View source for Politics of Delaware

{{Short description|Politics of a U.S. state}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2008}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Delaware vote|Gubernatorial election results<ref name="Leip, David">{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=General Election Results – Delaware|publisher=[[Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]]|access-date=August 4, 2018|author=Leip, David}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (Delaware)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (Delaware)|Republican]]
|-
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1952 Delaware gubernatorial election|1952]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|47.9% ''81,772''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''52.1%''' ''88,977''
|-
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1956 Delaware gubernatorial election|1956]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|48.1% ''85,047''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''52.0%''' ''91,965''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1960 Delaware gubernatorial election|1960]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.7%''' ''100,792''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.3% ''94,043''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1964 Delaware gubernatorial election|1964]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.4%''' ''102,797''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.7% ''97,374''
|-
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1968 Delaware gubernatorial election|1968]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|49.5% ''102,360''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''50.5%''' ''104,474''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1972 Delaware gubernatorial election|1972]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.3%''' ''117,274''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|47.9% ''109,583''
|-
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1976 Delaware gubernatorial election|1976]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|42.5% ''97,480''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''56.9%''' ''130,531''
|-
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1980 Delaware gubernatorial election|1980]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|28.5% ''64,217''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''70.7%''' ''159,004''
|-
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1984 Delaware gubernatorial election|1984]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|44.5% ''108,315''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''55.5%''' ''135,250''
|-
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1988 Delaware gubernatorial election|1988]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|29.3% ''70,236''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''70.7%''' ''169,733''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1992 Delaware gubernatorial election|1992]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''64.7%''' ''179,365''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|32.8% ''90,725''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1996 Delaware gubernatorial election|1996]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''69.5%''' ''188,300''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|30.5% ''82,564''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2000 Delaware gubernatorial election|2000]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''59.2%''' ''191,695''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|39.8% ''128,603''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2004 Delaware gubernatorial election|2004]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''50.9%''' ''185,548''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|45.8% ''167,008''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2008 Delaware gubernatorial election|2008]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''67.5%''' ''266,861''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|32.0% ''126,662''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2012 Delaware gubernatorial election|2012]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''69.3%''' ''275,993''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|28.6% ''113,793''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 Delaware gubernatorial election|2016]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''58.3%''' ''248,404''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|39.2% ''166,852''
|-
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 Delaware gubernatorial election|2020]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''59.5%''' ''292,903'
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|38.6% ''190,312''
|-
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2024 Delaware gubernatorial election|2024]]
| {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''56.1%''' ''279,585''
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.9% ''209,050''
|-
|-
|}

Due to the state's small size ([[List of U.S. states by population|45th of 50 by population in 2022]]), the '''politics of Delaware''' tend to be less convoluted and controversial than those in neighboring states. Nonetheless, Delaware's political status quo reflects the state's long history of political clout dating from the earliest days of the United States, some of which remains today. Historically, the state was considered a swing state, as it voted for the national winner all but twice between 1896 and 1996; the only exceptions being 1916 and 1948.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.270towin.com/states/Delaware | title=Delaware Presidential Election Voting History - 270toWin }}</ref> However, in the 21st century, the state has become strongly Democratic and provided double-digit wins to Democrats since 2008. The 2008 election saw Democrat Barack Obama with a 25.0% margin of victory, the best-ever result for a Democratic presidential candidate in the state's history. Obama's large margin of victory was aided by his running mate, Joe Biden, a longtime U.S. senator from the state and the first Delawarean to appear on a national presidential ticket. Biden later went on to become the first Delawarean elected president in 2020. 

== Major issues ==
A heavily [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] state, [[Progressivism in the United States|progressivism]] and [[social liberalism]] are generally concentrated in the northern part of the state, and [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatism]] is more prevalent in the less heavily populated central and southern regions. Some of the wealthiest neighborhoods around [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]] (in the north) as well as a few of the more progressive beach towns (in the south) serve as exceptions to this general trend. Politicians of both major parties tend to vote consistently in favor of [[big business]], an important sector of Delaware's economy. Despite this, economically progressive measures such as [[Medicare for All]] and the state's [[Fight for $15|$15 an hour]] minimum wage remain popular.<ref name=udel>{{cite web|title=Delawareans continue to back progressive agenda, elected officials|url=https://www.cpc.udel.edu/content-sub-site/Documents/CPC%20poll%2010-17-18%20FINAL%20FOR%20CPC.pdf}}</ref>

Matters of perennial statewide debate tend to include taxation (which runs relatively low compared to other northeastern states); the needs and demands of Delaware's massive business community; education (Delaware's educational spending per student remains low); increasing stress on the environment; urban development and sprawl; the needs of an increasingly diverse population; large income disparities between wealthy and disadvantaged areas; and a perceived disconnect between the rural central and southern areas of the state and Wilmington and the urbanized corridor in the north, home to the bulk of the state's population.

