In the final primaries of the year, Delaware voters flocked to the polls Sept. 15 to choose nominees for Congress and other statewide offices.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons easily won another nomination after he was first elected in 2010 to fill the seat once held by former President Joe Biden.
With about 45% of votes counted, Coons was projected to win over three lesser-known primary challengers. Among them was businessman Eric Hansen, who ran for Senate as a Republican in 2024 and appeared as "E. No-Trump Hansen" on the ballot. The former business executive's team said on his campaign website the name wasn't "a gimmick – it's his complete commitment to positive change."
Coons had received nearly 37,000 ballots, or about 81% of the vote, according
to reporting by The New York Times, The Associated Press and CNN. Jeff Appelhans had the second highest number of votes with around 4,000.
On the GOP side, primary voters nominated former state Sen. Michael Katzto take on Coons in a state that hasn't elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1966. Katz had around 13,000 votes in his favor over U.S. Army Reserve Col. John Shulli's 4,000, according to CNN.
McBride faces Arminio for lone House seat
The nominees for Delaware's only House seat were also decided, with incumbent Sarah McBride – the first trans person elected to Congress – winning the Democratic nomination after running unopposed.
McBride faced noticeable backlash from the GOP caucus before even arriving to Capitol Hill after winning the state's at-large congressional race two years ago.
In November 2024, for instance, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a policy banning transgender people from using some Capitol restrooms that do not correspond with their gender at birth. During a subcommittee hearing in 2025, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, misgendered McBride when addressing the Delaware lawmaker.
She will face Republican Joseph Arminio in the fall. The New York Times and others called the race for Arminio around an hour after polls closed when he had 7,500 votes, besting runner-up John Whalen's 5,300.
Further down the ballot, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings defeated primary challengers Dwayne Bensing and Patty Rickman, outlets reported.
Republican David Graham, who ran unopposed, will be the GOP nominee for attorney general this fall.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coons, McBride cruise to wins in Delaware primaries
