Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware Republicans at the state and federal levels face an uphill battle in an overwhelmingly blue state. Tuesday’s primary results show that candidates with experience in office may be more important to conservative voters than past party affiliations.
First State Republicans have agreed with party politicians that a candidate with a more bipartisan appeal — particularly in such a blue state — may be their best bet at beating an incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator.
Dr. Mike Katz, a former Democratic state senator and the GOP’s endorsed candidate, won more than 77% of the vote over his primary opponent John Shulli, a retired U.S. Army Reserves colonel.
Katz described Tuesday night as a “great victory” that was reflective of the party’s endorsement. And since he received that nod in April, his campaign has been primarily focused on the contest against sitting U.S. Sen. Chris Coons.
“We’re going to continue to bring people together and focus on unifying Delaware,” he said. “And we’ve already built a coalition of Republicans, independents and common sense Democrats.”
But Republican voters opted against the party’s pick to run against sitting U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride this November.
The Rev. Earl Cooper, who earned the GOP’s endorsement, attracted less than 20% of the vote on Tuesday and finished a distant third. His opponent Joseph Arminio secured victory with nearly 48% of the votes, while John Whalen III, who ran against McBride two years ago, took home 32% of the tallies.
Arminio was not immediately available for comment.
“I will say that we definitely do understand that the people have chosen,” Cooper said by phone Tuesday night. “We’ve got to see some changes here in Delaware.”
While Congressional races were firmly decided Tuesday, at least one statehouse race was far less definitive. In House District 33, which stretches from Magnolia to Milford, a difference of only seven votes separated candidates Matt Bucher and Morgan Hudson, prompting a recount by the state Department of Elections.
Hudson told Spotlight Delaware Tuesday night that a recount would take place on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in the Millsboro-area House District 41 race, controversial former lawmaker John Atkins won the party nomination and will face Democrat Ryan Stuckey in November, where he will be favored by Republican registration margins.
Atkins previously represented the district as both a Republican and Democrat off and on between 2003 and 2014.
Since 2006, he has faced a series of legal charges related to domestic violence. He has said in recent months that he was in unhealthy relationships and that religious devotion has helped him right his life.
Atkins narrowly survived a three-way race with Republicans Doug Conaway and Jacki Slonin, whose vote totals combined would have been enough to edge out Atkins’ candidacy.
Recount in progress
In the Milford-area 33rd House District, which was left open by Rep. Charles Postles’ retirement, the margin was so close between Morgan Hudson and Matt Bucher that the Department of Election had not called the race as of midnight Wednesday.
At that time, Hudson had 1,017 votes to Bucher’s 1,010, with 98.9% of the vote counted.
Delaware state law requires the Department of Elections complete a recount when the difference between the top two candidates is less than 0.5%. In this case, the seven-vote difference between Hudson and Bucher amounts to 0.35% of the total votes.
While neither candidate has formal legislative experience, Bucher was previously a member of the Milford School District Board of Education and the chair of the 33rd House District Republican Committee.
Meanwhile, Hudson kept a lower campaign profile. She declined media interviews and relied more heavily on door knocking and social media to spread her message. Hudson previously unsuccessfully sought the same seat in 2018.
Whichever candidate prevails will face Democrat Joshua Pennington in the November general election.
Shupe increases election margins
In the 36th House District, which includes the Milford and Ellendale areas, four-term incumbent Rep. Bryan Shupe handily beat challenger Patrick Smith with 69.6% of the vote.
Tuesday’s win marked a substantially more decisive victory for Shupe than in 2024, when he eked out a win over Smith in the primary by just 12 votes.
He credited his online social media presence, which allows him to share his legislative work directly with constituents, as the gamechanger in this year’s election.
“That’s what I really worked on these last two years with social media,” Shupe said Tuesday night. “Just saying, ‘Hey, this is what is going on in Legislative Hall. This is what I’m doing for you.’”
Shupe will face Democratic candidate Andy Gorlich in November.
Closely watched Millsboro race
Atkins’ win in the Millsboro-area 41st House District also concludes a closely-watched Republican primary that pitted an experienced yet controversial former lawmaker against two other aspiring candidates.
Atkins, a former state lawmaker with a criminal history, beat out U.S. Army veteran Doug Conaway, and marketing professional Jacki Slonin.
Atkins took 48.7% of the vote compared to 46.6% for Conaway and less than 5% for Slonin. All three candidates were seeking to replace retiring Rep. Rich Collins, who endorsed Conaway in the race.
Atkins did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.
Atkins previously represented the district for over a decade in the early 2000s, before facing a series of legal charges and restraining orders for disputes and physical altercations with romantic partners.
He spent his first five years in office as a Republican, before switching to serve as a Democrat in 2008, when the GOP censured him for his domestic dispute arrest.
Collins, in his support of Conaway’s campaign, has compared Atkins to Eric Swalwell, the former U.S. Representative from California who resigned following sexual assault allegations.
Other GOP leaders, including House Minority Leader Tim Dukes and Vice Chair of the Delaware Republican Party Dan Willis also supported Conaway over Atkins through campaign donations and publicly praising Conaway’s fitness for office.
These endorsements, however, were not enough to carry Conaway to victory.
Atkins largely structured his campaign around his history of strong constituent services while previously in office. He also racked up endorsements from other Sussex County leaders, including the three Republican County Councilmen – Doug Hudson, John Rieley and Steve McCarron.
The one other Republican primary on Tuesday occurred in the Middletown-area House District 8, where retired police officer Gary Taylor ran away with a contest against Watara Heath IV. Taylor’s performance in the district could give Republicans hope of flipping a New Castle County seat currently held by Democrat Rep. Rae Moore.
