Across the state on Tuesday, Delaware voters who had not already cast their ballot by mail turned out to vote, mask-clad and socially distanced.
Voters were deciding many key races, especially in areas where Democrats have the advantage. A primary win in those races meant the candidate would almost automatically win in November.
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In all three counties, council seats were up for grabs, as was New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer’s position.
In Wilmington, a handful of Democrats were vying for the city’s mayoral and City Council seats, and Gov. John Carney faced challengers. Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro was also up for reelection.
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Sen. Chris Coons was also on the ballot Tuesday, facing a progressive primary challenger.
Two Republicans squared off for the right to face that winner.
TRACKER:Follow along as results come in
The results of Tuesday’s races could be a bellwether for how Delaware politics is changing in both major parties.
Here were updates throughout the day as voters hit their polling places and results came in throughout the night.
12:16 a.m. All precinct results are in
Shortly after midnight, all 436 precincts reported their election results and were represented in online election data, providing definitive answers as to who came out on top in Delaware’s primary Tuesday.
While some of the races were called early as voting tallies started flowing in, others came down to the wire, showing just how tight some Delaware primary races really were.
Delaware also recorded a voter turnout of 32.26% statewide, a number higher than usual for a primary
For full results from Tuesday’s primary, stick with Delaware Online.
— Brittany Horn
11:56 p.m. Incumbents in NCCo sweep
Incumbents in New Castle County have swept the contested races on the Democratic side.
With no challenger in the general election, County Executive Matt Meyer will serve a second term after defeating political newcomer Maggie Jones. With 97% of precincts reporting, Meyer has 56.58% of the vote. In an almost evenly split three-way race, New Castle County President Karen Hartley-Nagle defeated challengers Monique Johns and Ciro Poppiti, claiming 40.06% of the vote. She will face independent Brian Whitaker, the New Castle city clerk, in November’s general election.
Four years after upsetting three-term incumbent Tom Gordon, Meyer ran on the accomplishments of his first term, including most recently the county’s response to COVID-19. Meyer said Tuesday night, restoring public health remains one of his top priorities.
“We can’t have a healthy economy, we cannot have healthy schools, we can’t have a healthy housing market or jobs market until we have a healthy community.”
Hartley-Nagle said she was the best choice to lead County Council through the pandemic because she has already developed a rapport with members of council and is fiscally responsible. Poppiti, the county’s Register of Wills, and Johns, a workshop facilitator from Middletown, garnered 28.42% and 31.52% of the vote respectively. Because of his experience in county government and relationships with members of council, Poppiti was seen as the favorite by some.
“I just help [my constituents],” Hartley-Nagle said. “Whatever they need I help them with.”
— Brandon Holveck
11:50 p.m. Murray holds off Bonini for right to face Carney
Julianne Murray appears to have won the Republican nomination for governor, holding off Colin Bonini in six-candidate primary for the right to try to unseat Democratic governor John Carney.
Murray, with 433 of 436 precincts reporting, won 41.15% of the vote to Bonini’s 34.55%. Murray collected 22,787 votes to Bonini’s 19,133. None of the other four candidates topped 8% of the vote.
Bonini ran for governor in 2016 and lost to Carney with about…
Read More: Updates as voters hit the polls Tuesday