2020 United States Senate election in Delaware

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2020 United States Senate election in Delaware
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  Chris Coons, official portrait, 112th Congress (cropped).jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Chris Coons Lauren Witzke
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 291,804 186,054
Percentage 59.4% 37.9%
Delaware state election results.svg
County results
Coons:      50–60%      60–70%
Witzke:      50–60%
U.S. senator before election

Chris Coons
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Chris Coons
Democratic

Elections in Delaware
Federal government
State government
Wilmington
  • v
  • t

The 2020 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Delaware, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Chris Coons ran for reelection to a second full term and won against Republican challenger Lauren Witzke with 59.4% of the vote. He outperformed Democratic presidential nominee and former Delaware Senator Joe Biden (whose seat Coons was elected to in a 2010 special election) by 0.7 percentage points, compared to the concurrent presidential election.[1]

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

Nominee[]

Eliminated in primary[]

  • Jessica Scarane, technology executive[5][6]

Withdrawn[]

Declined[]

  • Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States (2009-2017), U.S. Senator from Delaware (1973-2009), 2020 Democratic nominee for President[12][13] (endorsed Chris Coons)[14]
  • Lisa Blunt Rochester, U.S. Representative (running for re-election)
  • Kerri Evelyn Harris, former candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018[15][non-primary source needed][16]

Endorsements[]

hide
Chris Coons
U.S. Vice Presidents
  • Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States (2009-2017), United States Senator from Delaware (1973-2009), Democratic nominee for the 2020 election[14]
State Executives
  • Jack Markell, Governor of Delaware (2009-2017), Treasurer of Delaware (1999-2009)[17]
State legislators
  • Margaret Rose Henry, Member of the Delaware Senate from the 2nd District (1994-2019), Majority Leader of the Delaware Senate (2017-2019)[18]
  • Sean Lynn, Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 31st district (2014-present)[19]
  • Nicole Poore, Majority Leader of the Delaware Senate (2009-present), Member of the Delaware Senate from the district 12 (2013-present)[20]
Individuals
  • Sarah McBride, LGBTQ rights activist, National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign and candidate for the Delaware State Senate[21]
Organizations
hide
Jessica Scarane
State legislators
  • John Kowalko, Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 25th district (2006-present)[43]
Organizations
  • Democratic Socialists of America[44]
  • Brand New Congress[45]
  • Sunrise Movement - Newark Hub[44]
Political Parties
  • Working Families Party[46]

Polling[]

Hypothetical head-to-head polling
with Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Lisa
Blunt Rochester 		Chris
Coons 		Undecided
Data for Progress November 15–25, 2019 528 (LV) ± 6.1% 31% 35% 34%
with Chris Coons and more liberal female Democrat
Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Chris
Coons 		More liberal
female Democrat 		Undecided
Data for Progress November 15–25, 2019 528 (LV) ± 6.1% 24%[b] 45% 31%
32%[c] 36% 32%
32%[d] 36% 33%

Results[]

Results by county:
  Coons—70–80%
  Coons—60–70%
Democratic primary results[47]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Coons (incumbent) 87,332 72.85%
Democratic Jessica Scarane 32,547 27.15%
Total votes 119,879 100.00%

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

Nominee[]

  • Lauren Witzke, conservative activist and proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory[48][49][50]

Eliminated in primary[]

  • James DeMartino, attorney and nominee for Delaware House of Representatives in 2016 & 2018[51]

Declined[]

  • Rob Arlett, former Sussex County councilman and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018[52]

Endorsements[]

hide
James DeMartino
Organizations
  • Delaware Colonial Region Republicans[53]
Political Parties
  • Republican State Committee of Delaware[54]
hide
Lauren Witzke
U.S. Representatives
  • Paul Gosar, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona (2011-present)[55]

Results[]

Results by county:
  Witzke—60–70%
  Witzke—50–60%
Republican primary results[47]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lauren Witzke 30,702 56.89%
Republican James DeMartino 23,266 43.11%
Total votes 53,968 100.00%

Other candidates[]

Libertarian Party[]

Nominee[]

  • Nadine Frost, Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018[56]

Independent Party of Delaware[]

Nominee[]

  • Mark Turley, small business owner[57]

General election[]

Predictions[]

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[58] Safe D October 29, 2020
Inside Elections[59] Safe D October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball[60] Safe D November 2, 2020
Daily Kos[61] Safe D October 30, 2020
Politico[62] Safe D November 2, 2020
RCP[63] Safe D October 23, 2020
DDHQ[64] Safe D November 3, 2020
538[65] Safe D November 2, 2020
Economist[66] Safe D November 2, 2020

