United States House of Representatives election in Delaware, 2016
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November 8, 2016 |
September 13, 2016 |
Lisa Blunt Rochester  |
John C. Carney Jr. |
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Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
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The 2016 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Delaware took place on November 8, 2016. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. House from the state's At-Large Congressional District.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent John Carney Jr. (D) did not seek re-election, leaving the seat open. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) defeated Hans Reigle (R), Scott Gesty (L), and Mark Joseph Perri (G) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Rochester defeated Bryan Townsend, Sean Barney, Michael Miller, Scott Walker, and Elias Weir in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2016.[4][5][6]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
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Primary: 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.[7][8][9]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: The incumbent heading into the election was John C. Carney Jr. (D), who was first elected in 2010. Carney did not seek re-election in 2016. He instead ran in Delaware's gubernatorial election.[10]
Delaware has a single at-large congressional district, which makes up the entire state.
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 8 election, the Democratic Party held the one congressional seat from Delaware.
| Members of the U.S. House from Delaware -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2016 | After the 2016 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 1 | 1 | |
| Republican Party | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 1 | |
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Lisa Blunt Rochester |
55.5% | 233,554 | |
| Republican | Hans Reigle | 41% | 172,301 | |
| Green | Mark Joseph Perri | 2% | 8,326 | |
| Libertarian | Scott Gesty | 1.5% | 6,436 | |
| Total Votes | 420,617 | |||
| Source: Delaware Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Lisa Blunt Rochester |
43.9% | 26,613 | ||
| Bryan Townsend | 24.7% | 14,950 | ||
| Sean Barney | 20.2% | 12,274 | ||
| Michael Miller | 5.5% | 3,319 | ||
| Scott Walker | 5% | 3,008 | ||
| Elias Weir | 0.7% | 449 | ||
| Total Votes | 60,613 | |||
| Source: Delaware Department of Elections |
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Margin of victory
The margin of victory in Delaware's U.S. House race was 14.6 percent. This was calculated by examining the percentage difference between the two candidates who received the most votes.
Candidates
| Candidate ballot access |
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General election candidates: Lisa Blunt Rochester  Hans Reigle Scott Gesty Mark Joseph Perri |
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Primary candidates:[11] |
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Democratic Lisa Blunt Rochester - Former state secretary of labor[13] Sean Barney - Iraq veteran[14] Michael Miller[4] Scott Walker[4] Elias Weir[4] |
Republican |
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Third Party/Other Mark Joseph Perri (Green)[5] |
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Not running: |
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Withdrew: Bryon Short (D) - State rep.[16][17] |
Endorsements
Sean Barney
- Lawrence Lessig - "More than anyone else just entering politics, Sean has worked hard to craft a platform of reform, grounded in changes to how we fund campaigns, as well as beyond that, reaching more fundamental problems with our democracy. I worked with him as he's drafted his democracy reform agenda. He is serious and committed. And, from my perspective, his experience as a soldier has led him to ask the right questions about America's military as well."[18]
Lisa Blunt Rochester
- EMILY's List - "Lisa Blunt Rochester is a progressive champion for Delaware women and families. Lisa is a dedicated public servant who has fought tirelessly to increase economic opportunity for First State working families – and she has shattered several glass ceilings along the way. The EMILY’s List community of over three million members is excited to endorse Lisa’s historic campaign to move Delaware forward."[19]
Media
Sean Barney
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Lisa Blunt Rochester
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Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Delaware elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Delaware in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| January 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Independent candidates can begin circulating petitions | |
| February 26, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for presidential candidates | |
| March 4, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for school board candidates | |
| April 26, 2016 | Election date | Presidential primary election | |
| May 10, 2016 | Election date | School board elections | |
| July 12, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for statewide and all other offices | |
| July 15, 2016 | Ballot access | Last day that filed candidates may withdraw or file for a different office | |
| July 15, 2016 | Ballot access | Last day that independent candidates can circulate petitions | |
| August 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for minor parties to select their candidates by convention | |
| August 16, 2016 | Campaign finance | 30-day primary report due | |
| August 23, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for minor parties to register the required number of voters to place candidates on the general election ballot | |
| September 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for major parties to file nomination certificates for offices for which no party members filed; deadline for minor parties to file nomination certificates | |
| September 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for independent candidates | |
| September 7, 2016 | Campaign finance | 8-day primary report due | |
| September 13, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| September 30, 2016 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for write-in candidates | |
| October 11, 2016 | Campaign finance | 30-day general report due | |
| November 2, 2016 | Campaign finance | 8-day general report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| Source: Delaware State Election Commissioner, "2016 Delaware Election Calendar," accessed June 5, 2015 | |||
District history
2014
The At-Large Congressional District of Delaware held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent John C. Carney Jr. (D) defeated Rose Izzo (R), Scott Gesty (L) and Bernard August (G) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John C. Carney Jr. Incumbent |
59.3% | 137,251 | |
| Republican | Rose Izzo | 36.8% | 85,146 | |
| Green | Bernard August | 2.1% | 4,801 | |
| Libertarian | Scott Gesty | 1.9% | 4,419 | |
| Total Votes | 231,617 | |||
| Source: Delaware Department of Elections | ||||
2012
On November 6, 2012, John C. Carney Jr. (D) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Tom Kovach (R), Scott Gesty (L) and Bernard August (G) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John C. Carney, Jr. Incumbent |
64.7% | 238,081 | |
| Republican | Thomas Kovach | 33.2% | 122,062 | |
| Green | Bernard August | 1.1% | 4,085 | |
| Libertarian | Scott Gesty | 1.1% | 3,926 | |
| Total Votes | 368,154 | |||
| Source: Delaware Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2016
- List of U.S. Congress incumbents who did not run for re-election in 2016
- U.S. House primaries, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Delaware Secretary of State, "Primary election candidates," accessed July 13, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Delaware Secretary of State, "General election candidates," accessed July 13, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Delaware House Primary Results," September 13, 2016
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Delaware Online, "Rep. John Carney enters 2016 governor race," September 17, 2015
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ Delaware Online, "State Sen. Bryan Townsend announces congressional bid," September 17, 2015
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Former state labor secretary enters congressional race," October 27, 2015
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Sean Barney entering congressional race," December 2, 2015
- ↑ Delaware Republic, "Reigel launches campaign for Congress," September 30, 2015
- ↑ Delaware Online, "Delaware Rep. Bryon Short declares for Congress," September 25, 2015
- ↑ WBOC 16, "State Rep. Bryon Short Drops Out of Congressional Race," April 5, 2016
- ↑ Forward-to-friend.com, "Endorsements," accessed March 30, 2016
- ↑ EMILY's List, "EMILY’s List Endorses Lisa Blunt Rochester for Congress in Delaware’s At-Large District," January 29, 2016
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For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
