Wikipedia

2018 United States Senate election in Delaware

(Redirected from United States Senate election in Delaware, 2018)

For related races, see 2018 United States Senate elections.

The 2018 United States Senate election in Delaware took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Delaware, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.

2018 United States Senate election in Delaware
← 2012 November 6, 2018 2024 →
Turnout52.18%
 
Nominee Tom Carper Rob Arlett
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 217,385 137,127
Percentage 59.95% 37.81%
Carper:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Arlett:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
     No data
U.S. senator before election

Tom Carper
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Tom Carper
Democratic

The primary for this U.S. Senate election was held on Thursday, September 6, 2018.[1] The Democratic Party nominated incumbent U.S. Senator Tom Carper and the Republican Party nominated Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Tom Carper was re-elected to a fourth, and ultimately final, term. Despite Carper's victory, Arlett managed to flip Sussex County, typically a reliably Republican county in Delaware. This subsequently marked the first time Carper lost the county since his first election to the Senate in 2000.

Background

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Three-term Democratic Senator Tom Carper was reelected with 66% of the vote in 2012 against Republican Kevin Wade.

Carper, the incumbent U.S. Senator, was challenged in the Democratic primary by Dover activist Kerri Evelyn Harris. Carper previously faced a primary challenge in the 2012 election from businessman Keith Spanarelli. However, Carper defeated Spanarelli by around 70 points. Carper went on to defeat Harris by around 30 points. It was the most competitive Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Delaware in two decades.

The main declared candidates in the Republican primary were Sussex County councilman Rob Arlett and businessman Gene Truono, with a perennial candidacy from businessman Rocky De La Fuente, who also ran for Senate in seven other states.[2] Another candidate withdrew before the primary. Rob Arlett defeated Gene Truono in a landslide to win the Republican nomination.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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Withdrew

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  • Tykiem Booker, activist[5]

Declined

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Endorsements

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Tom Carper

U.S. Vice President

U.S. Senators

U.S. Representatives

State executive branch officials

  • Rita Landgraf, former Secretary of Delaware Health and Social Services

State legislators

Individuals

Organizations

Kerri Evelyn Harris

State legislators

County Councilpersons

City Councilpersons

Political candidates

Individuals

Organizations

Media

Declined to endorse

Declined to endorse either candidate

Debates

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Delaware newspaper The News Journal hosted a 90-minute debate on August 27, 2018, for the Democratic primary between Tom Carper and Kerri Evelyn Harris at Cab Calloway School of the Arts.[29][51] Republican candidate businessman Gene Truono answered questions from panelists before Carper and Harris debated. Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett was also invited, but declined and claimed he had a scheduling conflict.

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Tom
Carper 		Kerri Evelyn
Harris 		Undecided
Gravis Marketing[52] July 24–29, 2018 354 ± 5.2% 51% 19% 30%

Results

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Results by county
  Carper—60–70%
Democratic primary results[53]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Carper (incumbent) 53,633 64.59%
Democratic Kerri Evelyn Harris 29,406 35.41%
Total votes 83,039 100.00%

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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Withdrew

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  • Chuck Boyce, businessman[56][57] (endorsed Rob Arlett)

Declined

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  • Ken Simpler, State Treasurer (running for re-election)[58]
  • Kevin Wade, businessman and candidate for Senate in 2012 and 2014 (endorsed Rob Arlett)

Endorsements

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Rob Arlett

Former 2018 U.S. Senate election, Delaware candidates

  • Chuck Boyce, businessman

Political candidates

Individuals

Gene Truono

State legislators

Republican Party officials

Political candidates

  • Lee Murphy, actor and Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Delaware

Individuals

  • Mitch Denham, Delaware Gun Rights
  • John Foltz, 11th District Chairman
  • David Gilefski, Western NCC Region Chairman
  • Shawn Michael Greener, radio host[67]
  • Dick Heller (District of Columbia v. Heller)
  • Mark Keith Robinson, NRA affiliate
  • Maj Toure, Black Guns Matter

Organizations

Declined to endorse

Declined to endorse either candidate

Debates

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Councilman Rob Arlett and businessman Gene Truono had four debates in total. They were normally live streamed on Facebook and uploaded to YouTube. A fifth debate was planned, but Truono withdrew from the debate because he the organizers refused to give him control over what questions could not be asked. Instead organizers held a forum with all the other candidates for the U.S. Senate and other state offices. Five candidates attended that forum.

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Rob
Arlett 		Rocky
De La Fuente 		Gene
Truono 		Undecided
Gravis Marketing[52] July 24–29, 2018 288 ± 5.8% 19% 7% 15% 60%

Results

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Results by county
Map legend
  •   Arlett—70–80%
  •   Arlett—60–70%
  •   Arlett—50–60%
Republican primary results[53]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rob Arlett 25,284 66.77%
Republican Gene Truono 10,587 27.96%
Republican Rocky De La Fuente 1,998 5.28%
Total votes 37,869 100.00%

Green primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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  • Demitri Theodoropoulos, small business owner[70]

Declined

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Endorsements

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Demitri Theodoropoulos

Organizations

Libertarian primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Independents

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Not to be confused with the Independent Party of Delaware, which did not run a candidate for the 2018 United States Senate election.