Endorsements[]

hide
Chris Coons (D)
U.S. Vice Presidents
  • Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States (2009-2017), United States Senator from Delaware (1973-2009), Democratic nominee for the 2020 election[14]
State Executives
  • Jack Markell, Governor of Delaware (2009-2017), Treasurer of Delaware (1999-2009)[17]
State legislators
  • Margaret Rose Henry, Member of the Delaware Senate from the 2nd District (1994-2019), Majority Leader of the Delaware Senate (2017-2019)[18]
  • Sean Lynn, Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 31st district (2014-present)[19]
  • Nicole Poore, Majority Leader of the Delaware Senate (2009-present), Member of the Delaware Senate from the district 12 (2013-present)[20]
Individuals
  • Sarah McBride, LGBTQ rights activist, National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign and candidate for the Delaware State Senate[21]
Labor Unions
  • International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers[67]
Organizations
hide
Lauren Witzke (R)
Members of U.S. Congress
  • Paul Gosar, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona (2011-present)[55]
Individuals
  • Nick Fuentes, far-right political commentator, podcaster and white nationalist[70]

Polling[]

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Chris
Coons (D) 		Lauren
Witzke (R) 		Other/
Undecided
University of Delaware September 21–27, 2020 847 (LV) – 57% 27% 17%[e]

Results[]

United States Senate election in Delaware, 2020[71]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Chris Coons (incumbent) 291,804 59.44% +3.61%
Republican Lauren Witzke 186,054 37.90% -4.33%
Delaware Independent Mark Turley 7,833 1.59% N/A
Libertarian Nadine Frost 5,244 1.07% N/A
Total votes 490,935 100.0%
Democratic hold

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ^ After being presented with a liberal set of arguments regarding Chris Coons
  3. ^ After being presented with a conservative set of arguments regarding Chris Coons
  4. ^ Voting intention without being presented with any arguments regarding Chris Coons
  5. ^ "None/other/undecided" with 11%; Turley (DI) with 4%; Frost (L) with 2%

References[]

