Delaware state legislative special elections, 2017
A special election to fill a vacancy in the 10th District in the Delaware State Senate took place on February 25, 2017. The officeholder who vacated the seat, Bethany Hall-Long, was a Democrat. She was elected as the lieutenant governor of Delaware in the November 2016 elections. In the special election, Democrat Stephanie Hansen defeated Republican John Marino.
The February 25 special election took on greater importance than usual for a state legislative special election. In the context of national politics, the race was one of the first state legislative elections to take place after Republican Donald Trump took office as president of the United States on January 20, 2017. Democratic groups sought to make the election a referendum on Trump's first months in office. In the context of state politics, partisan control of the Delaware Senate was on the line. Delaware Democrats entered into the November 2016 elections with a 12-to-nine majority in the Senate but exited with a narrower 11-to-10 majority after Republicans managed to win a seat previously held by Democrats. Hall-Long's departure to take up her new position as lieutenant governor on January 17, 2017, left the chamber split 10 to 10. The February 25 special election offered Republicans the opportunity to take control of the Delaware State Senate for the first time in more than four decades.[1]
Read more about the national and state political context of the February 25 special election below.
Election results
| Delaware State Senate, District 10, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Stephanie Hansen |
58.1% | 7,315 | |
| Republican | John Marino | 40.8% | 5,127 | |
| Libertarian | Joseph Lanzendorfer | 1.1% | 139 | |
| Total Votes | 12,581 | |||
| Source: Delaware Department of Elections | ||||
How vacancies are filled in Delaware
If there is a vacancy in the Delaware General Assembly, the presiding officer of the house in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election within 10 days of the creation of the vacancy. The election must be called for no less than 30 days but no more than 35 days after the writ for the special election has been issued. The governor may issue a writ if the legislature is not in session.[2]
See sources: Delaware Code Ann. tit. 15, § 7101
About the legislature
The Delaware General Assembly is the state legislature of Delaware. It is composed of the Delaware State Senate, with 21 senators, and the Delaware House of Representatives, with 41 representatives. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2016 elections. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).
| Delaware State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 12 | 11[3] | |
| Republican Party | 9 | 10 | |
| Vacancy | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 21 | |
| Delaware House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 25 | 25 | |
| Republican Party | 15 | 16 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 41 | 41 | |
Delaware special elections
February 25, 2017
| ☑ Delaware State Senate District 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A special election for the position of Delaware State Senate District 10 was held on February 25, 2017.[4][5]
The seat became vacant following Bethany Hall-Long's (D) election as lieutenant governor of Delaware. Stephanie Hansen (D) defeated John Marino (R) and Joseph Lanzendorfer (L) in the special election.[4][6]
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Political context of the District 10 special election
Partisan control of the Delaware State Senate was on the line in the February 25 special election, as Democrats and Republicans battled to establish a one-member majority in the chamber. In the November 2016 general election, Democrats’ 12-to-nine majority in the Senate shrunk to 11 to 10, as Republican Anthony Delcollo defeated Democratic Senate President Patricia Blevins in District 7, 50.5 to 49.5 percent. The partisan balance then became deadlocked at 10 to 10 after Democratic Sen. Bethany Hall-Long vacated her District 10 seat to become Delaware’s lieutenant governor. In the Delaware Senate, the lieutenant governor has the power of casting tie-breaking votes, giving Democrats a narrow majority in the interim between Hall-Long’s resignation and the swearing-in of her successor. Democrat Stephanie Hansen's victory in the special election allowed Democrats to regain an 11 to 10 majority in the Senate and to defend their trifecta in the state.
| Partisan control of Delaware State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before the vacancy | Leading up to the election | After the election* |
| 11 | 10 | 11 | |
| 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Vacancy | 0 | 1 | 0 |
*Note: The After the election column reflects the partisan balance of the chamber based on the special election's results. These numbers may not be current. For the most up-to-date numbers, see here (Senate) and here (House).
