2016 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware
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The 2016 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the U.S. representative from the state of Delaware from Delaware's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on September 13.
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November 8, 2016
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  Rochester: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Reigle: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% No votes | |||||||||||||||||
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Democrat John Carney, the incumbent representative, did not run for reelection, instead successfully running for governor of Delaware.[1] Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester won the open seat on November 8.
When she was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, she became the first woman and the first African-American to represent Delaware in Congress.[2]
Democratic primary
Democrats Bryon Short, a member of the Delaware House of Representatives from Highland Woods, and Bryan Townsend, a member of the Delaware Senate from Newark, Delaware, had previously said they would run for the seat if Carney ran for governor.[1][3] Following Carney's announcement that he would run for governor, both Short and Townsend declared their candidacies in the race to succeed him.[4][5] Lisa Blunt Rochester, the former State Labor Secretary, also joined the race.[6] Short later withdrew from the race, citing difficulties fundraising.[7] Rochester won the primary with 43.8% of the vote.[8]
Candidates
Nominee
- Lisa Blunt Rochester, former state labor secretary, former state personnel director, and former CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League[6]
Eliminated in primary
Withdrawn
- Bryon Short, state representative[4][7]
Declined
- Chris Bullock, president of the New Castle County Council (running for re-election)[11]
- John Carney, incumbent U.S. representative (running for governor)[1]
- Marla Blunt Carter, college professor and former congressional aide[9][6]
- Jack Markell, governor of Delaware[9]
- Brenda Mayrack, former executive director of the Delaware Democratic Party and nominee for state auditor in 2014
- Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation and former State Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary
- Dennis E. Williams, former state representative and nominee in 1996 and 1998[9]
Endorsements
- Lawrence Lessig, law professor[12]
Individuals
- Andria Bennett, state representative[13]
- Stephanie T. Bolden, state representative[13]
- Debra Heffernan, state representative[13]
- Margaret Rose Henry, state senator[13]
- Valerie Longhurst, Delaware House Majority Leader[13]
- Kimberly Williams, state representative[13]
Organizations
- Donald Morton, civil rights leader[16]
- Coby Owens, social justice activist, CEO of Youth Caucus of America, and 2016 delegate for Bernie Sanders
- Karen E. Peterson, state senator[16]
- Stephanie Bolden, state representative[16]
- Gerald Brady, state representative[16]
- William Carson, Jr., state representative[16]
- Debra Heffernan, state representative[16]
- Earl Jaques, Jr., state representative[16]
- Quinn Johnson, state representative[16]
- John Kowalko, state representative[16]
- Sean Lynn, state representative[16]
- Sean Matthews, state representative[16]
- Trey Paradee, state representative[16]
- Peter Schwartzkopf, Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives[16]
- Melanie G. Smith, state representative[16]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sean Barney |
Lisa Blunt Rochester |
Mike Miller |
Bryan Townsend |
Scott Walker |
Elias Weir |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairleigh Dickinson University[17] | July 20–24, 2016 | 344 | ± 5.3% | 4% | 11% | 9% | 11% | 6% | 0% | 1% | 52% |
| Gravis Marketing[18] | April 17–18, 2016 | 1,026 | ± 3.1% | 12% | 8% | — | 19% | — | — | — | 61% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 27,920 | 43.8 | |
| Democratic | Bryan Townsend | 15,847 | 24.8 | |
| Democratic | Sean Barney | 12,891 | 20.2 | |
| Democratic | Micheal Miller | 3,500 | 5.5 | |
| Democratic | Scott Walker | 3,156 | 4.9 | |
| Democratic | Elias Weir | 480 | 0.8 | |
| Total votes | 63,794 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Hans Reigle, a former mayor of Wyoming, Delaware, and the former chairman of the Kent County Republican Party, ran unopposed on the ballot for the Republican nomination.[20]
Candidates
Nominee
- Hans Reigle, former mayor of Wyoming and former chairman of the Kent County Republican Party[20]
Failed to file
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Hans Reigle |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairleigh Dickinson University[17] | July 20–24, 2016 | 224 | ± 6.6% | 26% | 14% | 55% |
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[22] | Safe D | November 7, 2016 |
| Daily Kos Elections[23] | Safe D | November 7, 2016 |
| Rothenberg[24] | Safe D | November 3, 2016 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[25] | Safe D | November 7, 2016 |
| RCP[26] | Safe D | October 31, 2016 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) |
Hans Reigle (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Delaware[27] | September 16–28, 2016 | 900 | ± 3.8% | 46% | 26% | 11% | 18% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 233,554 | 55.52% | −3.74% | |
| Republican | Hans Reigle | 172,301 | 40.96% | +4.20% | |
| Green | Mark J. Perri | 8,326 | 1.97% | −0.10% | |
| Libertarian | Scott Gesty | 6,436 | 1.55% | −0.36% | |
| Total votes | 420,617 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||