Politics of Delaware

Due to the state's small size (45th of 50 by population in 2006), the politics of Delaware tend to be less convoluted and controversial than those in neighboring states. Nonetheless, Delaware's political status quo reflects the state's long history of political clout dating from the earliest days of the United States, some of which remains today.

Gubernatorial election results[1]

Year	Democratic	Republican
1952	47.9% 81,772	52.1% 88,977
1956	48.1% 85,047	52.0% 91,965
1960	51.7% 100,792	48.3% 94,043
1964	51.4% 102,797	48.7% 97,374
1968	49.5% 102,360	50.5% 104,474
1972	51.3% 117,274	47.9% 109,583
1976	42.5% 97,480	56.9% 130,531
1980	28.5% 64,217	70.7% 159,004
1984	44.5% 108,315	55.5% 135,250
1988	29.3% 70,236	70.7% 169,733
1992	64.7% 179,365	32.8% 90,725
1996	69.5% 188,300	30.5% 82,564
2000	59.2% 191,695	39.8% 128,603
2004	50.9% 185,548	45.8% 167,008
2008	67.5% 266,861	32.0% 126,662
2012	69.3% 275,993	28.6% 113,793
2016	58.3% 248,404	39.2% 166,852

Presidential election results[1]

Year	Democratic	Republican
1952	47.9% 83,315	51.8% 90,059
1956	44.6% 79,421	55.1% 98,057
1960	50.6% 99,590	49.0% 96,373
1964	61.0% 122,704	38.8% 78,078
1968	41.6% 89,194	45.1% 96,714
1972	39.2% 92,283	59.6% 140,357
1976	52.0% 122,596	46.6% 109,831
1980	44.9% 105,754	47.2% 111,252
1984	39.9% 101,656	59.8% 152,190
1988	43.5% 108,647	55.9% 139,639
1992	43.5% 126,054	35.3% 102,313
1996	51.8% 140,355	36.6% 99,062
2000	55.0% 180,068	41.9% 137,288
2004	53.4% 200,152	45.8% 171,660
2008	61.9% 255,459	36.9% 152,374
2012	58.6% 242,584	40.0% 165,484
2016	53.1% 235,603	41.7% 185,127

Major issues

Delaware residents as a group tend to vote toward the conservative side of moderate on fiscal and economic issues, and are more moderate on social issues. Social liberalism is generally concentrated in the northern part of the state, and conservatism is more prevalent in the less heavily populated central and southern regions. Some of the wealthiest neighborhoods around Wilmington (in the north) as well as a few of the more progressive beach towns (in the south) serve as exceptions to this general trend. Politicians of both major parties tend to vote consistently in favor of big business, a very important sector of Delaware's economy.

Matters of perennial statewide debate tend to include taxation (which runs relatively low compared to other northeastern states); the needs and demands of Delaware's massive business community; education (Delaware's educational spending per student remains low); increasing stress on the environment; urban development and sprawl; the needs of an increasingly diverse population; large income disparities between wealthy and disadvantaged areas; and a perceived disconnect between the rural central and southern areas of the state and Wilmington and the urbanized corridor in the north, home to the bulk of the state's population.

National office holders

Delaware's situation with respect to the Presidential Primary Election changed between 2000 and 2008.[2] Delaware's Primary is held "on the first Tuesday in February in the calendar year of a presidential election."[3] In 2000, Delaware was the sole state to have a primary on February 1, while in 2004 it was one of five states with primaries on February 3.[2] In the 2008 primaries, Delaware shared February 5 with 23 other states on "Super Tuesday (2008)", the largest group of simultaneous primary races in the history of the United States.[2][4] Being the first Primary in the nation increases the influence of a state disproportionately in determining who the contestants will be in the general presidential election. However, as other states change the dates of their primaries, influence is inevitably decreased.[2]

Delaware's senators in the United States Senate are Chris Coons and Tom Carper, both Democrats. Delaware's sole representative in the United States House of Representatives is Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat.

Statewide office holders

The current governor of Delaware is John C. Carney Jr., a Democrat currently serving his first term.

Delaware's Attorney General is Kathy Jennings.

See also

• Political party strength in Delaware

References

1. Leip, David. "General Election Results – Delaware". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
2. Beth Miller (January 13, 2008). "Dela-where? Campaigns bypass First State". The News Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2008. ...it did have an early Republican primary all to itself in 2000, when it provided George W. Bush with his first primary win. In 2004, Delaware shared its primary day with four other states. And now, it is shoehorned into a virtual phone booth.
3. "Presidential Primary Election". Online Delaware Code. State of Delaware. January 1, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2008. ...a presidential primary election for major political parties shall be conducted on the first Tuesday in February in the calendar year of a presidential election.
4. Richard Allen Greene (May 30, 2007). "States jostle for primary power". Washington: BBC News. Retrieved January 13, 2008. The US has had "Super Tuesdays" in the past ... (b)ut it has never seen anything like what is shaping up for February 5, 2008 – which some wits are calling "Super Duper Tuesday".