Elections were held in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s were held on September 14, 2010.

Federal

Senate

The 2010 election for the United States Senate was an

open seat The Barcelona Open (currently sponsored by Banc Sabadell) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players. The event has been held in Barcelona, Spain every year from 1953 (except for its cancellation in 2020), and is played on clay ...

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

to finish the term ending in January 2015. Joe Biden, the 36-year Senator from the seat, was reelected to his Senate seat in 2008 and was simultaneously elected

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

. He resigned on January 16, 2009 in order to take his seat as Vice President (he was sworn in five days later, on January 20,

Inauguration Day The inauguration of the president of the United States is a ceremony to mark the commencement of a new four-year term of the president of the United States. During this ceremony, between 73 to 79 days after the presidential election, the pres ...

). Delaware Governor

Ruth Ann Minner Ruth Ann Minner (née Coverdale; January 17, 1935 – November 4, 2021) was an American politician and businesswoman from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 72nd (and, to date, only female) gov ...

announced her intention to appoint Biden's longtime aide and chief of staff Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman on November 24, 2008, and made the appointment the same day Biden resigned. Kaufman was sworn in as a Senator the next day. He made clear that he would not be a candidate for election in 2010. Biden's son

Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware. The oldest child of current U.S. president Joe Bid ...

, the

state Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney genera ...

, considered entering the race but decided not to. Democrat

Chris Coons Christopher Andrew Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Delaware since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Coons served as the county executive of New Castle Cou ...

, the

county executive A county executive, county manager or county mayor is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county. The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, the executive typically functions either as a ...

of New Castle County, entered the race instead and won the Democratic nomination unopposed. In a widely publicized Republican primary,

Michael Castle Michael Newbold Castle (born July 2, 1939) is an American lawyer and politician who was governor of Delaware (1985–92) and the U.S. representative for (1993–2011). He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes the entire ...

, the former governor and nine-term U.S. Representative for Delaware's sole congressional seat who was initially heavily favored to win the primary and then the general election, was defeated in an upset by

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defic ...

-aligned

marketing consultant Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to empha ...

Christine O'Donnell Christine Therese O'Donnell (born August 27, 1969) is an American conservative activist in the Tea Party movement best known for her 2010 campaign for the United States Senate seat from Delaware vacated by Joe Biden. O'Donnell was born in Phi ...

. Coons went on to defeat O'Donnell, as well as minor-party candidates Glenn A. Miller (

Independent Party of Delaware The Independent Party of Delaware (IPoD) is a political party in the State of Delaware, United States. As of March 2021, it is the third largest political party in Delaware with 9,443 registered voters. The preamble outlines the party's goals: "T ...

) and James W. Rash (Libertarian), by a wide margin.

House of Representatives

John Carney was elected to Delaware's sole seat in the House of Representatives, replacing Republican Mike Castle, who vacated his seat to unsuccessfully run for the Senate. This was one of just three House seats to be picked up by the Democrats; the others were

Cedric Richmond Cedric Levan Richmond (born September 13, 1973) is an American attorney, politician, and political advisor who served as a Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, senior advisor to the president and director of the Office of Public ...

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district Louisiana's 2nd congressional district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans and stretches west and north to Baton Rouge. The district is currently represented by Democrat Troy Carter. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+25, ...

and

Colleen Hanabusa Colleen Wakako Hanabusa ( ja, 花房若子; born May 4, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for her party's ...

Hawaii's 1st congressional district Hawaii's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The district is located entirely on the island of Oahu, encompassing the urban areas of the City and County of Honolulu, a consolidated city-county tha ...

State

Constitutional officers

Attorney General

Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III, son of

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr., cruised to reelection as

Delaware Attorney General The attorney general of Delaware is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of Delaware, and is the chief law officer and the head of the State Department of Justice. On January 1, 2019, Kathy Jennings was sworn in as the 46th attorney general o ...

with no major-party opposition and a commanding 58-point margin of victory. Beau Biden had considered running in the special Senate election held simultaneously with the general election to serve the balance of his father's unexpired Senate term. (His father resigned to become vice president). However, Beau chose to run for reelection as attorney general instead.

Treasurer

In this race, Democrat Chipman "Chip" Flowers Jr., a 35-year-old attorney from Middletown, narrowly edging out Republican Colin R. J. Bonini of

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

, a 45-year-old

state Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

representing District 16. Flowers will replace

Velda Jones-Potter Velda Jones-Potter is a Delaware businesswoman and politician. She was appointed by Jack Markell to finish out his term as Delaware State Treasurer when he was elected governor in 2008. She lost her bid for election in the 2010 Democratic primary t ...

, the incumbent Treasurer appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jack Markell Jack Alan Markell (born November 26, 1960) is an American politician who currently serves as the United States ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He previously served as the 73rd governor of Delaware from 2 ...

to finish out his term as treasurer when he was elected to the governorship in the 2008 election. Jones-Potter ran for the Democratic nomination, but was defeated by Flowers in the primary. Flowers became Delaware's first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

elected to statewide office. Bonini remained a state Senator until 2010.