A brief history of Delaware politics
Delaware began trending Democratic in both state and federal politics in the 1990s. Democratic control of the state Senate, however, began in the early 1970s. In every election between 1974 and 2016, Democrats won control of the Delaware State Senate.[7] In the House, Republicans were dominant until 2008. Democrats won majorities in the House in every election between 2008 and 2016, and they won the governorship in every election between 1992 and 2016. With Democrats’ takeover of the House in 2008, they established a state government trifecta in Delaware, meaning Democrats controlled both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s mansion. They defended their trifecta in 2012 and in 2016. Within that same timespan—2008 to 2016—Democrats performed well in federal elections in Delaware, too. The state backed Democratic presidential candidates in every election from 1992 to 2016, and Democrats controlled the state’s entire congressional delegation in the 112th, 113th, 114th, and 115th Congresses (2011-2017).
The 10th Senate District
Where does the 10th District fit it into Delaware's political history? In elections between 2008 and 2016, it followed the statewide trend toward Democrats, but when the seat was up for election in 2014, the race was competitive.
District 10, with a population in the range of 45,000, is located in New Castle County and sits in the northeastern portion of the state.[8] The district shares its western border with Maryland. The northern part of the district, through which Interstate 95 crosses, encompasses parts of Newark, a city of about 30,000 people. In the center of the district is the unincorporated area of Glasgow, while parts of the town of Middletown, with a population close to 20,000, make up the southernmost portions of the district. The regions between Glasgow and Middletown are predominantly rural. The district changed only slightly in the 2012 redistricting process. You can compare the 2002-2012 and 2012-2022 maps here and here.
Republicans controlled the District 10 seat consistently from 1972 until 2008, when Sen. Steve Amick announced his intentions not to run for re-election.[9] Democrat Bethany Hall-Long ran for the open District 10 seat in 2008 against Republican James Weldin. She won by close to 30 points. In 2012, she ran unopposed, but she faced a serious challenge in 2014 from Republican John Marino, who ran for the seat again in the February 25 special election. Hall-Long won narrowly, 51.1 to 48.9 percent—a total of 267 votes. Prior to the 2014 race, the last time the seat was closely contested was in 1992, when Republican incumbent James Neal defeated Democrat Marilyn Huthmacher, 52 to 46 percent.[10] In Delaware, state senators serve four-year terms, except in elections following redistricting when half of the chamber’s seats are up for two-year terms.
| District 10 Elections: 1970 - 2014 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election Year: | 1970 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1982 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1994 | 1998 | 2002 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2014 |
| Winning Party: | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D |
| Source: Delaware Department of Elections | |||||||||||||||
Voter registration
As of January 2017, Democrats had a registration advantage over Republicans in District 10. Out of a total of 35,605 registered voters, there were 16,126 registered Democrats, 10,102 registered Republicans, and 9,377 voters registered under other political designations.[11]
Presidential politics in District 10
In the 2016 presidential election, District 10 voters aligned with the rest of the state almost perfectly. Democrat Hillary Clinton won Delaware 53 to 42 percent, while she won District 10 by similar margins: 54 to 41 percent. Republican Donald Trump outperformed Clinton only in the south-central region of District 10, where the population is more sparse and rural. Third party candidates Jill Stein (G) and Gary Johnson (L) won 1 and 4 percent, respectively—almost identical to their statewide performances.[12]
New Castle County as a whole—which includes District 10—backed Clinton over Trump 62 to 33 percent. That margin was comparable to Barack Obama's 66-to-32 percent win over Republican Mitt Romney in New Castle County in the 2012 presidential race. Delaware's Kent County, directly south of New Castle, on the other hand, was one of more than 200 counties that backed Obama in 2008 and 2012 but backed Trump in 2016. In 2008, Obama won Kent County over Republican John McCain, 54 to 45 percent. In 2012, he won it 52 to 47 percent. Trump won Kent County in 2016, 50 to 45 percent.[13][14][15]