Candidates

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Declared

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  • Barry Eveland (write-in)[71]
  • Matthew Water Stout, write-in presidential candidate in 2016 (write-in)[71][72]
  • Todd Farina, ticket company owner (write-in)

General election

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Endorsements

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Bold text indicates endorsement was given before the primary.

Tom Carper

U.S. Vice President

U.S. Senators

U.S. Representatives

Governors

Other state executive branch officials

State legislators

Political candidates

Individuals

  • Matthew Albright, moderator of the Democratic primary debate[11]
  • Sandra Hall, 2016 Delaware Teacher of the Year
  • Douglas E. Krantz, rabbi[12]
  • Sonia Schorr Sloan, former Delaware President of the Board of Planned Parenthood
  • Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets[13]
  • Laura Thein, former Disabilities Caucus Chair of Young Democrats of America [78]

Organizations

Rob Arlett

Former 2018 U.S. Senate election, Delaware candidates

  • Chuck Boyce, businessman

Political candidates

Individuals

Organizations

Demitri Theodoropoulos

Organizations

Media

  • Hijacked Radio Podcast
  • The Politics of Courage[84]
Declined to endorse

Declined to endorse Tom Carper

  • Tykiem Booker, former candidate
  • Kerri Evelyn Harris, former candidate
  • Justice Democrats
  • Coby Owens, social justice activist, CEO of Youth Caucus of America, and 2016 delegate for Bernie Sanders

Declined to endorse Rob Arlett

Debates

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with Kerri Evelyn Harris and Gene Truono
On August 20, 2018, the Greater Hockessin Area Development Association (GHADA) hosted a 2-hour debate at the Hockessin Memorial Hall between Democratic candidate Kerri Evelyn Harris and Republican candidate Gene Truono. Tom Carper and Rob Arlett were also invited to the debate, but did not attend. Carper was not present because of the U.S. Senate's extended session due to session ceasing early the Thursday prior because of the death of former governor and U.S. Senator of Nevada, Paul Laxalt.[85] Arlett declined and claimed he had a scheduling conflict.[86]

with Tom Carper and Rob Arlett
The debate gained national attention after Republican candidate Rob Arlett brought up Democratic senator Tom Carper’s past controversy of domestic abuse.

with Tom Carper, Rob Arlett, Nadine Frost, and Demitri Theodoropoulos

Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[87] Safe D October 26, 2018
Inside Elections[88] Safe D November 1, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[89] Safe D November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[90] Safe D April 9, 2018
Fox News[91] Likely D July 9, 2018
CNN[92] Safe D July 12, 2018
RealClearPolitics[93] Safe D June 2018
FiveThirtyEight[94] Safe D September 2018

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Tom
Carper (D) 		Rob
Arlett (R) 		Nadine
Frost (L) 		Demitri
Theodoropoulos (G) 		Undecided
University of Delaware[95] September 11–17, 2018 728 LV – 61% 24% 3% 3% 9%
908 RV ± 3.7% 60% 22% 5% 2% 12%
Gravis Marketing[52] July 24–29, 2018 884 ± 3.3% 47% 39% – – 14%
Hypothetical polling

with Tom Carper and Gene Truono

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Tom
Carper (D) 		Gene
Truono (R) 		Undecided
Gravis Marketing[52] July 24–29, 2018 884 ± 3.3% 47% 38% 15%

with Kerri Evelyn Harris and Rob Arlett

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Kerri Evelyn
Harris (D) 		Rob
Arlett (R) 		Undecided
Gravis Marketing[52] July 24–29, 2018 884 ± 3.3% 42% 35% 23%

with Kerri Evelyn Harris and Gene Truono

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Kerri Evelyn
Harris (D) 		Gene
Truono (R) 		Undecided
Gravis Marketing[52] July 24–29, 2018 884 ± 3.3% 40% 37% 23%

Results

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Results by Precinct:
Carper
  •      40-50%
  •      50-60%
  •      60-70%
  •      70-80%
  •      80-90%
  •      90-100%
Arlett
  •      40-50%
  •      50-60%
  •      60-70%
  •      70-80%
United States Senate election in Delaware, 2018[96]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Tom Carper (incumbent) 217,385 59.95% −6.47%
Republican Rob Arlett 137,127 37.81% +8.85%
Green Demitri Theodoropoulos 4,170 1.15% +0.35%
Libertarian Nadine Frost 3,910 1.09% N/A
Total votes 362,592 100.00% N/A
Democratic hold