== National politics==
Delaware's situation with respect to the [[United States presidential primary|Presidential Primary Election]] changed between 2000 and 2008.<ref name="NewsJ200801">{{cite news
 | author=Beth Miller | title = Dela-where? Campaigns bypass First State
 | url = http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080113/NEWS/801130402/1006/NEWS
 | publisher=[[The News Journal]] | date = January 13, 2008 | access-date =January 13, 2008
 | quote = ...it did have an early Republican primary all to itself in 2000, when it provided George W. Bush with his first primary win.  In 2004, Delaware shared its primary day with four other states. And now, it is shoehorned into a virtual phone booth.
}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>  Delaware's Primary is held "on the first Tuesday in February in the calendar year of a presidential election."<ref name="DelCode15.3181">{{cite web
 |url= http://delcode.delaware.gov/title15/c031/sc05/index.shtml
 |title= Presidential Primary Election
 |date= January 1, 2008 |access-date=January 13, 2008
 |work=Online Delaware Code |publisher=State of Delaware
 |quote= ...a presidential primary election for major political parties shall be conducted on the first Tuesday in February in the calendar year of a presidential election.  
}}</ref>  In 2000, Delaware was the sole state to have a primary on February 1, while in 2004 it was one of five states with primaries on February 3.<ref name="NewsJ200801"/>  In the 2008 primaries, Delaware shared February 5 with 23 other states on "[[Super Tuesday (2008)]]", the largest group of simultaneous primary races in the history of the United States.<ref name="NewsJ200801"/><ref name="BBC200705">{{cite news
 | author=Richard Allen Greene
 | title = States jostle for primary power | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6501241.stm
 |publisher=BBC News  | location = Washington | date = May 30, 2007 | access-date =January 13, 2008
 | quote = The US has had "Super Tuesdays" in the past ... (b)ut it has never seen anything like what is shaping up for February 5, 2008 – which some wits are calling "Super Duper Tuesday".
}}</ref>  Being the first Primary in the nation increases the influence of a state disproportionately in determining who the contestants will be in the [[United States presidential election|general presidential election]].  However, as other states change the dates of their primaries, influence is inevitably decreased.<ref name="NewsJ200801"/>

==Federal representation==
Delaware's senators in the [[United States Senate]] are [[Chris Coons]] and [[Lisa Blunt Rochester]], both [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]], serving since 2010 and 2025, respectively. Delaware's at-large representative in the [[United States House of Representatives]] is [[Sarah McBride]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]].

Delaware is part of the [[United States District Court for the District of Delaware]] in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the Philadelphia-based [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]].

==Party registration==
{{Main|Political party strength in Delaware}} 
{| class=wikitable style="align:left"
! colspan = 6 | Party registration as of January 1, 2024<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 1, 2024 |title=Voter Registration Totals |url=https://elections.delaware.gov/voter/registrationtotals/pdfs/vrt_PP20240101.pdf}}</ref>{{efn|Parties that make up less than 5% of total registered voters are not shown.}}
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (US)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align=center | 353,229
| align=center | 45.93%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (US)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=center | 206,596
| align=center | 26.87%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent politician}}
| [[Independent voter|No party]]
| align=center | 171,251
| align=center | 22.27%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party of Delaware}}
|[[Independent Party of Delaware|Delaware Independent]]
| align=center | 10,575
| align=center | 1.38%
|-
| {{party color cell|Other parties (US)}}
| [[List of political parties in the United States|Other]]
| align=center | 27,327
| align=center | 3.55%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align=center | 768,978
! align=center | 100%
|}
{{PresHead|place=Delaware|whig=yes|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=10&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|title=Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Delaware|publisher=US Election Atlas|access-date=January 3, 2023|author=Leip, David}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|214,351|289,758|8,803|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|200,603|296,268|7,475|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|185,127|235,603|23,084|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|165,484|242,584|5,853|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|152,374|255,459|4,783|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|171,660|200,152|3,458|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|137,288|180,068|10,266|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|99,062|140,355|31,667|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|102,313|126,054|61,368|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|139,639|108,647|1,605|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|152,190|101,656|726|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|111,252|105,754|18,662|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|109,831|122,596|3,407|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|140,357|92,283|2,876|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|96,714|89,194|28,459|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|78,078|122,704|538|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|96,373|99,590|720|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|98,057|79,421|510|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|90,059|83,315|651|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|69,588|67,813|1,672|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|56,747|68,166|448|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|61,440|74,599|335|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|57,236|69,702|665|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1932|Republican|57,073|54,319|1,509|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|68,860|36,643|388|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|52,441|33,445|4,999|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|52,858|39,911|2,106|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|26,011|24,753|1,046|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|15,998|22,631|10,065|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|25,014|22,055|938|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|23,705|19,347|804|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|22,535|18,852|602|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|20,450|16,574|1,432|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|18,077|18,581|577|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|12,950|16,414|400|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|12,953|16,957|74|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1880|Democratic|14,148|15,181|129|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1876|Democratic|10,752|13,381|0|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1872|Republican|11,129|10,205|488|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1868|Democratic|7,614|10,957|0|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1864|Democratic|8,155|8,767|0|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1860|Southern Democratic|3,822|1,066|11,227|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1856|Democratic|310|8,004|6,284|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1852|Democratic|6,293|6,318|62|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1848|Whig|6,440|5,910|82|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1844|Whig|6,271|5,970|6|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1840|Whig|5,967|4,872|13|Delaware}}
{{PresRow|1836|Whig|4,736|4,154|5|Delaware}}
{{PresFoot|1832|Whig|4,276|4,110|0|Delaware}}

==See also==
*[[Political party strength in Delaware]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Politics in the United States}}
{{Delaware}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Politics of Delaware| ]]