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←2020
Governor of Delaware
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: July 9, 2024
Primary: September 10, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 Pre-election incumbent(s): John Carney Jr. (D)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Delaware
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2024 Impact of term limits in 2024 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
Delaware executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Insurance Commissioner

Delaware held an election forgovernor onNovember 5, 2024. The primary was September 10, 2024. The filing deadline was July 9, 2024.

Matt Meyer won election in the general election for Governor of Delaware.

This was one of11 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2024. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2024 elections, there were 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors. Clickhere for an overview of all 11 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2024.

Heading into the 2024 elections, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. There were 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

Astate government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Astate government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Delaware gubernatorial election, 2024 (September 10 Republican primary)
• Delaware gubernatorial election, 2024 (September 10 Democratic primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Governor of Delaware

Matt Meyer defeatedMichael Ramone in the general election for Governor of Delaware on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Meyer (D)	56.1	279,585
		Michael Ramone (R)	43.9	219,050

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 498,635
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Danny Ace Valentine (Nonpartisan)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Delaware

Matt Meyer defeatedBethany Hall-Long andCollin O'Mara in the Democratic primary for Governor of Delaware on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Meyer	47.0	40,518
		Bethany Hall-Long	36.6	31,588
		Collin O'Mara	16.4	14,142

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 86,248
= 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

Republican primary for Governor of Delaware

Michael Ramone defeatedJerrold Price andBobby Williamson in the Republican primary for Governor of Delaware on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Ramone	72.3	26,414
		Jerrold Price	16.3	5,971
		Bobby Williamson	11.4	4,153

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	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 36,538
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Julianne Murray (R)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, clickhere.

Matt Meyer

Party:Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I am a former 6th and 7th grade math teacher and small business owner who has served as New Castle County Executive since 2017. As the leader of Delaware’s largest local government, I have worked to deliver real results for Delaware’s working families. My administration has made historic investments in education, expanded access to affordable housing, tackled gun violence, and led on criminal justice reform. In my 8 years leading our state’s largest county, we created over 13,000 jobs, improved accountability, transparency and ethics in government, created the state’s largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter, cut taxes for the first time in over 50 years, improved public health, and strengthened emergency services. I am running for Governor to bring that same result-driven leadership across our state by creating an effective government that reflects our values and priorities. I am also a proud husband and father. My wife Lauren is an emergency room physician. Our son, Levi, is 6 months old and loves story time but hates car seats."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses,click here.

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I am running to fix our state’s broken and underfunded education system so every student can get a world-class education and every teacher can thrive.

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I am running to expand access to affordable housing and lower the cost of living so working families can finally get ahead.

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I am running to improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of our healthcare system by reducing wait times and limiting costs.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Delaware in 2024.

Voting information

See also:Voting in Delaware

General election race ratings

See also:Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets:The Cook Political Report,Inside Elections,Sabato's Crystal Ball, andDDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe andSolid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[1]
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[2][3][4]

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Matt Meyer (D)

I am running to fix our state’s broken and underfunded education system so every student can get a world-class education and every teacher can thrive.

I am running to expand access to affordable housing and lower the cost of living so working families can finally get ahead.

I am running to improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of our healthcare system by reducing wait times and limiting costs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Matt Meyer (D)

Education, Housing, Economic Development, Healthcare, Environment, Criminal Justice Reform.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Matt Meyer (D)

All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Matt Meyer (D)

Honesty, transparency, accountability, effectiveness and innovation.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Matt Meyer (D)

It is the responsibility of the Governor to lead our state forward, to deliver real results for real people, and make real progress in Delaware. We need an effective government that reflects Delaware’s values and priorities.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Matt Meyer (D)

My wife Lauren and I have a 6 month old son, Levi. Lately, our biggest struggles have been diaper changes and sleeping more than two hours uninterrupted.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

Matt Meyer (D)

We don't just make promises. We make plans. And we turn those plans into progress.

Leadership matters. And it starts with listening, building an inclusive government that works every day to deliver real progress to real people.