Auditor of Accounts

In this race, longtime State Auditor R. Thomas "Tom" Wagner Jr. of

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, the Republican nominee and 21-year incumbent, won a sixth term in office by just 2,563 votes (0.8 percent) over Democratic nominee Richard Korn of Wilmington, the president and CEO of Franklin Strategies, a political consulting firm. This was the closest statewide race in Delaware in the 2010 general elections.

General Assembly

Senate

Half of the seats of the

Delaware Senate The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at whi ...

are up for election in 2010. In District 1, longtime incumbent Senator Harris B. McDowell III of North Wilmington, son of former Congressman Harris B. McDowell, Jr., won unopposed. McDowell, first elected in 1976, is the longest-serving senator. In District 5, incumbent Senator Catherine (Cathy) Cloutier of Heatherbrooke, a Republican who also had the Working Families ballot line, won reelection to the

Brandywine Hundred Brandywine Hundred (also known as North Wilmington) is an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County, Delaware. It is located to the north and northeast of the city of Wilmington. Hundreds were once used as a basis for representation in the ...

Senate seat she has held since 2000, defeating Democratic nominee Christopher (Chris) Counihan, a first-time candidate and university professor. In District 7, incumbent Democrat Patricia M. Blevins, who has served in the Senate since 1990, defeated Republican businessman Fredrick R. Cullis, 61-39 percent. In District 8, Democrat David P. (Dave) Sokola, who had been in the Senate since 1990, defeated Republican first-time candidate A. Louis Saindon, 60.6-39.4 percent. In District 14, incumbent Democratic Senator Bruce C. Ennis of

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

, a legislator since 1982, first in the House and since 2006 in the Senate, easily defeated Republican challenger John A. Moritz. In District 15, longtime Democratic Senator Nancy W. Cook, 74, first elected in 1974 after the death of her husband Allen J. Cook, who had held the seat for 16 years, lost to Republican first-time candidate David G. Lawson of Marydel, 63, a former

state trooper State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction ...

and gun-shop owner. Cook was the only General Assembly incumbent running for reelection to be defeated and the only Democrat-to-Republican flip (Democrats picked up two state House seats). The race was especially significant because Cook was the longtime co-chair of the budget-drafting Joint Finance Committee. District 15 covers a sprawling area including almost all of western Kent County, from Smyrna to the outskirts of Harrington. District 19 was uncontested in the general election. Incumbent Republican Joseph W. (Joe) Booth of Georgetown won his first full term in office. Booth, a

dry cleaning Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water. Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent. Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), known in ...

-store owner and former Georgetown mayor, Indian River school board member, and seven-year state House Representative, won a special election to replace longtime Senator Thurman Adams, a

conservative Democrat In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with conservative political views, or with views that are conservative compared to the positions taken by other members of the Democratic Party. Traditionally, co ...

, who died in office. Booth beat back a Republican primary challenge from

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

and 9-12 activist Eric R. Bodenweiser. District 20 was uncontested. Democrat George H. Bunting Jr. of Bethany Beach won another term.

House of Representatives

All of the seats in the

Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...

are up for election in 2010.

Local

Sheriffs

The countywide position of

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

was up for election in all of Delaware's three counties. In heavily Democratic

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

, Democratic nominee

Trinidad Navarro Trinidad Navarro is an American politician who is the Delaware Insurance Commissioner and previously served as New Castle County Sheriff. He is a Democrat. Education and career Navarro received his associate's degree from Delaware Technical Co ...

, 40, a senior

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

and chief media spokesman with the New Castle County Police, won with a very wide margin, defeating Republican William Hart, a commercial construction project manager and Independence Party of Delaware candidate Joseph O'Leary. In the Democratic primaries, Navarro routed 30-year incumbent Sheriff Mike Walsh, 72, with 63.3 percent of the vote. In the Republican primary, Hart defeated O'Leary, 14,377 to 11,105, but O'Leary chose to run as an Independence Party candidate. In Sussex County, Republican Jeffrey Scott Christopher, 46, of

Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth C ...

, a former Sussex County sheriff's chief deputy, won with 53.8 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent Democrat Eric D. Swanson, 56, of

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

, who had been sheriff since 2007 and prior to that a

Delaware State Police The Delaware State Police (DSP) is a division of the Delaware Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security and is responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Delaware, especially in areas underserved by local p ...

man. In Kent County, Democrat Norman Wood of Camden, a

Police Department lieutenant, defeated Republican incumbent Sheriff James A. Higdon Jr. of

. Higdon pleaded guilty in July 2010 to

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

on May 29, 2010. First elected in 1994, he won reelection three more times, in 1998, 2002, and 2006, and only in 1998 had an opponent.

References

External links

Delaware State Election CommissionerU.S. Congress Candidates for Delaware
at

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

Delaware Candidate List
a
Imagine Election
- Search for candidates by address or zip code
Delaware Election Guide
from Congress.org
Delaware Polls
at Pollster.com
Delaware Congressional Races in 2010
campaign finance data for federal races from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

Delaware 2010
campaign finance data for state-level races from ''Follow the Money''
Election 2010
at ''

The News Journal ''The News Journal'' is the main newspaper for Wilmington, Delaware, and the surrounding area. It is headquartered in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near New Castle, and is owned by Gannett. History The ancestry of the News Journ ...

'' {{United States elections, 2010