Presidential politics—and presidential politicians—were not absent from the District 10 special election. Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) endorsed Democratic candidate Stephanie Hansen. Biden represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009. At a campaign event on February 13, 2017, Biden said of Hansen, "This woman gets it. The action for the next two years to defend the rights of working people, the rights of women, the rights of minorities, the rights of LGBT people, people counting on Medicaid, they are going to have to be defended and protected by the states. And people like Stephanie are the ones who are going to do it." Former Governor of Maryland and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley also endorsed Hansen, saying at a campaign event on February 11, 2017, "When you're out there knocking on doors for Stephanie, know that you're knocking on doors for their country that we care about, that country that says everybody gets a fair shot. Fight as if the future of our country depends on it, because it just might."[16]
President Trump was also a factor in the race. In a debate that took place on February 1, 2017, the candidates were asked to clarify their stances on an executive order issued by Trump on January 27, 2017. The order impacted refugee admissions and immigrant and nonimmigrant travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Democrat Stephanie Hansen stated that she opposed the executive order, saying, "I think that the immigrant ban is horrible," adding that she believed the state should oppose it and that she would support using state funds to do so. Libertarian Joseph Lanzendorfer agreed and called the order "unamerican." Republican John Marino emphasized that the executive order was a national issue and that he preferred to focus on state issues but also stated, "We must make sure that taxpayer resources are first utilized for the citizens of the state of Delaware."[17] On the same day as the debate, Delaware Attorney General Matthew Denn (D) announced that Delaware would provide assistance for a federal lawsuit filed by the state of Washington challenging Trump's executive order.[18]
As one of the first state legislative elections to take place after Trump officially took office in January 2017, the District 10 race had the potential to offer a preview of how competitive down-ballot races would play out during Trump's first term. Moreover, some Democratic groups sought to make the election into a referendum on Trump.[19] It's not uncommon for the party that holds The White House to lose ground in state legislative elections. As the table below shows, while Obama was in The White House, the Democratic Party lost 968 state legislative seats, more than any other two-term presidential administration in the sixty years that preceded Obama's presidency. On top of this, Republicans came out of the November 2016 elections with government trifectas in 25 states, meaning that they controlled both chambers of the legislature and the governor's mansion in those states. Democrats came away with six trifectas, including Delaware.
Special state legislative elections, however, don't always follow the larger trends found in general elections for state legislatures. In the 2016 general election, for example, Republicans gained a net total of 43 state legislative seats. But, in the 66 state legislative special elections that took place in 2016, Republicans actually lost a net total of three seats.
Candidates and policy stances
Stephanie Hansen (D)
| Stephanie Hansen, an environmental attorney, served as the president of the New Castle County Council from 1996 to 2001 and was the founder and president of the Bear Glasgow Council of Civic Organizations. She has a law degree from Widener University and is a graduate of the University of Delaware. After receiving the Democratic nomination for the District 10 seat, Hansen stated, "The possibility that we could lose control of the Senate, that's a concern to me. I believe we're the party of working families, a clean environment and a great public school system, and I want to make sure that I'm doing what I can to defend those ideals."[20]
On her campaign website, Hansen listed as key priorities new job training programs, preserving farms and open spaces, lessening state testing in local education, encouraging dual-enrollment classes in high schools, a new mental health and addiction treatment center, and maintaining property tax credits for senior citizens.[21] At a debate on February 1, 2017, Hansen criticized right-to-work legislation, saying, "Let's call it what it is. It's right to work for less." She also voiced support for raising the minimum wage. "With the current minimum wage in place, even someone working 40 hours a week could qualify for government benefits," said Hansen.[22][23] |
John Marino (R)
