Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2018

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2018 Delaware
House elections
Flag of Delaware.png
GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimarySeptember 6, 2018
Past election results
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2018 elections
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Democrats maintained their supermajority in the Delaware House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, winning 26 seats to Republicans' 15. As of 2018, a party needed to control 25 seats to hold a three-fifths supermajority.

All 41 House seats were up for election in 2018. Heading into the election, Democrats controlled 25 seats and Republicans controlled 16 seats.

Democrats maintained their trifecta in Delaware by holding the state House, the state Senate, and the governor's office.

Delaware state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years.

The Delaware House of Representatives was one of 87 state legislative chambers with elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2017, three chambers in Virginia and New Jersey were up for election. In 2016, 86 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. Prior to 2018, the Delaware House of Representatives last held elections in 2016.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

See also: State legislative elections, 2018

The Democratic Party maintained control of both chambers of the Delaware General Assembly in the 2018 election. The Delaware State Senate was identified as a battleground chamber. Ten out of 21 seats were up for election. Democrats increased their majority in the state Senate from 11-10 to 12-9. One Republican incumbent was defeated in the general election.

The Delaware House of Representatives held elections for all 41 seats. The Democratic supermajority in the House of Representatives increased from 25-16 to 26-15. One Democratic incumbent was defeated in the primary and one Republican incumbent was defeated in the general election.

National background

On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.

  • Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.

Want more information?

Candidates

See also: Statistics on state legislative candidates, 2018

General election candidates

Delaware House of Representatives General Election 2018

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngNnamdi Chukwuocha

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngStephanie Bolden (i)

District 3

Green check mark transparent.pngSherry Dorsey Walker

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngGerald Brady (i)

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngKendra Johnson

District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngDebra Heffernan (i)

Jeffrey Olmstead

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngRaymond Seigfried

Eric Braunstein

Scott Gesty (Libertarian Party)

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngS. Quinton Johnson (i)

Dan Zitofsky

Cody McNutt (Libertarian Party)

District 9

Monique Johns

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Hensley (i)

District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngSean Matthews (i)

Erin Wienner

District 11

Paul Thornburg

Green check mark transparent.pngJeffrey Spiegelman (i)

District 12

Green check mark transparent.pngKrista Griffith

Deborah Hudson (i)

District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Mitchell Jr. (i)

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngPeter Schwartzkopf (i)

James DeMartino

District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngValerie Longhurst (i)

Amy Merlino (Libertarian Party)

District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngFranklin Cooke Jr.

Albert Ament

District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngMelissa Minor-Brown

District 18

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Bentz (i)

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngKimberly Williams (i)

James Startzman Jr.

District 20

John Bucchioni  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Smyk (i)

Harry Smouse Jr. (Libertarian Party)

District 21

Stephanie Barry

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Ramone (i)

District 22

Guillermina Gonzalez

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Smith

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Baumbach (i)  Candidate Connection

District 24

Green check mark transparent.pngEdward S. Osienski (i)

William Dilks Sr.  Candidate Connection

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Kowalko Jr. (i)

Bryan Rash  Candidate Connection

District 26

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Viola (i)

Justin Cruice

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngEarl Jaques Jr. (i)

William Hinds (Libertarian Party)

District 28

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Carson Jr. (i)

Charlotte Middleton

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Bush

Robin Hayes

District 30

Charles Groce

Green check mark transparent.pngShannon Morris

District 31

Green check mark transparent.pngSean Lynn (i)

David Anderson  Candidate Connection

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngAndria Bennett (i)

Cheryl Precourt

District 33

James Todd Webb

Green check mark transparent.pngCharles Postles (i)

District 34

Ade Kuforiji

Green check mark transparent.pngLyndon Dean Yearick (i)

William McVay (Libertarian Party)

District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngJesse Vanderwende

District 36

Donald Allan Jr.

Green check mark transparent.pngBryan Shupe

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngRuth Briggs King (i)

District 38

Meghan Kelly  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngRonald Gray (i)

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Short (i)

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngTimothy Dukes (i)

District 41

S. Bradley Connor

Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Collins (i)

Write-in candidates

Primary candidates

Delaware House of Representatives Primary Election 2018

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Charles Potter Jr. (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngNnamdi Chukwuocha

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngStephanie Bolden (i)
U'Gundi Jacobs

District 3

Green check mark transparent.pngSherry Dorsey Walker
Paul Falkowski
James Hunter Miller

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngGerald Brady (i)

District 5

Aja Ajavon
Green check mark transparent.pngKendra Johnson
William Resto Jr.

