Race Overview

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) won Delaware's Democratic Senate primary on Sept. 15, defeating three challengers to advance to the general election. The Associated Press called the race for Coons at 8:16 p.m., when he had 84 percent of the vote with about 30 percent of ballots counted.

On the Republican side, Michael Katz defeated John Shulli in a two-candidate contest to claim the GOP nomination, according to WHYY. The Associated Press called the race for Katz at 8:19 p.m., when he had 74 percent of the vote with about 22 percent of ballots counted.

Coons and Katz will face each other in the Nov. 3 general election.

PAC and SuperPAC Spending in the Primary

Outside spending in the primary was minimal. Sierra Club Independent Action, a super PAC, reported a single independent expenditure of $10 in support of Coons on June 22, described as a website endorsement. That figure is the only periodic-report transaction in the supplied race data through Aug. 12.

A pending notice filed by the National Association of Realtors Political Action Committee (NARPAC) reported $11,559 in spending supporting Coons. The expenditure had not yet been restated in a periodic report in the supplied data and therefore was not included in the periodic-report total.

Total receipts across candidates in the race stood at $7.19 million as of Sept. 14, according to the supplied race data.

District or State Demographics

Delaware has an older population than the country overall. According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, 22.8 percent of Delaware residents are 65 or older, compared with 18.9 percent nationally. Residents under 18 account for 19.8 percent of Delaware's population, compared with 21.1 percent nationwide.

Delaware also has a larger Black population and smaller Hispanic and Asian populations than the country overall. Black residents make up 24 percent of Delaware's population, compared with 13.5 percent nationally. White residents account for 65 percent of the state's population, compared with 72.3 percent nationally. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 11.9 percent of Delaware's population, compared with 20.5 percent nationally, while Asian residents account for 5 percent in Delaware and 6.9 percent nationwide.

Delaware's median household income was $84,954 in 2020-2024, compared with $80,734 nationally. The state's poverty rate was 9.6 percent, one percentage point below the national rate of 10.6 percent.

Delaware also had a lower uninsured rate than the country overall. Among residents under age 65, 8.5 percent lacked health insurance, compared with 9.6 percent nationally, according to Census Bureau data.

Party Leadership Reaction

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and other Democratic organizations have separately participated in litigation challenging a Trump administration executive order addressing federal elections and mail-in voting, but those materials do not directly address the Delaware primary results.

Predictions

The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Inside Elections rated the Delaware Senate race "Solid Democratic" heading into the general election. The Cook Political Report maintained its "Solid Democratic" rating as of Sept. 15.

Kalshi market pricing as of Sept. 16 corresponded to a 98.4 percent market-implied probability for a Democratic victory, based on $11,494 in trading volume, according to the supplied race data. Polymarket pricing reported through Lines.com similarly showed a "yes" price of $0.95 on a Democratic victory.

The ratings and prediction-market prices represent assessments by outside forecasters and market participants rather than election results.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article