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Delaware State Senate District 19

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Delaware State Senate District 19
Incumbent
Assumed office: November 7, 2012

Delaware State Senate District 19 is represented byBrian Pettyjohn (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Delaware state senators represented an average of47,183 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented42,899 residents.

About the office

Members of theDelaware State Senate serveboth two- and four-year terms and are not subject toterm limits.[1] Delaware legislators assume office ​the first Wednesday after the first Monday in November (the day after election day).[2][3]

Qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article II, Section 3 of theDelaware Constitution states: "No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-seven years and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State three years next preceding the day of his or her election and the last year of that term an inhabitant of the Senatorial District in which he or she shall be chosen, unless he or she shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this State."[4]


Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2025[5]
SalaryPer diem
$51,692/yearNo per diem is paid.

Vacancies

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in theDelaware General Assembly, the presiding officer of the house in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election within 10 days of the creation of the vacancy. The election must be called for no less than 30 days but no more than 35 days after the writ for the special election has been issued. The governor may issue a writ if the legislature is not in session.[6]

DocumentIcon.jpgSee sources:Delaware Code Ann. tit. 15, § 7101


District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also:Redistricting in Delaware after the 2020 census

On November 2, 2021, Gov.John Carney (D) signed Senate Bill 199 into law, enacting the state's new House and Senate district lines.[7] TheDelaware General Assembly previously approved the final House and Senate map proposals on November 1, 2021.[8] TheDelaware House of Representatives voted 40-1 in favor of the maps with state Rep.Michael Smith (R) voting against it. TheDelaware State Senate approved the maps along party lines with all 14 Democrats in favor and all seven Republicans against.[8] These maps took effect for Delaware's 2022 legislative elections.

How does redistricting in Delaware work? Because Delaware has only one congressional district, congressional redistricting is not necessary. The state legislature draws state legislative district lines. Thegovernor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.[9][10]

State law requires that state legislative districts be "insofar as possible, contiguous and bounded by roads, streams and other natural boundaries." Further, state law stipulates that district lines "may not be drawn to unduly favor any person or political party." Because these requirements are statutory, the legislature may amend them at its discretion.[9][10]

Delaware State Senate District 19
until November 8, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Delaware State Senate District 19
starting November 9, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2026

See also: Delaware State Senate elections, 2026


There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.


2022

See also:Delaware State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Delaware State Senate District 19

IncumbentBrian Pettyjohn won election in the general election for Delaware State Senate District 19 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brian Pettyjohn
Brian Pettyjohn (R)
 
100.0
 
13,142

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 13,142
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. IncumbentBrian Pettyjohn advanced from the Republican primary for Delaware State Senate District 19.

2020

See also:Delaware State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Delaware State Senate District 19

IncumbentBrian Pettyjohn won election in the general election for Delaware State Senate District 19 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brian Pettyjohn
Brian Pettyjohn (R)
 
100.0
 
16,324

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 16,324
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. IncumbentBrian Pettyjohn advanced from the Republican primary for Delaware State Senate District 19.

2016

See also:Delaware State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for theDelaware State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was July 12, 2016.

IncumbentBrian Pettyjohn ran unopposed in the Delaware State Senate District 19 general election.[11][12]

Delaware State Senate, District 19 General Election, 2016
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBrian PettyjohnIncumbent (unopposed)100.00%14,003
Total Votes14,003
Source:Delaware Department of Elections


IncumbentBrian Pettyjohn ran unopposed in the Delaware State Senate District 19 Republican primary.[13][14][11]

Delaware State Senate, District 19 Republican Primary, 2016
PartyCandidate
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBrian PettyjohnIncumbent (unopposed)

2012

See also:Delaware State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office ofDelaware State Senate consisted of a primary election on February 11, 2012, and a general election onNovember 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 6, 2012.Brian Pettyjohn (R) defeatedJane Hovington (D) in the general election. Both candidates ran unopposed in the February 7 primary elections.[15][16]

Delaware State Senate, District 19, General Election, 2012
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    RepublicanGreen check mark transparent.pngBrian Pettyjohn59.8%9,817
    Democratic Jane Hovington40.2%6,605
Total Votes16,422

Campaign contributions

From 2000 to 2022, candidates for Delaware State Senate District 19 raised a total of $478,782. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $34,199 on average. All figures come fromFollow the Money

Campaign contributions, Delaware State Senate District 19
YearAmountCandidatesAverage
2022$40,1631$40,163
2020$33,6161$33,616
2016$40,2821$40,282
2012$95,1483$31,716
2010$124,3352$62,168
2006$67,0002$33,500
2002$42,2843$14,095
2000$35,9541$35,954
Total$478,78214$34,199


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Delaware State Legislature, "Delaware State Senate," accessed December 16, 2013
  2. Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
  3. Delaware Constitution, "Article II, Section 4," accessed November 1, 2021
  4. The Delaware Code Online, "Article II. Legislature - Section 3," accessed May 21, 2025
  5. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
  6. Delaware Legislature, "Delaware Election Code," accessed May 22, 2014(Statutes § 7101 and § 7104, Delaware Code)
  7. Delaware General Assembly, "Senate Bill 199," accessed Nov. 15, 2021
  8. 8.08.1WGMD, "Redistricting Legislation Passes in Delaware – Waiting for Governor’s Signature," Nov. 1, 2021
  9. 9.09.1All About Redistricting, "Delaware," accessed April 22, 2015
  10. 10.010.1Delaware Code, "Title 29, Chapter 8," accessed April 22, 2015
  11. 11.011.1Delaware.gov, "General election candidates," accessed September 27, 2016Cite error: Invalid<ref> tag; name "glist16" defined multiple times with different content
  12. Delaware Department of Elections, "General Election (Official Results)," accessed November 23, 2016
  13. Delaware.gov, "Primary election candidates," accessed July 13, 2016
  14. Delaware Department of Elections, Primary Election (Official Returns)," accessed September 22, 2016
  15. Delaware Secretary of State, "2012 General Election," November 4, 2013
  16. Delaware Secretary of State, "2012 General Primary,” November 4, 2013


Current members of theDelaware State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Bryan Townsend
Minority Leader:Gerald Hocker
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
Democratic Party (15)
Republican Party (6)


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