Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2010
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Elections for the office of Delaware State House were held in Delaware on November 2, 2010. Elections were held in all of Delaware's 41 representative districts.
The primary nomination process for candidates wishing to run in these elections to gain the party's nomination were 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, representatives serve two-year terms with no term limits.
The incumbent representative ran for re-election in 36 of the 41 districts with elections in 2010. (87.80%)
The Delaware House was one of the few chambers where seats were gained by the Democratic party. Democrats gained two seats, slightly increasing their majority.
- See also: State house elections, 2010 and Delaware State Senate elections
November 2 General Election Results
The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:
- Dennis P. Williams
- Stephanie Bolden
- Helene Keeley
- Gerald Brady
- Melanie George Smith
- Debra Heffernan
- Bryon Short
- S. Quinton Johnson
- Rebecca Walker
- Dennis E. Williams
- Gregory Lavelle
- Deborah Hudson
- John Mitchell Jr.
- Peter Schwartzkopf
- Valerie Longhurst
- James Johnson (Delaware)
- Michael Mulrooney
- Michael Barbieri
- Robert Gilligan
- Nick Manolakos
- Michael Ramone
- Joseph Miro
- Teresa Schooley
- Edward Osienski
- John Kowalko
- John Viola
- Earl Jaques Jr.
- Lincoln D. Willis
- William Outten
- Darryl Scott
- E. Bradford Bennett
- Harold Peterman
- Donald Blakey
- David Wilson (Delaware)
- Harvey Kenton
- Ruth Briggs King
- Clifford Lee
- Daniel Short
- Gerald Hocker
- John Atkins
- William Carson Jr.
- Christopher Markey
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
Heading into the November 2 election, Democrats were the majority party in the Delaware House of Representatives:
| Delaware House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 24 | 26 | |
| Republican Party | 17 | 15 | |
| Total | 41 | 41 | |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state house in Delaware in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state house 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 | 88 | $2,583,173 |
| 2008 | 75 | $2,334,401 |
| 2006 | 79 | $2,156,700 |
| 2004 | 80 | $2,020,644 |
| 2002 | 83 | $1,824,680 |
In 2010, the total amount of contributions raised in house campaigns was $2,583,173. The top 10 overall contributors were:[2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ellis, David E | $83,043 |
| LaVelle, Gregory Francis | $52,700 |
| King, Stanley & Ruth | $30,000 |
| Manolakos, Nick T | $25,665 |
| Delaware Racing Association | $21,503 |
| Delaware Association of Realtors | $20,731 |
| Kenton, Harvey & Jeanne | $20,000 |
| Delaware Education Association | $19,203 |
| Gallogly, Kay Wilde | $17,920 |
| Delaware Citizens for Economic Development | $14,700 |
Incumbency
Unopposed incumbents
16 incumbents (44%) faced no competition in the November 2 general election.
- 9 Democratic incumbents face no November challenger.
- 7 GOP incumbents face no November challenger.
Primary challenges
Only 5 incumbents (13.8%), all Democrats, faced competition in the September 14 primary. District 2 incumbent Hazel Plant lost to challenger Stephanie Bolden. The following 4 incumbents won their primaries:
- District 3: Incumbent Democrat Helene Keeley
- District 8: Incumbent Democrat S. Quinton Johnson
- District 10: Incumbent Democrat Dennis E. Williams
- District 27: Incumbent Democrat Earl Jaques, Jr.
Retiring incumbents
Five incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 36 incumbents (87.8%) ran for re-election. Of the 5 incumbents who did not seek re-election, 1 was a Democrat and 4 were Republican.
Incumbents who retired are:
- District 9: Incumbent Republican Richard Cathcart.
- District 24: Incumbent Republican William Oberle, Jr..
- District 29: Incumbent Republican Pamela Thornburg.
- District 36: Incumbent Republican V. George Carey.
- District 41: Incumbent Democrat John Atkins.
Qualifications
Article II, Section 3 of the Delaware Constitution states: No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-four 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 Representative 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 houses heading into the 2010 state legislative elections |
 |
District 1
September 14 Democratic primary:
- Dennis P. Williams Incumbent Williams was first elected in 1994.
September 14 GOP primary:
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 2
- Hazel Plant: 645. Incumbent Plant was first elected in 2000.
- Stephanie Bolden: 676
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 3
- Helene Keeley: 736
Incumbent Keeley was first elected in 1996.
