2014 Delaware elections

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Delaware on November 4, 2014. Half of Delaware's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat and Delaware's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on September 9, 2014. As of 2022^[update], this was the last time Republicans won any statewide election in Delaware.

Federal

Senate

Main article: 2014 United States Senate election in Delaware

Incumbent Democratic senator Chris Coons, who was elected in a 2010 special election, ran for re-election to a first full term in office.^[1]

He faced Republican businessman Kevin Wade^[2] and Green Party computer science professor Andrew Groff in the general election,^[3] both of whom were their respective parties nominees for Delaware's other U.S. Senate seat in 2012. Coons was re-elected with 56% of the vote to Wade's 42% and Groff's 2%

United States Senate election in Delaware, 2014^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Chris Coons (incumbent)	130,655	55.83
	Republican	Kevin Wade	98,823	42.23
	Green	Andrew Groff	4,560	1.95
Total votes			234,038	100.0
	Democratic hold

House of Representatives

Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware

Delaware has a single at-large congressional district. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative John Carney, who has represented the state in Congress since 2011, ran for re-election to a third term in office.

Carney faced Republican Rose Izzo, Green Bernie August and Libertarian Scott Gesty in the general election.^[3] He was re-elected with 59% to Izzo's 37%, August's 2% and Gesty's 2%.

State

Constitutional officers

Attorney general

Main article: 2014 Delaware Attorney General election

Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Beau Biden did not run for re-election to a third term in office. He was instead going to run for Governor of Delaware in the 2016 election to succeed term-limited Democratic governor Jack Markell, but he died of brain cancer on May 30, 2015, at the age of 46.^[5][6]

Lieutenant Governor of Delaware Matthew Denn was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. State Prosecutor Kathleen Jennings had considered running, but decided not to and endorsed Denn.^[7][8]

The Republicans attempted to recruit former United States Attorney for the District of Delaware Colm Connolly. He considered running, but declined to do so.^[9] The Republican nominee was corporate attorney Ted Kittila, who was unopposed for his party's nomination.^[10]

Also running were Independent Party nominee David Graham, a tax auditor, former Republican candidate for governor and attorney general and the Independent Party-endorsed write-in candidate for Governor in 2012;^[11] Green Party nominee Catherine Damavandi, who served as a deputy attorney general of Delaware from 2000 to 2014;^[12] and Libertarian John Machurek, a candidate for the State House in 2012.^[3]

Delaware Attorney General election, 2014^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Matthew Denn	121,410	52.76
	Republican	Ted Kittila	90,257	39.22
	Green	Catherine Damavandi	10,599	4.61
	Independent Party	David Graham	4,879	2.12
	Libertarian	John Machurek	2,984	1.3
Total votes			230,129	100.0
	Democratic hold

Treasurer

Incumbent Democratic State Treasurer Chipman L. Flowers, Jr. had planned to run for re-election to a second term in office,^[14] but after being dogged by controversy through his term in office over his use of office credit cards and travel spending and his clashes with Governor Markell and the state Cash Management Policy Board, he announced his withdrawal from the race on August 15, 2014.^[15][16] However, he filed a withdrawal form that was postdated to withdraw him from the race on August 28, which meant that he couldn't be removed from the ballot until that date, a move which drew criticism.^[17][18] His failure to withdraw in time meant that his name appeared on absentee ballots and though his name was covered at polling places, he did still receive some votes.^[19] The Democratic primary was won by Sean Barney, a former policy director for Governor Markell and former adviser to U.S. Senator Tom Carper, who had announced his candidacy before Flowers had attempted to run for re-election.^[20][21]

Democratic primary election results^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sean Barney	2,022	71.05
	Democratic	Chip Flowers	824	28.95
Total votes			2,846	100.0

Two individuals ran for the Republican party's nomination, money manager Ken Simpler and Sher Valenzuela, former Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in 2012. The Republican primary campaign was a bitter one, marked by infighting and with outside spending behind both candidates, who criticised each other frequently.^[23]

Republican primary election results^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ken Simpler	13,491	53.88
	Republican	Sher Valenzuela	11,549	46.12
Total votes			25,040	100.0

