Delaware voters headed to the polls on September 15 to finalize their choices for Congress and various statewide offices in the year's last primary elections. Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who first took office in 2010 to succeed the seat previously held by former President Joe Biden, easily secured another nomination. With approximately 45% of the ballots tallied, Coons was projected to defeat three primary challengers, including businessman Eric Hansen. Hansen, who previously ran for Senate as a Republican in 2024, appeared on the ballot as "E. No-Trump Hansen," a name his campaign team described as a reflection of his commitment to positive change rather than a gimmick. Coons garnered nearly 37,000 votes, representing about 81% of the total, while Jeff Appelhans followed with roughly 4,000 votes.
On the Republican side, voters selected former state Senator Michael Katz to challenge Coons in the upcoming general election. Delaware has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1966. Katz outperformed U.S. Army Reserve Colonel John Shulli, securing around 13,000 votes compared to Shulli’s 4,000.
In the race for Delaware's only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent Sarah McBride, the first transgender person elected to Congress, won the Democratic nomination while running unopposed. McBride, who won the at-large seat two years ago, has faced significant criticism from the GOP caucus. In late 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson implemented a policy restricting transgender individuals from using certain Capitol restrooms that do not align with their gender at birth, and in 2025, Representative Keith Self, a Texas Republican, misgendered McBride during a subcommittee hearing. McBride will face Republican Joseph Arminio in the fall. Arminio secured the nomination after receiving 7,500 votes, surpassing John Whalen, who earned 5,300.
In other statewide contests, Attorney General Kathy Jennings defeated primary challengers Dwayne Bensing and Patty Rickman. Republican David Graham, who faced no opposition in the primary, will serve as the GOP nominee for attorney general in the general election.
