2014 United States Senate election in Delaware
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The 2014 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Delaware, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. This election was the fifth consecutive even-number year in which a senate election was held in Delaware after elections in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
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November 4, 2014
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  Coons: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Wade: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic Senator Chris Coons ran for re-election to a first full term in office. He was unopposed for the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican businessman Kevin Wade in the general election.
Background
Democratic senator Joe Biden was re-elected to a seventh term in 2008, defeating Republican political commentator Christine O'Donnell by 65% to 35%. At the same time, he was elected Vice President of the United States and resigned his Senate seat to be sworn in as vice president in January 2009. Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner appointed Biden's longtime aide Ted Kaufman to the seat until a special election was held in November 2010. In the election, Christine O'Donnell ran again and upset U.S. Representative and former governor Mike Castle in the Republican primary to face Democrat Chris Coons, who had run unopposed for his party's nomination. In the general election, Coons defeated O'Donnell by 57% to 40% and was sworn in later that month.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Chris Coons, incumbent U.S. Senator[1]
Declined
- Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and son of then vice president Joe Biden[2]
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
Declined
- Mike Castle, former U.S. Representative, former Governor of Delaware and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010[5]
- Tom Kovach, New Castle County Council President and nominee for Delaware's at-large congressional district in 2012[1]
- Christine O'Donnell, political commentator, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006 and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008 and 2010[1][6][7][8][9]
Primary results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kevin Wade | 18,181 | 75.66 | |
| Republican | Carl Smink | 5,848 | 24.34 | |
| Total votes | 24,029 | 100 | ||
Other candidates
General election
Fundraising
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on Hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Coons (D) | $7,684,608 | $4,831,183 | $2,853,426 |
Debates
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[12] | Solid D | November 3, 2014 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[13] | Safe D | November 3, 2014 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[14] | Safe D | November 3, 2014 |
| Real Clear Politics[15] | Safe D | November 3, 2014 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Chris Coons (D) |
Kevin Wade (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[16] | October 16–23, 2014 | 461 | ± 7% | 54% | 36% | 0% | 10% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[16] | September 20 – October 1, 2014 | 471 | ± 5% | 51% | 35% | 0% | 14% |
| University of Delaware[17] | September 10–22, 2014 | 902 | ± 3.9% | 50% | 25% | 6%[18] | 21% |
| Rasmussen Reports[19] | September 10–12, 2014 | 750 | ± 4% | 49% | 34% | 4% | 12% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[20] | August 18 – September 2, 2014 | 697 | ± 5% | 48% | 35% | 1% | 16% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[21] | July 5–24, 2014 | 840 | ± 3.5% | 60% | — | 15% | 25% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Chris Coons (D) |
Christine O'Donnell (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton Survey Research[22] | September 3–16, 2013 | 902 | ± 3.9% | 51% | 28% | — | 22% |
Results
Coons easily won the election to a full term, with 56% of the vote. Coons was projected the winner right when the polls closed in Delaware. Wade conceded defeat at 8:32 P.M. EST.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Coons (incumbent) | 130,655 | 55.83% | −0.78% | |
| Republican | Kevin Wade | 98,823 | 42.23% | +2.20% | |
| Green | Andrew Groff | 4,560 | 1.95% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 234,038 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| County | Chris Coons Democratic |
Kevin Wade Republican |
Andrew Groff Green | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| Kent | 19,218 | 48.74 | 19,527 | 49.53 | 681 | 1.73 |
| New Castle | 84,985 | 63.82 | 45,229 | 33.97 | 2,948 | 2.21 |
| Sussex | 26,452 | 43.05 | 34,067 | 55.44 | 931 | 1.52 |
| Totals | 130,655 | 55.83 | 98,823 | 42.23 | 4,560 | 1.95 |