Delaware Attorney General election, 2014
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Delaware's 2014 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Attorney General • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • School boards • Candidate ballot access |
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September 9, 2014 |
November 4, 2014 |
Matthew Denn |
Beau Biden |
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Attorney General Down Ballot Treasurer, Controller, Auditor |
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The Delaware Attorney General election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Beau Biden (D) was first elected in 2006 and was eligible to run for re-election, though he opted not to seek a third term in 2014 in order to focus on running for governor in 2016.[1]
The race to replace Biden featured a crowded field headed by Lt. Gov. Matthew Denn (D) and attorney Ted Kittila (R). Denn and Kittila were joined by Green Party candidate Catherine Damavandi, Libertarian Party candidate John Machurek and independent candidate David Graham. Matthew Denn won the general election. Learn more about where the candidates stood on issues facing Delaware by jumping to the debates section.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Delaware utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[2][3][4]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Candidates
General election
Matthew Denn - Current Delaware Lieutenant Governor[5]
Ted Kittila - Attorney[6]
Catherine Damavandi - Attorney, former deputy attorney general
John Machurek - 2012 Libertarian Party candidate for Delaware House of Representatives
David Graham - Accountant, Delaware Department of Finance
Results
General election
| Attorney General of Delaware, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Matthew Denn |
52.8% | 121,410 | |
| Republican | Ted Kittila | 39.2% | 90,257 | |
| Green | Catherine Damavandi | 4.6% | 10,599 | |
| Independent | David Graham | 2.1% | 4,879 | |
| Libertarian | John Machurek | 1.3% | 2,984 | |
| Total Votes | 230,129 | |||
| Election results via Delaware Office of the State Election Commissioner | ||||
Debates
Debate media
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October 15 debate
Matthew Denn (D), Ted Kittila (R), Catherine Damavandi (G) and David Graham (I) discussed the state's heroin problem and their proposals for strengthening the office during a debate at Widener University Law School. Kittila and Damavandi agreed that the attorney general's office should target high-level dealers in the state to deal with the drug's growing use. Graham brought up a family member struggling with heroin addiction when bringing up the need for rehabilitation programs. Denn also argued on behalf of treatment programs that could stem the supply side of the problem.[7]
The candidates were asked to assign themes to their campaigns or potential administrations during the debate. Denn spoke about the need to improve the efficiency of the office while focusing on violent crimes. Kittila suggested that the office needed to reclaim its role atop the state's legal system. Damavandi stated that her administration would be focused on equal justice for every resident and Graham suggested that leadership and management would be necessary to continue the office's work.[7]
Past elections
2010
| 2010 Race for Attorney General - General Election[8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | 78.9% | ||
| Independent | Doug Campbell | 21.1% | |
| Total Votes | 258,434 | ||
2006
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | 52.6% | ||
| Republican Party | Ferris Wharton | 47.4% | |
| Total Votes | 253,214 | ||
Voter turnout
Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[10] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[11]
Quick facts
- According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[12]
- Forty-three states and the District of Columbia failed to surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
- The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).
- Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
- There were only 12 states that increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[13]
| Voter turnout rates, 2014 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Total votes counted | % voter eligible population | Top statewide office up for election | Size of lead (Raw votes) | Size of lead (%) |
| Alabama | 1,191,274 | 33.2 | Governor | 320,319 | 27.2 |
| Alaska | 285,431 | 54.4 | Governor | 4,004 | 1.6 |
| Arizona | 1,537,671 | 34.1 | Governor | 143,951 | 12.5 |
| Arkansas | 852,642 | 40.1 | Governor | 118,664 | 14.0 |
| California | 7,513,972 | 30.8 | Governor | 1,065,748 | 17.8 |
| Colorado | 2,080,071 | 54.5 | Governor | 50,395 | 2.4 |
| Connecticut | 1,096,509 | 42.5 | Governor | 26,603 | 2.5 |
| Delaware | 234,038 | 34.4 | Attorney General | 31,155 | 13.6 |
| District of Columbia | 177,176 | 35.8 | Mayor | 27,934 | 19.0 |
