The 2016 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

from Delaware's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the

2016 U.S. presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald ...

, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

and various

and

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. The primaries were held on September 13.

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

John Carney, the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

representative, did not run for reelection, instead successfully running for

Governor of Delaware 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 r ...

. Democrat

Lisa Blunt Rochester Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester (née Blunt; born February 10, 1962) also known by her initials LBR, is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman and first A ...

won the open seat on November 8th.

Democratic primary

Democrats Bryon Short, a member of 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 ...

from Highland Woods, and Bryan Townsend, a member 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 ...

from

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a small city in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington. According to the 2010 United States Census, ...

, had previously said they would run for the seat if Carney ran for governor. Following Carney's announcement that he would run for governor, both Short and Townsend declared their candidacies in the race to succeed him.

, the former State Labor Secretary, also joined the race. Short later withdrew from the race, citing difficulties fundraising. Rochester won the primary with 43.8% of the vote.

Candidates

Nominee

, former State Labor Secretary, former State Personnel Director, and former CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League

Eliminated in primary

* Bryan Townsend, state senator * Sean Barney, former policy director for Governor Jack Markell and nominee for state treasurer in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

* Mike Miller, businessman and perennial candidate

Withdrawn

* Bryon Short, state representative

Declined

* Marla Blunt Carter, college professor and former congressional aide * Chris Bullock, president of the

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 ...

Council (running for re-election) * John Carney, incumbent U.S. Representative ( running for Governor) *

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 ...

, Governor of Delaware * Brenda Mayrack, former executive director of the

Delaware Democratic Party The Delaware Democratic Party (DelDems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is headquartered in New Castle County and chaired by Erik Raser-Schramm. The party is the dominant political party in Delaware and ...

and nominee for state auditor in

* Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the

National Wildlife Federation The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over six million members and supporters, and 51 state and territorial affiliated organizations (includin ...

and former State Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary * Dennis E. Williams, former state representative and nominee in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Republican primary

Hans Reigle, a former mayor of

Wyoming, Delaware Wyoming is a town in Kent County, Delaware, Kent County, Delaware, United States. It was named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. It is part of the Dover, Delaware, Dover metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1 ...

, and the former chairman of the Kent County Republican Party, ran unopposed on the ballot for the Republican nomination.

Candidates

Nominee

* Hans Reigle, former mayor of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

and former chairman of the Kent County Republican Party

Failed to file

* Rose Izzo, conservative activist, candidate for the seat in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and nominee in

(never filed for primary)

Polling

General election

Polling

{, class="wikitable" , - valign= bottom ! Poll source ! Date(s)
administered ! Sample
size ! Margin of
error ! style="width:100px;", Lisa
Blunt
Rochester (D) ! style="width:100px;", Hans
Reigle (R) ! style="width:40px;", Other ! style="width:40px;", Undecided , -
University of Delaware
, align=center, September 16–28, 2016 , align=center, 900 , align=center, ± 3.8% , align=center, 46% , align=center, 26% , align=center, 11% , align=center, 18%

Results

References

External links

U.S. House election in Delaware, 2016
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Campaign contributions
at

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;Official campaign websites (Archived)
Sean Barney (D) for Congress

Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) for Congress

Bryan Townsend (D) for Congress

Rose Izzo for Congress

Hans Reigle for Congress
{{2016 United States elections

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

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