Delaware State Senate elections, 2026

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2026 Delaware
Senate Elections
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GeneralNovember 3, 2026
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Elections for the Delaware State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

The Delaware State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas
Party As of March 2025
     Democratic Party 15
     Republican Party 6
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 21

Candidates

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

This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.

Primary

Delaware State Senate primary 2026
  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1
District 5
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 19
District 20

General election

Delaware State Senate general election 2026
  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1
District 5
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 19
District 20

Voting information

See also: Voting in Delaware

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


Competitiveness

This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Delaware. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Delaware

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 15 of the Delaware Code

Major party candidates

A major party candidate may be nominated in one of two ways: by filing a notice of candidacy or by being nominated at convention.[1]

Filing a notice of candidacy

To be nominated at the primary election, a major party candidate must file by this method. The candidate must first file a notice of candidacy. If filing for a statewide office, the candidate must file this form with the chair of the state committee of his or her party. If seeking district office, the candidate must file this form with the chair of the county committee of his or her party. The notice of candidacy must include the signature, printed name, and address of the candidate. A candidate must be a registered member of the party he or she is seeking to represent in the election.[2][3]

A major party candidate must file a copy of the original notice of candidacy with the state election commissioner and pay the party filing fee by noon on the second Tuesday in July. Filing fees are determined by the political parties but cannot be greater than 1 percent of the total salary for the entire term of the office being sought by the candidate.[3][4][5][6]

A candidate may file an in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition if he or she is considered indigent by the state. To be considered indigent by the state, the candidate must be receiving benefits under the Supplemental Security Income Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled, or the state election commissioner must determine that the candidate meets the income and resources test to receive such benefits. In order to determine indigent status, the candidate must provide copies of his or her income tax returns and must authorize the state election commissioner to receive any other information that might be needed from banks, credit reporting services, etc.[5]

The in-lieu-of-filing-fee petition must be signed by a number of registered voters equal to 1 percent of all registered voters in the election district(s) in which the candidate will appear on the ballot. These petitions cannot be circulated until after January 1 of the year of the election in which the candidate is running.[5]

Nomination at a party convention

A major party candidate may be nominated at a state convention only for offices for which no candidate has filed or for offices for which minor party candidates have been selected. A candidate nominated at a convention must be registered with the party he or she seeks to represent at the time of the convention. Conventions to nominate such candidates must be held before August 1 of the year of the election. If any candidates are nominated by convention, the presiding officer and secretary of the convention must submit a certificate of nomination to the state election commissioner by September 1 in the year of the election. If September 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, this certificate must be filed by the next business day.[1][7]

Minor party candidates

Minor party candidates are selected by conventions. To be nominated at a convention, a candidate must be a registered member of the minor party. These nominating conventions must be held on or before August 1 in the year of the election. For a candidate for statewide office, the party must file a nominating resolution with the state election commissioner by 4:30 p.m. on August 15 in the year of the election. For a candidate for a district office, the party must file a nominating resolution with the appropriate local election official by 4:30 p.m. on August 15 in the year of the election. A nominating resolution must contain the candidate's name and address and the office for which he or she was nominated. Certificates of nomination for each candidate must be filed by September 1 in the year of the election.[7]

Unaffiliated candidates

Unaffiliated candidates petition to gain access to the general election ballot. An unaffiliated candidate must collect signatures equal to 1 percent of all eligible voters as of December 31 of the year prior to the election. The petition can be circulated between January 1 and July 15 of the election year and must be filed with the department of elections in each county in which the petition was circulated. An unaffiliated candidate must also file a sworn declaration stating that he or she has not been affiliated with any political party for at least three months prior to filing as an unaffiliated candidate. This form is filed with the state election commissioner.[8]

Write-in candidates

Write-in candidates are only permitted to run in general or special elections. To have his or her votes counted, a write-in candidate must file a declaration form. If running for statewide office, the candidate must file this form with the state election commissioner. If running for a district office, the form must be filed with the appropriate local department of elections.[9][10]

A candidate cannot run as a write-in if he or she has already been placed on the general election ballot. Additionally, a candidate cannot run as a write-in if he or she withdrew as a candidate in the same election year.[10]

Residency requirements

A candidate for elective office must provide the state election commissioner with proof of residency. Proof of residency must show that the candidate lives in the district or area that the candidate seeks to represent.[11]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

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.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[12]
SalaryPer diem
$50,678/yearNo per diem is paid.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Delaware legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November (the day after election day).[13][14]

Delaware political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

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

Presidential politics in Delaware

2024

See also: Presidential election, 2024


Presidential election in Delaware, 2024
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D)
 
