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 adjacen ...

's 2012 general elections were held on November 6, 2012. Primary elections were held on September 11, 2012.

Federal

President

Senate

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator

Tom Carper Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the senior United States senator from Delaware, having held the seat since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, Carper served in ...

, who has held the position since 2001, is running for re-election. Keith Spanarelli, a businessman, is challenging Carper in the Democratic primary.

Kevin Wade Kevin Wade (born March 9, 1954) is an American screenwriter and television producer. Early life and career Wade was born in Chappaqua, New York, and attended Connecticut College. Before his writing career took off, Wade acted in two films fo ...

, a businessman, is seeking the Republican nomination. Andrew Groff, a businessman, is running as the nominee of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundati ...

. Groff has also been endorsed by the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties * Outline of libertarianism ...

. Alex Pires, a businessman and attorney, is running as the nominee of the

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: ...

House of Representatives

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative John Carney, who has held the position since 2011, is running for re-election. Rose Izzo, a housewife and unsuccessful Republican primary 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 Tom Kovach, the 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, are seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Carney. Bernie August is running as the nominee of the Green Party. Scott Gesty, an accountant, is running as the nominee of the Libertarian Party. Gesty has also been endorsed by the Independent Party of Delaware.

State

Constitutional officers

Governor

Incumbent Democratic

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 ...

, who has held the position since 2009, is running for re-election. Jeff Cragg, a businessman, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Markell.

Lieutenant Governor

Democratic incumbent Matt Denn, who has held the position of

Lieutenant Governor of Delaware The lieutenant governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. president and take office the following ...

since 2009, is running for re-election.

Sher Valenzuela Cheryl "Sher" Valenzuela is an American small-business owner and politician. She was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 2012 and unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for State Treasurer of Delaware i ...

, a businesswoman, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Denn. Margie Waite-McKeown is running as the nominee of the Libertarian Party.

Insurance Commissioner

Democratic incumbent

Karen Weldin Stewart Karen Weldin Stewart is an American politician. She served as the Delaware Insurance Commissioner from 2009 to 2017. Weldin Stewart unsuccessfully ran for state insurance commissioner in 2000 general election and again in the 2004 Democratic pri ...

, who has held the position of Insurance Commissioner of Delaware since 2009, is running for re-election. Mitch Crane, a lawyer, former judge, and former acting director of the Consumer Services and Investigations under Stewart; Paul Gallagher, an insurance agent; and Dennis Spivack, a former Deputy state Attorney General and Democratic nominee for the At-large congressional seat in 2006, are challenging Stewart in the Democratic primary. Crane has received the endorsement 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 ...

. David Eisenhour is running as the nominee of the Libertarian Party.

General Assembly

Senate

Because of redistricting, all 21 members 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. The state Senate currently consists of 14 Democrats and 7 Republicans. ;Open seats District 6: Republican incumbent and Minority Whip Liane Sorenson is retiring. District 20: Democratic incumbent George Bunting is retiring.

House of Representatives

All 41 members 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 ...

are up for election. The state House currently consists of 26 Democrats and 15 Republicans. ;Open seats District 1: Democratic incumbent Dennis P. Williams is running for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

of Wilmington. District 11: Republican incumbent and Minority Leader Greg Lavelle is running for the 4th district state Senate seat. District 19: Democratic incumbent and Speaker of the House Robert Gilligan is retiring. District 20: This is a new seat, with no current incumbent. District 23: Democratic incumbent Teresa Schooley is retiring. District 32: Democratic incumbent E. Bradford "Brad" Bennett is retiring. District 38: Republican incumbent Gerald Hocker is running for the 20th district state Senate seat. District 40: Republican incumbent Biff Lee is retiring.

References

External links

Division of ElectionsDelaware
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 ...

Delaware judicial elections, 2012
at

Judgepedia 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 Burn ...

Delaware 2012
campaign finance data 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 Congressional Races in 2012
campaign finance data from

Outside spending
at the

Sunlight Foundation The Sunlight Foundation was an American 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocated for open government. The organization was founded in April 2006 with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the United State ...

{{United States elections, 2012