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "United States Senate election in Delaware, 2018 - Ballotpedia". Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "California businessman running for US Senate in Delaware--and 7 other states". wdel.com.
  3. ^ @kailanikm (July 24, 2017). "Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) announced in interview w/ @ChrisJansing on #MTPDaily right now that he's running for re-election in 2018" (Tweet). Retrieved July 24, 2017 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "Dover community activist to challenge Tom Carper".
  5. ^ "BOOKER, TYKIEM - Candidate overview - FEC.gov". FEC.gov.
  6. ^ "FILED CANDIDATES BY OFFICE". Delaware Department of Elections.
  7. ^ a b c "Biden wades into Delaware primary on behalf of Carper". NBC News. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Tom Carper for Delaware". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  10. ^ a b @debraheffernan (September 6, 2018). "Please join me in voting for Senator @TomCarperforDE ! Tom has the experience & strong passion for Delaware. No one is better equipped to lead the fight against #Trump politics" (Tweet). Retrieved September 19, 2018 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ a b @tnj_malbright (August 30, 2018). "This was a tough decision for the editorial board. @KerriHarrisDE has run an excellent campaign and has impressed us greatly with her passion and eloquence. She made an excellent case for herself in Monday's debate. #netDE" (Tweet). Retrieved September 19, 2018 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ a b "Tom Carper on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  14. ^ a b Campaign, Human Rights. "HRC Endorses Sen. Carper & Rep. Blunt Rochester for Re-Election - Human Rights Campaign". Human Rights Campaign. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "The News Journal's editorial board endorses Tom Carper in the U.S. Senate primary". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "A Democrat from Dover is challenging Senator Tom Carper in the September primary".
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  18. ^ "Nina Turner on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  23. ^ "Adrienne Bell on Twitter".
  24. ^ "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter".
  25. ^ Bricker, Kristin (August 28, 2018). "Kerri was at last night's Delaware NORML meeting to talk about her candidacy and stance on marijuana (or "cannabis" as the group's members prefer to call it)". Team Kerri on Facepook.
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  27. ^ "Coby Owens on Twitter".
  28. ^ "Opposing view: Why you should vote for Kerri Harris for U.S. Senate". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  29. ^ a b Grim, Ryan (August 11, 2018). "Tom Carper Agrees to Debate Kerri Harris as Reinforcements Arrive for Insurgent Challenger". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  30. ^ a b "YouTube: Kerri Evelyn Harris Calls Out Wall St. Democrat". YouTube.
  31. ^ "YouTube: Help Kerri Evelyn Harris Win Senate Race!". YouTube.
  32. ^ The Young Turks (August 21, 2018). "Cenk Uygur RIPS Into Democratic Senator". Retrieved September 19, 2018 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "Winifred on Twitter".
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  35. ^ "CPD Action on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  36. ^ "Common Defense #VetsAgainstTrump on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  42. ^ "Our Revolution on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  43. ^ The People for Bernie Sanders [@People4Bernie] (July 17, 2018). ".@KerriHarrisDE is an activist, a community organizer and a veteran of the United States Air Force. She's an incredible movement leader and we're so proud to endorse her campaign for US Senate. Join the political revolution: http://www.kerrievelynharris.com" (Tweet). Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via Twitter.
  44. ^ "ProgActNet on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  46. ^ "Working Families Party on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  55. ^ "TRUONO, EUGENE (GENE) J JR - Candidate overview - FEC.gov". FEC.gov.
  56. ^ Goss, Scott (March 22, 2017). "Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chuck Boyce dropping out of race". The News Journal. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  57. ^ Petree, Rob (April 23, 2018). "Former candidate Chuck Boyce endorses Rob Arlett for U.S. Senate". WXDE. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
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  60. ^ a b "Carter Clark (@carterclarkkkk) • Instagram photos and videos". instagram.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  63. ^ a b "Charlie Kirk on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  65. ^ a b "Michael F. McMahon on Twitter".
  66. ^ a b "Frank Ricci on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  68. ^ https://twitter.com/nevercarper/status/1037107549999443969 [dead link‍]
  69. ^ "The News Journal editorial board endorses Gene Truono in the Republican Senate primary". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  70. ^ a b "Candidates file for primaries". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  71. ^ a b "Declared Write-In Candidates, November 6, 2018 General Election" (PDF). State of Delaware Department of Elections. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
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  76. ^ "John Carney on Instagram: "Thank you to everyone who came out to the Sussex County Jamboree this weekend! We have a great slate of candidates this year, and I'm…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  77. ^ "Laura Sturgeon". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
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  79. ^ "Candidates We Endorse and Support".
  80. ^ Tom Carper for Delaware (October 29, 2018). "The polls open in 8 days! Here are 8 organizations endorsing Tom Carper for U.S. Senate". Facebook.
  81. ^ Patriot Majority (October 23, 2018). "Tom Carper will fight to improve the quality of our health care system". Facebook.
  82. ^ "ENDORSEMENTS". Sierra Club. March 19, 2021.
  83. ^ "New Castle County GOP chairman resigns, blasts party and U.S. Senate candidate Rob Arlett".
  84. ^ "Politics of Courage on Twitter". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  85. ^ "**Live from GHADA US Senate candidates debate/forum**". Facebook.
  86. ^ "Delaware Senate Candidates Debate Set for August 27".
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  88. ^ "2018 Senate Ratings". The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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  95. ^ University of Delaware
  96. ^ "State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)". State of Delaware Election Commissioner. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
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Official campaign websites

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