbent senator ran for re-election in 11 of the 11 senate seats up for election in 2010. (100%)
Republicans picked up one seat in the 2010 election.
- See also: Delaware State Senate and State legislative elections, 2010
November 2 General Election Results
The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 2 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Delaware State Senate:
| Delaware State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 15 | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 6 | 7 | |
| Total | 21 | 21 | |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Delaware in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 19 | $643,813 |
| 2008 | 21 | $1,211,435 |
| 2006 | 22 | $979,107 |
| 2004 | 16 | $883,364 |
| 2002 | 44 | $1,485,767 |
In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in senate campaigns was $643,813. The top 10 overall contributors were:[2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bodenweisser, Eric R | $26,000 |
| Friends to Elect Joe Booth State Representative | $23,832 |
| Moritz, John A | $23,295 |
| Bunting Jr., George H | $11,500 |
| Booth, Joseph W | $10,000 |
| Cullis, Fred | $6,800 |
| Delaware Racing Association | $6,600 |
| Delaware Association of Realtors | $5,450 |
| Delaware Trial Lawyers Association | $4,800 |
| Astrazeneca | $4,600 |
Incumbency
Unopposed incumbents
3 incumbents (27%) faced no competition in the November 2 general election.
- 2 Democratic incumbents faced no November challenger.
- 1 GOP incumbent faced no November challenger.
Primary challenges
Two incumbents faced competition in the September 14 primary, both of whom won.
- District 19: Incumbent Republican Joseph Booth
- District 20: Incumbent Democrat George Bunting
Retiring incumbents
All 11 incumbent senators ran for re-election.
Qualifications
Article II, Section 3 of the Delaware Constitution states: No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-seven years and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State three years next preceding the day of his election and the last year of that term an inhabitant of the Senatorial District in which he shall be chosen, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this State.
List of candidates
| Partisan dominance in state senates heading into the 2010 state legislative elections |
 |
District 1
September 14 Democratic primary:
- Harris McDowell Incumbent McDowell was first elected in 1976.
September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republican candidates filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 5
- Catherine Cloutier Incumbent Cloutier was first elected in 2000.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 7
- Patricia Blevins Incumbent Blevins was first elected in 1990.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 8
- David Sokola Incumbent Sokola was first elected in 1990.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 9
- Karen Peterson Incumbent Peterson was first elected in 2010.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 12
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- Dorinda Connor Incumbent Connor was first elected in 1997.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 13
- David McBride Incumbent McBride was first elected in 1980.
- No Republican candidates filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 14
- Bruce Ennis Incumbent Ennis was first elected in 2007.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 15
- Nancy Cook Incumbent Cook was first elected in 1974.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 19
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- Eric R. Bodenweiser: 2,037
- Joseph Booth: 2,157
Incumbent Booth was first elected in 2009.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 20
- Perry J. Mitchell: 499
- George Bunting: 1,858
- No Republican candidates filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
See also
- Delaware State Senate
- Delaware State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2010
- Primary election dates in 2010
External links
- Official Delaware General Election Results
- Delaware 2010 primary election candidates
- Delaware 2010 general election candidates
- Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Delaware State Senate in the November 2, 2010 election
Footnotes