| John Marino, a realtor and former police officer, previously served for 10 years as the president of the board of the Lea Eara Farms and Summit Farms Maintenance Corporation. He ran for the District 10 seat in 2014, losing to incumbent Bethany Hall-Long (D) 51.1 to 48.9 percent. He also ran for the ninth district seat in the Delaware House of Representatives in 2010 but lost to Rebecca Walker (D), 51.3 to 48.7 percent. After receiving the Republican nomination for the District 10 seat in December 2016, Marino stated, "Delaware deserves much better than we've been getting from our state government, and I have a plan to get the results Delawareans deserve."[24]
On his campaign website, Marino listed as key priorities lowering corporate taxes, cutting regulations, minimizing state testing in local education, lowering Delaware's recidivism rate, reducing the state deficit, and ensuring private property rights.[25] Marino voiced support for right-to-work laws at a debate on February 1, 2017. He said, "We need to bring jobs back to Delaware, and this is one thing that would encourage them." He criticized proposals to raise the minimum wage, saying, "Our politicians have created a false narrative that they're trying to help the little guy, just to get votes ... The minimum wage is going to be more damaging for businesses, and more jobs will be lost."[23] |
Joseph Lanzendorfer (L)
| Joseph Lanzendorfer is a graduate of the University of Delaware, and his professional experience includes working in finance. Lanzendorfer described himself as "socially liberal and fiscally conservative," adding, "I believe in less government and more freedom."
On his campaign website, Lanzendorfer listed as key priorities advocating for a voucher system and school choice, eliminating franchise taxes for small businesses, encouraging clean energy development and competition, legalizing hemp farming in Delaware, and legalizing and taxing marijuana.[26] At a debate on February 1, 2017, he spoke about his views on education. He said, "I'm actually much more liberal on the issue of education than most libertarians," adding that if Delaware was to legalize and tax marijuana he would "want to make sure that it's earmarked for education." Speaking about what it would mean to have a member of the Libertarian Party in the Delaware Senate, Lanzendorfer stated, "My presence in the Senate alone would create the best of both worlds and better legislation for all."[23] |
Campaign finance
As of February 20, 2017, close to $1 million had been spent in the race. Campaign finance reports showed that the candidates had raised and spent the following amounts:[27]
- Stephanie Hansen: $414,000 (Raised); $231,000 (Spent)
- John Marino: $148,584 (Raised); $96,000 (Spent)
- Joseph Lanzendorfer: $2,434 (Raised); $1,669 (Spent)
As of February 21, 2017, a political action committee (PAC) backing Hansen called First State Strong had spent more than $550,000. A group supporting Marino called First State First had spent $35,267.[28]
These numbers exceeded fundraising for the District 10 seat in 2014. In that race, Marino reported $31,509, while Hall-Long reported $74,795.[27] According to a report from Delaware Online, Delaware Senate races have historically cost in the range of $50,000 per candidate.[29]
Special elections throughout the country
Between 2011 and 2016, an average of 70 special elections took place each year. A total of 25 states use special elections to fill legislative vacancies. In two other states—Illinois and Indiana—special elections are used in limited circumstances. The rest of the states fill vacancies either through appointments made by the governor of the state or by a commission made up of officials from the former member's party. In 2017, 98 state legislative seats were filled through special elections.
Breakdown of 2017 special elections
In 2017, special elections for state legislative positions were held for a variety of reasons:
- 46 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 1 due to an ineligible general election candidate
- 15 due to the incumbent accepting another job
- 22 due to a retirement
- 15 due to a death
The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:
- 46 Democratic seats
- 53 Republican seats
Impact of special elections on partisan composition
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. It is not typical to see significant net changes in overall state legislative party composition because of special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2016, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of three seats across the country, although actual races won and lost by each party varied more. For instance, in 2015, Democrats lost nine seats to Republicans but won six different seats in other races, resulting in a net loss of three seats.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not total vacant seats.
| Partisan Change from Special Elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
| Democratic Party | 45 | 56 | |
| Republican Party | 53 | 42 | |
| Independent | - | - | |
| Total | 98 | 98 | |
Flipped seats
In total, 17 state legislative seats flipped party control in 2017. Democrats flipped 14 seats and Republicans flipped three seats as a result of special state legislative elections in 2017.