  1. ^ Rakich, Nathaniel (December 2, 2020). "There Wasn't That Much Split-Ticket Voting In 2020". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Schor, Elana; Everett, Burgess. "Meet the GOP's favorite Democrat". Politico.
  3. ^ "Chris Coons, U.S. Senator for Delaware". Chris Coons.
  4. ^ "COONS, CHRISTOPHER A. – Candidate overview". FEC.gov.
  5. ^ Dayen, David (November 17, 2019). "Centrist Senator Chris Coons Faces Primary Challenge in Delaware". The American Prospect.
  6. ^ "Jessica Scarane | Democrat for U.S. Senate". Jessica Scarane | Democrat for U.S. Senate.
  7. ^ Rob Petree (November 8, 2018). "Scott Walker thanks Sussex County, announces 2020 run against Coons". Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Fmr. House Candidate Scott Walker suspends longshot Democratic presidential campaign, says he's writing book". Delaware 105.9 FM. June 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  9. ^ "Austin Auen on Facebook". Retrieved September 8, 2019.[non-primary source needed]
  10. ^ "Scott Walker, Democrat again, to wield his homemade signs against Chris Coons for Senate". Delaware Online. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  11. ^ "State of Delaware - Department of Elections · Office of the State Election Commissioner". elections.delaware.gov.
  12. ^ Macaya, Melissa; Wagner, Meg; Hayes, Mike; Rocha, Veronica; Hammond, Elise (August 11, 2020). "Live updates: Biden announces 2020 election VP pick". CNN.
  13. ^ "Biden misspeaks, says he is U.S. Senate candidate". The Washington Post.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Levine, Marianne. "The Biden whisperer in the Senate". POLITICO.
  15. ^ "Team Kerri on Facebook". www.facebook.com.
  16. ^ Schmidt, Sophia. "Kerri Harris reflects on her U.S. Senate run and its impact". delawarepublic.org.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Markell, Jack Markell and Carla. "Jack and Carla Markell: We must re-elect Chris Coons to represent Delaware". The News Journal.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Delaware, HOY en (August 18, 2020). "Retired State Sen. Margaret Rose Henry endorses US Sen. Chris Coons".
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sen. Chris Coons is a man of action". Cape Gazette.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Delaware, HOY en (September 3, 2020). "Sen. Chris Coons endorsement".
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lit Drop for Chris Coons & Sarah McBride! · Chris Coons for Delaware". Mobilize.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Endorsed Candidates — 314actionfund". 314 Action. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "ABA and the Delaware Bankers Association Join to Release New Ads Thanking Sen. Chris Coons". www.aba.com.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "Brady Endorses Delaware Sen. Chris Coons for Re-Election". Brady Campaign. February 20, 2020.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b "Latest predictions on control of the Senate next year". Council for a Livable World. October 22, 2020.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Delaware AFL-CIO".
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b "Delaware Building and Construction Trades Council".
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b "Democratic Majority for Israel". DMFI PAC.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b Muller, Tiffany (January 21, 2020). "End Citizens United Endorses 39 Candidates 10 Years After Citizens United Decision". End Citizens United.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b "Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund Endorses Senator Chris Coons for U.S. Senate". Everytown. June 30, 2020.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b "Giffords Endorses Slate of Senators Running to Bring a Gun Safety Majority to the US Senate". Giffords. May 8, 2020.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Society, Humane. "2020 Endorsements". Humane Society Legislative Fund.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b "Human Rights Campaign Announces Pro-Equality Leaders for U.S. Senate". HRC.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b "2020 Endorsements". Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b "Meet the 2020 Candidates". Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b Connnon, Courtnee (May 27, 2020). "LCV Action Fund Endorses Senator Chris Coons for Re-Election". League of Conservation Voters.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b "Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund Announces New U.S. House and Senate Endorsements". Moms Demand Action. June 30, 2020.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b "NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)". NARAL Pro-Choice America. September 3, 2020.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b "Six Environmental Champions Win NRDC Action Fund Endorsements". nrdcactionfund.org. May 18, 2020.
  40. ^ Jump up to: a b "2020 Endorsements". plannedparenthoodaction.org.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b "Endorsements – Pro-Israel America". proisraelamerica.org.
  42. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sierra Club #ClimateVoter Guide: Endorsements". Sierra Club.
  43. ^ Kowalko, John. "For Delaware, Jess Scarane is the right choice for U.S. senator". The News Journal.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b "Jess Scarane Wants To "Create a Government That Puts People Over Profit"". Jacobin Magazine.
  45. ^ "Jessica Scarane for U.S. Senate 2020 - Brand New Congress". Brand New Congress. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  46. ^ "Our 2020 Endorsements - Working Families". workingfamilies.org/.
  47. ^ Jump up to: a b "2020 State Primary Election Report". Delaware.gov. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  48. ^ "Political newcomer with QAnon ties, Lauren Witzke, wins GOP U.S. Senate primary in Delaware". CBS News.
  49. ^ "Republican nominee for US Senate in Delaware has repeatedly promoted QAnon conspiracy theory, once called self 'flat earther'". Chicago Tribune.
  50. ^ "New QAnon-Allied GOP Senate Candidate Also Pushed Anti-Semitism, Flat Earthism, and 9/11 Conspiracies". The Daily Beast.
  51. ^ Shannon, Josh (July 23, 2020). "Candidate slate set for Delaware's fall election". Newark Post Alone. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  52. ^ "Arlett For Delaware" – via Facebook.[non-primary source needed][permanent dead link]
  53. ^ "Delaware Colonial Region Republicans". www.facebook.com.
  54. ^ Gamard, Sarah. "Delaware Republican Party makes endorsements amid contention between members, candidates". The News Journal.
  55. ^ Jump up to: a b "Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) Endorses White Nationalist Senate Candidate with Nazi-Sympathizing Campaign Manager". Learn who's fueling antisemitism.
  56. ^ "State of Delaware - Department of Elections · Office of the State Election Commissioner". elections.delaware.gov.
  57. ^ Mueller, Sarah. "Independent party candidate challenges Sen. Coons in 2020". delawarepublic.org.
  58. ^ "2020 Senate Race Ratings for October 29, 2020". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  59. ^ "2020 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  60. ^ "2020 Senate race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  61. ^ "2020 Senate Race Ratings". Daily Kos Elections. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  62. ^ "2020 Election Forecast". Politico. November 19, 2019.
  63. ^ "Battle for the Senate 2020". RCP. October 23, 2020.
  64. ^ "2020 Senate Elections Model". Decision Desk HQ. September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  65. ^ Silver, Nate (September 18, 2020). "Forecasting the race for the Senate". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  66. ^ "Forecasting the US elections". The Economist. November 2, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  67. ^ "IFPTE Releases Its 2020 Congressional Endorsements". ifpte.org. International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. July 6, 2020.
  68. ^ "Info". www.dsea.org. Retrieved November 12, 2020.(subscription required)
  69. ^ "U.S. Senate - Education Votes". educationvotes.nea.org.
  70. ^ Craven, Julia (September 16, 2020). "Meet Lauren Witzke, the QAnon-Friendly Senate Nominee in Delaware". Slate Magazine.
  71. ^ "2020 General Election Report". Delaware Department of Elections. Retrieved November 11, 2020.

External links[]

Official campaign websites
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