Did not make the ballot:
Y. Deneice Berry 

District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngDebra Heffernan (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngJeffrey Olmstead

District 7

Joe Daigle
Catherine Imburgia
Rose Izzo
Larry Lambert
Green check mark transparent.pngRaymond Seigfried

Green check mark transparent.pngEric Braunstein

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngS. Quinton Johnson (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngDan Zitofsky

District 9

Debbie Harrington
Green check mark transparent.pngMonique Johns
Jim Ryan

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Hensley (i)

District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngSean Matthews (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngErin Wienner

District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Thornburg

Green check mark transparent.pngJeffrey Spiegelman (i)

District 12

Rachel Blumenfeld
Green check mark transparent.pngKrista Griffith

Green check mark transparent.pngDeborah Hudson (i)

District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Mitchell Jr. (i)

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngPeter Schwartzkopf (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngJames DeMartino

District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngValerie Longhurst (i)

District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngFranklin Cooke Jr.
C. Linwood Jackson
Jakim Mohammed

Green check mark transparent.pngAlbert Ament

District 17

Michael Burns
Green check mark transparent.pngMelissa Minor-Brown
David Roberts

District 18

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Bentz (i)

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngKimberly Williams (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Megan O'Donnell 

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Startzman Jr.

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Bucchioni  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Smyk (i)

District 21

Green check mark transparent.pngStephanie Barry

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Ramone (i)

District 22

Green check mark transparent.pngGuillermina Gonzalez
Renee Taschner

Katherine Beard
Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Smith

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Baumbach (i)  Candidate Connection

District 24

Green check mark transparent.pngEdward S. Osienski (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Dilks Sr.  Candidate Connection

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Kowalko Jr. (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngBryan Rash  Candidate Connection

District 26

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Viola (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngJustin Cruice

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngEarl Jaques Jr. (i)

District 28

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Carson Jr. (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngCharlotte Middleton

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Bush

Green check mark transparent.pngRobin Hayes

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngCharles Groce

Green check mark transparent.pngShannon Morris

District 31

Green check mark transparent.pngSean Lynn (i)
Ralph Taylor

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Anderson  Candidate Connection
M. Jean Dowding

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngAndria Bennett (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngCheryl Precourt

District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Todd Webb

Green check mark transparent.pngCharles Postles (i)

District 34

Green check mark transparent.pngAde Kuforiji

Green check mark transparent.pngLyndon Dean Yearick (i)

District 35

Robert Mitchell
Green check mark transparent.pngJesse Vanderwende

District 36

Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Allan Jr.

Green check mark transparent.pngBryan Shupe

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngRuth Briggs King (i)

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngMeghan Kelly  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngRonald Gray (i)

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Short (i)

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngTimothy Dukes (i)

District 41

Green check mark transparent.pngS. Bradley Connor

Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Collins (i)

Margins of victory

See also: Margin of victory analysis for the 2018 state legislative elections

A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 Delaware House of Representatives races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.

The table below presents the following figures for each party:

  • Elections won
  • Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
  • Elections won without opposition
  • Average margin of victory[1]
Delaware House of Representatives: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis
Party Elections won Elections won by less than 10% Unopposed elections Average margin of victory[1]
Democratic Party Democratic
26
1
9
36.8%
Republican Party Republican
15
2
4
19.7%
Grey.png Other
0
0
0
N/A
Total
41
3
13
28.3%



The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).

Delaware House of Representatives: 2018 Margin of Victory by District
District Winning Party Losing Party Margin of Victory
Delaware House of Representatives District 22
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
1.2%
Delaware House of Representatives District 21
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
4.2%
Delaware House of Representatives District 12
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
6.3%
Delaware House of Representatives District 20
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
13.1%
Delaware House of Representatives District 29
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
15.5%
Delaware House of Representatives District 9
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
17.4%
Delaware House of Representatives District 34
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
17.5%
Delaware House of Representatives District 33
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
21.0%
Delaware House of Representatives District 41
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
21.7%
Delaware House of Representatives District 32
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
24.7%
Delaware House of Representatives District 14
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
24.9%
Delaware House of Representatives District 8
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
27.2%
Delaware House of Representatives District 7
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
27.5%
Delaware House of Representatives District 30
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
29.5%
Delaware House of Representatives District 25
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
29.6%
Delaware House of Representatives District 36
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
29.6%
Delaware House of Representatives District 11
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
30.4%
Delaware House of Representatives District 6
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
30.7%
Delaware House of Representatives District 31
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
31.0%
Delaware House of Representatives District 38
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
31.5%
Delaware House of Representatives District 19
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
31.7%
Delaware House of Representatives District 28
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
36.0%
Delaware House of Representatives District 10
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
37.4%
Delaware House of Representatives District 24
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
38.7%
Delaware House of Representatives District 26
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
47.8%
Delaware House of Representatives District 27
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
70.7%
Delaware House of Representatives District 16
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
70.8%
Delaware House of Representatives District 15
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
75.8%
Delaware House of Representatives District 13
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 18
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 23
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 37
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 39
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 4
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 40
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 35
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 1
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 2
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 3
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 5
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Delaware House of Representatives District 17
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed


