Politics of Delaware

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
2020 59.5% 292,903 38.6% 190,312

Due to the state's small size (45th of 50 by population in 2022), 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. Historically, the state was considered a swing state, as it voted for the national winner all but twice between 1896 and 1996; the only exceptions being 1916 and 1948.[2] However, in the 21st century, the state has become strongly Democratic and provided double-digit wins to Democrats since 2008. The 2008 election saw Democrat Barack Obama with a 25.0% margin of victory, the best-ever result for a Democratic presidential candidate in the state's history. Obama's large margin of victory was aided by his running mate, Joe Biden, a longtime U.S. senator from the state and the first Delawarean to appear on a national presidential ticket. Biden later went on to become the first Delawarean elected president in 2020.

Major issues

A heavily Democratic state, progressivism and social liberalism are 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, an important sector of Delaware's economy. Despite this, economically progressive measures such as Medicare for All and the state's to-be-$15 an hour minimum wage remain popular.[3]

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 politics

Delaware's situation with respect to the Presidential Primary Election changed between 2000 and 2008.[4] Delaware's Primary is held "on the first Tuesday in February in the calendar year of a presidential election."[5] 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.[4] 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.[4][6] 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.[4]

Federal representation

Delaware's senators in the United States Senate are Chris Coons and Tom Carper, both Democrats, serving since 2010 and 2001, respectively. Delaware's at-large representative in the United States House of Representatives is Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat.

Delaware is part of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the Philadelphia-based United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Party registration

Party registration as of January 1, 2024[7][a]
Party Total voters Percentage
Democratic 353,229 45.93%
Republican 206,596 26.87%
No party 171,251 22.27%
Delaware Independent 10,575 1.38%
Other 27,327 3.55%
Total 768,978 100%
United States presidential election results for Delaware[8]
Year Republican / Whig Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 200,603 39.77% 296,268 58.74% 7,475 1.48%
2016 185,127 41.71% 235,603 53.09% 23,084 5.20%
2012 165,484 39.98% 242,584 58.61% 5,853 1.41%
2008 152,374 36.93% 255,459 61.91% 4,783 1.16%
2004 171,660 45.74% 200,152 53.34% 3,458 0.92%
2000 137,288 41.90% 180,068 54.96% 10,266 3.13%
1996 99,062 36.54% 140,355 51.78% 31,667 11.68%
1992 102,313 35.31% 126,054 43.51% 61,368 21.18%
1988 139,639 55.88% 108,647 43.48% 1,605 0.64%
1984 152,190 59.78% 101,656 39.93% 726 0.29%
1980 111,252 47.21% 105,754 44.87% 18,662 7.92%
1976 109,831 46.57% 122,596 51.98% 3,407 1.44%
1972 140,357 59.60% 92,283 39.18% 2,876 1.22%
1968 96,714 45.12% 89,194 41.61% 28,459 13.28%
1964 78,078 38.78% 122,704 60.95% 538 0.27%
1960 96,373 49.00% 99,590 50.63% 720 0.37%
1956 98,057 55.09% 79,421 44.62% 510 0.29%
1952 90,059 51.75% 83,315 47.88% 651 0.37%
1948 69,588 50.04% 67,813 48.76% 1,672 1.20%
1944 56,747 45.27% 68,166 54.38% 448 0.36%
1940 61,440 45.05% 74,599 54.70% 335 0.25%
1936 57,236 44.85% 69,702 54.62% 665 0.52%
1932 57,073 50.55% 54,319 48.11% 1,509 1.34%
1928 68,860 65.03% 36,643 34.60% 388 0.37%
1924 52,441 57.70% 33,445 36.80% 4,999 5.50%
1920 52,858 55.71% 39,911 42.07% 2,106 2.22%
1916 26,011 50.20% 24,753 47.78% 1,046 2.02%
1912 15,998 32.85% 22,631 46.48% 10,065 20.67%
1908 25,014 52.10% 22,055 45.94% 938 1.95%
1904 23,705 54.05% 19,347 44.11% 804 1.83%
1900 22,535 53.67% 18,852 44.90% 602 1.43%
1896 20,450 53.18% 16,574 43.10% 1,432 3.72%
1892 18,077 48.55% 18,581 49.90% 577 1.55%
1888 12,950 43.51% 16,414 55.15% 400 1.34%
1884 12,953 43.20% 16,957 56.55% 74 0.25%
1880 14,148 48.03% 15,181 51.53% 129 0.44%
1876 10,752 44.55% 13,381 55.45% 0 0.00%
1872 11,129 51.00% 10,205 46.76% 488 2.24%
1868 7,614 41.00% 10,957 59.00% 0 0.00%
1864 8,155 48.19% 8,767 51.81% 0 0.00%
1860 3,822 23.72% 1,066 6.61% 11,227 69.67%
1856 310 2.12% 8,004 54.83% 6,284 43.05%
1852 6,293 49.66% 6,318 49.85% 62 0.49%
1848 6,440 51.80% 5,910 47.54% 82 0.66%
1844 6,271 51.20% 5,970 48.75% 6 0.05%
1840 5,967 54.99% 4,872 44.89% 13 0.12%
1836 4,736 53.24% 4,154 46.70% 5 0.06%

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Parties that make up less than 5% of total registered voters are not shown.

References

  1. ^ Leip, David. "General Election Results – Delaware". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Delaware Presidential Election Voting History - 270toWin".
  3. ^ "Delawareans continue to back progressive agenda, elected officials" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b c d 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.[dead link]
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ 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".
  7. ^ "Voter Registration Totals" (PDF). January 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Leip, David. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Delaware". US Election Atlas. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
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