- Robert Bovell: 590
- Helene Keeley: 736
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
Robert Bovell (Working Families): 669
District 4
- Gerald Brady Incumbent Brady was first elected in 2006.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 5
- Melanie Marshall Incumbent Marshall was first elected in 2002.
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 6
- Thomas Kovach Incumbent Kovach was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
Matthew John Flebbe: 97
District 7
- Bryon Short Incumbent Short was first elected in 2007.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Scott Gesty (Ind. Party of Delaware: 87
District 8
- S. Quinton Johnson: 791
- Valerie V. Jones-Rabb: 361
- S. Quinton Johnson: 791
November 2 General election candidates:
District 9
- Richard H. Griffiths: 258
- Rebecca Walker: 970
- John Marino: 1,522
- Anthony Mirto: 493
- John Marino: 1,522
Note: Incumbent Republican Richard Cathcart did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 10
- Kenneth R. Dargis, Sr.: 280
- Dennis E. Williams: 727
November 2 General election candidates:
District 11
- Joshua Samuel Schoenberg
- Gregory Lavelle Incumbent Lavelle was first elected in 2000.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 12
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- Deborah Hudson Incumbent Hudson was first elected in 1996.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 13
- John Mitchell, Jr. Incumbent Mitchell was first elected in 2006.
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Jeffrey Brown (Blue Enigma Party): 440
District 14
- Peter Schwartzkopf Incumbent Schwartzkopf was first elected in 2002.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 15
- Valerie Longhurst Incumbent Longhurst was first elected in 2004.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 16
- James Johnson Incumbent Johnson was first elected in 2004.
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 17
- Michael Mulrooney Incumbent Mulrooney was first elected in 1999.
- No Republicans filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 18
- Michael Barbieri Incumbent Barbieri was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 19
- Robert Gilligan Incumbent Gilligan was first elected in 1972.
- Vincent Ruff
November 2 General election candidates:
District 20
- Nick Manolakos Incumbent Manolakos was first elected in 2006.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 21
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- Michael Ramone Incumbent Ramone was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 22
- Joseph Miro Incumbent Miro was first elected in 1998.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 23
- Teresa Schooley Incumbent Schooley was first elected in 2004.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 24
- Kay Wilde Gallogly: 239
- Edward S. Osienski: 581
Note: Incumbent Republican William Oberle, Jr. did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 25
- John Kowalko, Jr. Incumbent Kowalko was first elected in 2006.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 26
- John Viola Incumbent Viola was first elected in 1998.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 27
- Earl Jaques, Jr.: 781
- James Maravelias: 434
- Earl Jaques, Jr.: 781
November 2 General election candidates:
District 28
- William Carson, Jr. Incumbent Carson was first elected in 2008.
- Karen Minner
November 2 General election candidates:
District 29
- George A. Phillips: 450
- Lincoln D. Willis: 1,156
Note: Incumbent Republican Pamela Thornburg did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 30
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- William Outten Incumbent Outten was first elected in 2004.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 31
- Darryl Scott Incumbent Scott was first elected in 2008.
- Ronald G. Poliquin: 535
- Ronald D. Smith: 549
November 2 General election candidates:
District 32
- E. Bradford Bennett Incumbent Bennett was first elected in 2008.
- William McVay McVay filed as a Democrat, Republican, and Libertarian but was removed from the Democratic and Republican primary ballot.[3][4]
November 2 General election candidates:
- William McVay (Ind. Party of Delaware): 204
District 33
- Robert Walls Incumbent Walls was first elected in 2006.
- Harold J. Peterman: 1,102
- Steven W. Rust: 855
- Harold J. Peterman: 1,102
November 2 General election candidates:
District 34
- Donald Blakey Incumbent Blakey was first elected in 2006.
Nonpartisan candidate:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Jonathan M. Marango (Ind. Party of Delaware): 262
District 35
- David Wilson Incumbent Wilson was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 36
Note: Incumbent Republican V. George Carey did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 37
- Ruth Briggs King Incumbent King was first elected in September 2009.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 38
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- Gerald Hocker Incumbent Hocker was first elected in 2002.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 39
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- Daniel Short Incumbent Short was first elected in 2002.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 40
- No Democrats filed to run for this seat.
- Clifford Lee Incumbent Lee was first elected in 1990.
November 2 General election candidates:
District 41
- John Atkins Incumbent Atkins was first elected in 2008.
November 2 General election candidates:
See also
- Delaware House of Representatives
- Delaware General Assembly
- 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 House of Representatives in the November 2, 2010 election
Footnotes