Seats flipped

See also: State legislative seats that changed party control, 2018

The below map displays each seat in the Delaware House of Representatives which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2018, Delaware House of Representatives
District Incumbent 2018 winner Direction of flip
Delaware House of Representatives District 12 Republican Party Deborah Hudson Democratic Party Krista Griffith R to D

Incumbents retiring

Ten incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018.[2] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Current Office
Helene Keeley Electiondot.png Democratic House District 3
Melanie George Smith Electiondot.png Democratic House District 5
Bryon Short Electiondot.png Democratic House District 7
James Johnson Electiondot.png Democratic House District 16
Michael Mulrooney Electiondot.png Democratic House District 17
Joseph Miro Ends.png Republican House District 22
Trey Charles Paradee Electiondot.png Democratic House District 29
William Outten Ends.png Republican House District 30
David Wilson Ends.png Republican House District 35
Harvey R. Kenton Ends.png Republican House District 36

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.[3]

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.[4][5]

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.[5][6][7][8]

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.[7]

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.[7]

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.[3][9]

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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11][12]

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.[12]

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.[13]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

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."

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[14]
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).[15][16]

Delaware political history

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

Party control

2018

In the 2018 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the Delaware House of Representatives from 25-16 to 26-15.

Delaware House of Representatives
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 25 26
     Republican Party 16 15
Total 41 41

2016

Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held a 25-16 majority, which was the same majority they held following the 2014 elections. Twenty-five votes are needed for a three-fifths supermajority, which is the margin required to override a gubernatorial veto in Delaware.

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

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. Democrats in Delaware gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2008 elections, when they took control of the state House.

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

Political context of the 2018 elections

Key issues

2017 budget conflict

See also: State budget conflicts, 2017

Delaware faced a potential government shutdown due to the budget conflict before the start of the 2018 fiscal year, which began on July 1, 2017.

  • On the morning of July 3, 2017, Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) signed into law a budget passed by the Legislature on July 2, 2017. The state began the 2018 fiscal year without an annual budget in place and was one of six states Ballotpedia tracked in 2017 that were on the verge of a partial government shutdown or the implementation of spending cuts to nonessential government services. The Legislature passed a temporary funding package on July 1, 2017, in order to avoid a partial government shutdown. Delaware’s budget debate throughout the 2017 regular session centered largely on Democratic proposals to raise the personal income tax rate and Republican proposals to alter the state’s prevailing wage laws—neither of which ultimately made it into the final budget. Lawmakers agreed to a series of tax increases on real estate sales, alcohol, and cigarettes in order to address a projected $390 million shortfall.[17][18]

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

State legislative wave elections
Year President Party Election type State legislative seats change Elections analyzed[19]
1932 Hoover R Presidential -1,022 7,365
1922 Harding R First midterm -907 6,907
1966 Johnson D First midterm[20] -782 7,561
1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -769 7,179
1958 Eisenhower R Second midterm -702 7,627
2010 Obama D First midterm -702 7,306
1974 Ford R Second midterm[21] -695 7,481
1920 Wilson D Presidential -654 6,835
1930 Hoover R Presidential -640 7,361
1954 Eisenhower R First midterm -494 7,513

Competitiveness

Every year, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.

Results from 2016

Click here to read the full study »


Historical context

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of three Delaware counties—33.33 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Kent County, Delaware 4.87% 4.94% 9.81%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Delaware with 53.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 41.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Delaware voted Republican 53.33 percent of the time and Democratic 46.67 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Delaware voted Democratic all five times.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Delaware. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[22][23]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 28 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 35.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 27 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 31.7 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 13 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 12.8 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 14 out of 41 state House districts in Delaware with an average margin of victory of 22.3 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Excludes unopposed elections
  2. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 33, Section 3301," accessed March 6, 2025
  4. Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3101A," accessed March 6, 2025
  5. 5.0 5.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3106," accessed March 6, 2025
  6. Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3101," accessed March 6, 2025
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I, Section 3103," accessed March 6, 2025
  8. Delaware Elections, "Candidate Filing Fees," accessed March 6, 2025
  9. 9.0 9.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 33, Section 3303," accessed March 6, 2025
  10. Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 30, Section 3002," accessed March 6, 2025
  11. Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 34, Section 3401," accessed March 6, 2025
  12. 12.0 12.1 Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 34, Section 3402," accessed March 6, 2025
  13. Delaware General Assembly, "House Bill 183," accessed March 6, 2025
  14. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  15. Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
  16. Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 4," accessed November 1, 2021
  17. Delaware State News, "It’s official: Carney signs $4.11 billion budget," July 3, 2017
  18. Delaware State News, "Legislature compromises, passes budget," July 3, 2017
  19. The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
  20. Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
  21. Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
  22. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  23. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


Current members of the Delaware House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Melissa Minor-Brown
Majority Leader:Kerri Harris
Minority Leader:Timothy Dukes
Representatives
District 1
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
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
Sean Lynn (D)
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
Democratic Party (27)
Republican Party (14)