| Florida | 6,026,802 | 43.3 | Governor | 66,127 | 1.1 |
| Georgia | 2,596,947 | 38.5 | Governor | 202,685 | 8.0 |
| Hawaii | 369,554 | 36.5 | Governor | 45,323 | 12.4 |
| Idaho | 445,307 | 39.6 | Governor | 65,852 | 14.9 |
| Illinois | 3,680,417 | 40.9 | Governor | 171,900 | 4.9 |
| Indiana | 1,387,622 | 28.8 | Secretary of State | 234,978 | 17.8 |
| Iowa | 1,142,284 | 50.2 | Governor | 245,548 | 21.8 |
| Kansas | 887,023 | 43.4 | Governor | 33,052 | 3.9 |
| Kentucky | 1,435,868 | 44.0 | U.S. Senate | 222,096 | 15.5 |
| Louisiana | 1,472,039 | 43.8 | U.S. Senate | 16,401 | 1.1 |
| Maine | 616,996 | 58.5 | Governor | 29,820 | 4.9 |
| Maryland | 1,733,177 | 41.5 | Governor | 88,648 | 6.1 |
| Massachusetts | 2,186,789 | 44.6 | Governor | 40,361 | 1.9 |
| Michigan | 3,188,956 | 43.2 | Governor | 129,547 | 4.3 |
| Minnesota | 1,992,613 | 50.5 | Governor | 109,776 | 5.6 |
| Mississippi | 631,858 | 28.9 | U.S. Senate | 141,234 | 33.0 |
| Missouri | 1,426,303 | 31.8 | Auditor | 684,074 | 53.6 |
| Montana | 373,831 | 47.3 | U.S. Senate | 65,262 | 17.9 |
| Nebraska | 552,115 | 41.5 | Governor | 97,678 | 18.7 |
| Nevada | 547,349 | 29.0 | Governor | 255,793 | 46.7 |
| New Hampshire | 495,565 | 48.4 | Governor | 24,924 | 5.2 |
| New Jersey | 1,955,042 | 32.5 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| New Mexico | 512,805 | 35.7 | Governor | 73,868 | 14.6 |
| New York | 3,930,310 | 29.0 | Governor | 476,252 | 13.4 |
| North Carolina | 2,939,767 | 41.2 | U.S. Senate | 48,511 | 1.7 |
| North Dakota | 255,128 | 45.0 | U.S. House At-large seat | 42,214 | 17.1 |
| Ohio | 3,149,876 | 36.2 | Governor | 933,235 | 30.9 |
| Oklahoma | 824,831 | 29.8 | Governor | 122,060 | 14.7 |
| Oregon | 1,541,782 | 53.5 | Governor | 59,029 | 4.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,495,866 | 36.0 | Governor | 339,261 | 9.8 |
| Rhode Island | 329,212 | 42.2 | Governor | 14,346 | 4.5 |
| South Carolina | 1,261,611 | 35.2 | Governor | 179,089 | 14.6 |
| South Dakota | 282,291 | 44.9 | Governor | 124,865 | 45.1 |
| Tennessee | 1,374,065 | 28.6 | Governor | 642,214 | 47.5 |
| Texas | 4,727,208 | 28.3 | Governor | 957,973 | 20.4 |
| Utah | 577,973 | 30.2 | Attorney General | 173,819 | 35.2 |
| Vermont | 193,087 | 38.8 | Governor | 2,095 | 1.1 |
| Virginia | 2,194,346 | 36.6 | U.S. Senate | 16,727 | 0.8 |
| Washington | 2,123,901 | 43.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| West Virginia | 451,498 | 31.2 | U.S. Senate | 124,667 | 27.6 |
| Wisconsin | 2,410,314 | 56.5 | Governor | 137,607 | 5.7 |
| Wyoming | 168,390 | 39.3 | Governor | 52,703 | 33.6 |
Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.
Key deadlines
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 8, 2014 | Filing deadline (Democratic and Republican) |
| July 15, 2014 | Filing deadline (Other candidates) |
| September 9, 2014 | Primary election |
| November 4, 2014 | General election |
| November 6, 2014 | State Board of Canvass meets in Superior Court |
| January 6, 2015 | Inauguration day for state executive officials in general election |
Campaign finance
Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $670,405 during the election. This information was last updated on March 30, 2015.[14]
| Campaign Contribution Totals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| Matthew Denn |
Delaware Attorney General | $526,389 | ||
| Ted Kittila |
Delaware Attorney General | $78,079 | ||
| Catherine Damavandi |
Delaware Attorney General | $54,668 | ||
| David Graham |
Delaware Attorney General | $11,269 | ||
| John Machurek |
Delaware Attorney General | $0 | ||
| Grand Total Raised | $670,405 | |||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Delaware attorney general election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Delaware Attorney General
- Delaware state executive official elections, 2014
- State executive official elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Beau Biden for Attorney General official website, "Splash page," accessed April 18, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 22, 2024
- ↑ State of Delaware, "Primary Election," accessed July 22, 2024
- ↑ Delaware.gov, "TITLE 15 Elections, CHAPTER 49. Conduct of Election § 3110 Qualifications of voters," accessed July 22, 2024
- ↑ Matt Denn for Attorney General 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ Ted Kittila for Attorney General 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Newsworks/WHYY, "Delaware Attorney General candidates trade verbal jabs at Widener law debate (video)," October 16, 2014
- ↑ Delaware Secretary of State, November 2, 2010 General Election Results," accessed May 10, 2011.
- ↑ State of Delaware: Commissioner of Elections - 2006 General Election Results
- ↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
- ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
- ↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Overview of 2014 Elections," accessed March 30, 2015
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