56.5
 
289,758 3
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R)
 
41.8
 
214,351 0
Image of
Image of
Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent Party)
 
0.9
 
4,636 0
Image of
Image of
Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L)
 
0.4
 
2,038 0
Image of
Image of
Vermin Supreme/Jonathan Realz (Conservative Party)
 
0.2
 
914 0
Image of
Image of
Jill Stein/Butch Ware (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.2
 
914 0
Image of
Image of
Peter Sonski/Lauren Onak (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
98 0
Image of
Image of
Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
96 0
Image of
Image of
Claudia De La Cruz/Karina Garcia (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
87 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
James Walker (no running mate) (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
6 0
Image of
Shiva Ayyadurai (no running mate) (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
4 0
Image of
John Cheng (no running mate) (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
4 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Cherunda Lynn Fox (no running mate) (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
2 0
Image of
Edward Shlikas (no running mate) (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
2 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Doug Jenkins (no running mate) (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
1 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Brent Alan Peterson (no running mate) (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
1 0

There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified.

Total votes: 512,912


2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020


Presidential election in Delaware, 2020
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)
 
58.7
 
296,268 3
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)
 
39.8
 
200,603 0
Image of
Image of
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)
 
1.0
 
5,000 0
Image of
Image of
Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G)
 
0.4
 
2,139 0
Image of
Ye (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
169 0
Image of
Brian T. Carroll (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
87 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Jade Simmons/Claudeliah Roze (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
28 0
Image of
Gloria La Riva (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
14 0
Image of
Mark Charles (no running mate) (Unaffiliated)
 
0.0
 
8 0
Image of
Barbara Ruth Bellar (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
7 0
Image of
Image of
Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
5 0
Image of
Shawn W. Howard (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
4 0
Image of
Dennis Ball (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
3 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Todd Cella (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
2 0
Image of
Princess Khadijah Maryam Jacob-Fambro (no running mate) (Unaffiliated)
 
0.0
 
2 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Mitchell Williams (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
2 0
Image of
President Boddie (no running mate) (Unaffiliated)
 
0.0
 
1 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Kathryn Gibson (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
1 0
Image of
Image of
Tom Hoefling/Andy Prior (Unaffiliated)
 
0.0
 
1 0
Image of
Deborah Rouse (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
1 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Kasey Wells (no running mate) (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
1 0

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 504,346


2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016
U.S. presidential election, Delaware, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 53.4% 235,603 3
     Republican Donald Trump/Mike Pence 41.9% 185,127 0
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 3.3% 14,757 0
     Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 1.4% 6,103 0
Total Votes 441,590 3
Election results via: Delaware Department of Elections


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


Redistricting following the 2020 census

On November 2, 2021, Gov. John Carney (D) signed Senate Bill 199 into law, enacting the state's new House and Senate district lines.[15] The Delaware General Assembly previously approved the final House and Senate map proposals on November 1, 2021.[16] The Delaware House of Representatives voted 40-1 in favor of the maps with state Rep. Michael Smith (R) voting against it. The Delaware State Senate approved the maps along party lines with all 14 Democrats in favor and all seven Republicans against.[16] These maps took effect for Delaware's 2022 legislative elections.


See also

Delaware State Legislative Elections News and Analysis
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Delaware State Executive Offices
Delaware State Legislature
Delaware Courts
2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020
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Delaware elections: 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
Partisan composition of state legislatures
Partisan composition of state senates
Partisan composition of state houses

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 33, Section 3301," accessed March 6, 2025
  2. ↑ Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3101A," accessed March 6, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3106," accessed March 6, 2025
  4. ↑ Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3101," accessed March 6, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3103," accessed March 6, 2025
  6. ↑ Delaware Elections, "Candidate Filing Fees," accessed March 6, 2025
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 33, Section 3303," accessed March 6, 2025
  8. ↑ Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 30, Section 3002," accessed March 6, 2025
  9. ↑ Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 34, Section 3401," accessed March 6, 2025
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 34, Section 3402," accessed March 6, 2025
  11. ↑ Delaware General Assembly, "House Bill 183," accessed March 6, 2025
  12. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  13. ↑ Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
  14. ↑ Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 4," accessed November 1, 2021
  15. ↑ Delaware General Assembly, "Senate Bill 199," accessed Nov. 15, 2021
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 WGMD, "Redistricting Legislation Passes in Delaware – Waiting for Governor’s Signature," Nov. 1, 2021


Current members of the Delaware State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Bryan Townsend
Minority Leader:Gerald Hocker
Senators
District 1
Dan Cruce (D)
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Democratic Party (15)
Republican Party (6)


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