Also running was Green Party nominee David Chandler, a mathematics professor at the University of Delaware.^[24]

Delaware State Treasurer election, 2014^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ken Simpler	123,105	53.59
	Democratic	Sean Barney	100,218	43.63
	Green	David Chandler	6,373	2.77
Total votes			229,696	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic

Simpler's win meant that he became the first non-incumbent Republican to win a statewide election in Delaware since 1994.^[25]

Auditor of Accounts

Results by county
Wagner

  60-69%

Mayrack

  50-59%

Incumbent Republican Auditor of Accounts R. Thomas Wagner, Jr. ran for re-election to a seventh full term in office. He was unopposed in the Republican primary.^[26]

Two Democrats ran for their party's nomination: Certified Public Accountant and candidate for Auditor in 2010 Kenneth Matlusky; and businesswoman, attorney and former executive director of the Delaware Democratic Party Brenda Mayrack.^[27][28]

Democratic primary election results^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brenda Mayrack	12,091	54.99
	Democratic	Kenneth Matlusky	9,896	45.01
Total votes			21,987	100.0

Delaware Auditor of Accounts election, 2014^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	R. Thomas Wagner, Jr. (incumbent)	123,100	54.22
	Democratic	Brenda Mayrack	103,939	45.78
Total votes			227,039	100.0
	Republican hold

General Assembly

Senate

Main article: 2014 Delaware Senate election

House of Representatives

Main article: 2014 Delaware House of Representatives election

References

1. Charles Mahtesian (November 27, 2012). "Coons: Not taking any chances in 2014". Politico. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
2. Byrne, Tom (July 8, 2014). "Late filings make two 2014 statewide races more competitive". WDDE. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
3. "State of Delaware Department of Elections General Election 11/04/2014 Filed Candidates by Office". elections.delaware.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
4. "State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)". State of Delaware Election Commissioner. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
5. "Beau Biden says he plans to run for governor in Delaware". CNN. April 17, 2014. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
6. FoxNews.com (May 31, 2015). "Beau Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, dies of brain cancer". Fox News Network, LLC. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
7. "Denn enters AG's race; primary still possible". Delaware Online. April 21, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
8. "State prosecutor Jennings won't run for attorney general". Delaware Online. April 25, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
9. "Connolly not running for AG". Delaware Online. May 8, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
10. "Republican lawyer to enter AG race". Delaware Online. June 17, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
11. "Election 2014: Denn, Graham, Kittila face off in Attorney General race". Middletown Transcript. August 20, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
12. "Green Party's Damavandi running for attorney general". Delaware Online. September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
13. "State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)". State of Delaware Election Commissioner. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
14. "Treasurer Flowers announces re-election bid". Delaware Online. March 7, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
15. "Flowers to finish term, leave Delaware". Delaware Online. August 15, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
16. "Delaware State Treasurer Chip Flowers withdraws from election (video)". News Works. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
17. "Chip Flowers delays withdrawal from primary". Delaware Online. August 25, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
18. "Chip Flowers remains on Delaware primary ballot". News Works. August 26, 2014. Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
19. "Even off ballot, Flowers earns some primary votes". WDDE. September 10, 2014. Archived from the original on September 27, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
20. "Barney launches treasurer primary against Flowers". Delaware Online. February 18, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
21. "Smyrna resident Sean Barney launches campaign for state treasurer". Smyrna-Clacton Sun-Times. February 28, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
22. "State of Delaware Primary Election (Official Results)". elections.delaware.gov. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
23. "In treasury race, GOP also fighting itself". Delaware Online. September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
24. "2014 Candidate Conversations: State Treasurer". WDDE. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
25. "Simpler: first non-incumbent statewide GOP win since '94". Delaware Online. November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
26. "Election 2014, State Auditor: Wagner files for reelection, Mayrack and Matlusky file for Democratic bid". Middletown Transcript. August 20, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
27. "Mayrack, Matlusky face off for Democratic bid in state auditor race". The Beacon. August 22, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
28. "Democrats battle for shot at auditors seat". Delaware Online. September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.