Seats flipped from D to R
- Louisiana House of Representatives District 42 (March 25)
- Mississippi State Senate District 10 (November 28)
- Massachusetts State Senate Worcester & Middlesex District (December 5)
Seats flipped from R to D
- New Hampshire House of Representatives District Carroll 6 (May 23)
- New York State Assembly District 9 (May 23)
- Oklahoma State Senate District 44 (July 11)
- Oklahoma House of Representatives District 75 (July 11)
- New Hampshire House of Representatives District Belknap 9 (September 12)
- Oklahoma House of Representatives District 46 (September 12)
- New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 4 (September 26)
- Florida State Senate District 40 (September 26)
- New Hampshire House of Representatives District Hillsborough 15 (November 7)
- Georgia House of Representatives District 117 (November 7)
- Georgia House of Representatives District 119 (November 7)
- Washington State Senate District 45 (November 7)
- Oklahoma State Senate District 37 (November 14)
- Georgia State Senate District 6 (December 5)
See also
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- State legislative special elections, 2015
- Delaware State Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Special election gives Delaware GOP chance at Senate control," December 14, 2016
- ↑ Delaware Legislature, "Delaware Election Code," accessed May 22, 2014 (Statutes § 7101 and § 7104, Delaware Code)
- ↑ In the November 2016 elections, Sen. Bethany Hall-Long (D) won election for lieutenant governor of Delaware. She remained in office until shortly before being sworn in on January 17, 2017. The Delaware State Senate began its 2017 legislative session on January 10, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Delaware State News, "Ballot for Senate special election set," accessed January 19, 2017
- ↑ The Eagle, "Date set for Delaware State Senate special election," accessed January 25, 2017
- ↑ WDEL, "Libertarian to run for the vacant Middletown-area state Senate seat," accessed January 19, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Grapevine, "A Republican change," June 3, 2011
- ↑ Statistical Atlas, "Overview of State Senate District 10, Delaware," accessed January 26, 2017
- ↑ Newark Post, "St. Sen. Amick won't seek another term," April 24, 2008
- ↑ Delaware Department of Elections, "1992 General Election Results," accessed January 26, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Department of Elections, "Voter Registration Totals by Senatorial District," accessed January 26, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Department of Elections, "2016 Statewide Results by Election District," accessed January 26, 2017
- ↑ CNBC, "The places that flipped and gave the country to Trump," accessed February 6, 2016
- ↑ Axios, "Trump won in counties with failing businesses," January 20, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2008 Presidential General Election Results, Delaware," accessed February 6, 2016
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Biden, Democrats pull out stops for state Senate race," February 13, 2017
- ↑ WDEL, "Candidates for 10th District state Senate seat face off in WDEL debate," February 1, 2017
- ↑ State of Delaware, "Delaware Department Of Justice Statement On Litigation Over President’s Executive Order On Travel Into The United States," February 1, 2017
- ↑ Flippable, "Upcoming flippable elections," accessed February 6, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Democrats name contender for crucial Senate race," December 21, 2016
- ↑ Hansen for Senate, "Issues," accessed January 27, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Crowd provides fireworks at Middletown Senate debate," February 1, 2017
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Delaware Online, "Middletown race will decide control of state Senate," February 10, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Special election gives Delaware GOP chance at Senate control," December 14, 2016
- ↑ Marino for Senate, "Issues," accessed January 27, 2017
- ↑ Joe for Delaware, "Home," accessed January 27, 2017
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 State of Delaware, "Delaware Campaign Finance Reporting System," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Delaware special election spending nears $1 million," February 21, 2017
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Big bucks pour into Delaware Senate race," February 17, 2017
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