2018 United States Senate election in Delaware


The 2018 United States Senate election in Delaware took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Delaware, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.
The primary for this U.S. Senate election was held on Thursday, September 6, 2018. The Democratic Party nominated incumbent U.S. Senator Tom Carper and the Republican Party nominated Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett.
Incumbent Democratic Senator Tom Carper was re-elected to a fourth term.

Background

Three-term Democratic Senator Tom Carper was reelected with 66% of the vote in 2012 against Republican Kevin Wade.
Carper, incumbent U.S. Senator, was challenged in the Democratic primary by Dover activist Kerri Evelyn Harris. Carper previously had a primary challenge in the 2012 election from businessman Keith Spanarelli. However, Carper defeated Spanarelli by around 70 points. Carper went on in the 2018 Democratic primary to defeat Harris by around 30 points. It was the most competitive Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Delaware in two decades.
The main declared candidates in the Republican primary were Sussex County councilman Rob Arlett and businessman Gene Truono, with a perennial candidacy from businessman Rocky De La Fuente, who also ran in seven other states. Another candidate withdrew before the primary. Rob Arlett defeated Gene Truono in a landslide.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Debates

Delaware newspaper The News Journal hosted a 90-minute debate on August 27, 2018 for the Democratic primary between Tom Carper and Kerri Evelyn Harris at Cab Calloway School of the Arts. Republican candidate businessman Gene Truono answered questions from panelists before Carper and Harris debated. Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett was also invited, but declined and claimed he had a scheduling conflict.

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Debates

Councilman Rob Arlett and businessman Gene Truono had four debates in total. They were normally live streamed on Facebook and uploaded to YouTube. A fifth debate was planned, but Truono withdrew from the debate because he the organizers refused to give him control over what questions could not be asked. Instead organizers held a forum with all the other candidates for the U.S. Senate and other state offices. Five candidates attended that forum.
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Results

Green primary

Candidates

Nominee

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

Not to be confused with the Independent Party of Delaware, which currently has no candidate for the 2018 United States Senate election.

Candidates

Declared

Endorsements

Bold text indicates endorsement was given before the primary.

Debates

;with Kerri Evelyn Harris and Gene Truono
On August 20, 2018, the Greater Hockessin Area Development Association hosted a 2-hour debate at the Hockessin Memorial Hall between Democratic candidate Kerri Evelyn Harris and Republican candidate Gene Truono. Tom Carper and Rob Arlett were also invited to the debate, but did not attend. Carper was not present because of the U.S. Senate's extended session due to session ceasing early the Thursday prior because of the death of former Governor and U.S. Senator of Nevada, Paul Laxalt. Arlett declined and claimed he had a scheduling conflict.
;with Tom Carper and Rob Arlett
The debate gained national attention after Republican candidate Rob Arlett brought up Democratic Senator Tom Carper’s past controversy of domestic abuse.
;with Tom Carper, Rob Arlett, Nadine Frost, and Demitri Theodoropoulos
^Highest rating given

Polling


;Hypothetical polling		------

;with Tom Carper and Gene Truono

Results

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