Being governor means being a steward of our state's values, resources, and aspirations. We will embrace this responsibility and deliver for all Delawareans.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

Matt Meyer (D)

The President is the Commander in Chief of our armed forces. Delaware's Governor is the Commander in Chief of our state's education system. There is nothing more important to our economy, to our public safety, to our shared sense of community and to our collective future than meaningful high quality education for every Delaware child.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

Matt Meyer (D)

Budgets represent our values. As Governor, I plan to be deeply involved in this process to ensure that our state budget represents the values and priorities of Delawareans.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

Matt Meyer (D)

As Governor, I am elected to serve every Delaware family. When a legislative initiative passes through both the House and the Senate, and I believe it is not in the best interest of Delawareans, I will use my veto power.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Matt Meyer (D)

The Governor and state legislature must have a collaborative, communicative working relationship. I understand that on most initiatives, priorities, bills and proposals there will be a wide variety of passions, positions, arguments and beliefs. In a vibrant democracy, that is how it should be. I will work tirelessly to preserve a Delaware Way that enables the discussion and resolution of our most challenging issues with respect, honesty and decorum, and I will work tirelessly to disrupt a Delaware Way that favors closed door deals for the well connected that leaves out you and me.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Matt Meyer (D)

Transparency and accountability are essential. When I became New Castle County Executive, I promised to bring accountability and transparency to the County government. Within my first six months in office, I put the county's checkbook online so every resident could see how their tax dollars were being spent. In the two years prior to my leading Delaware's largest local government, there were 35 ethics complaints against the over 2000 County employees. Last year there was one complaint. We need that same level of transparency and accountability in state government. Delawareans deserve leaders they can trust.

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.

2020

See also:Delaware gubernatorial election, 2020

General election candidates

• John C. Carney Jr.  (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔
• Julianne Murray  (Republican Party) 
• Kathy DeMatteis  (Independent Party) 
• John Machurek  (Libertarian Party)

= candidate completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Democratic primary candidates

• John C. Carney Jr. (Incumbent) ✔
• David Lamar Williams Jr. 

= candidate completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Republican primary candidates

• Colin Bonini 
• David Bosco
• David Graham
• Julianne Murray ✔ 
• Bryant Richardson
• Scott Walker

Did not make the ballot:

• Neil Shea

= candidate completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

2016

See also:Delaware gubernatorial election, 2016

The general election for governor was held on November 8, 2016.

John Carney defeatedColin Bonini,Andrew Groff,Sean Goward, andBenjamin Hollinger in the Delaware governor election.

Delaware Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Carney	58.34%	248,404
	Republican	Colin Bonini	39.19%	166,852
	Green	Andrew Groff	1.40%	5,951
	Libertarian	Sean Goward	1.07%	4,577
	Write-in	Benjamin Hollinger	0.00%	0
Total Votes				425,784
Source:Delaware Secretary of State

2012

See also:Delaware gubernatorial election, 2012

IncumbentJack Markell (D) defeated challengersJeff Cragg (R),Jesse McVay (L) andMark Joseph Perri (G) in theNovember 6, 2012 general election.

Governor of Delaware General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jack MarkellIncumbent	69.3%	275,993
	Republican	Jeff Cragg	28.6%	113,793
	Libertarian	Jesse McVay	0.9%	3,668
	Green	Mark Joseph Perri	1.1%	4,575
Total Votes				398,029
Election results viaDelaware Board of Elections

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Delaware in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Delaware, clickhere.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

• Presidential elections
• Statewide elections
• State partisanship
• Demographics

See also:Presidential voting trends in Delaware andThe Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Delaware, 2024
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Delaware's At-Large	Open (Lisa Blunt Rochester)	Democratic	D+7

2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, Delaware[6]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Delaware's At-Large	58.8%	39.8%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections:Solid,Trending,Battleground, andNew. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election,57.7% of Delawareans lived inNew Castle County, the state'sone Solid Democratic county, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and24.0% lived inSussex County, the state'sone Solid Republican county. Overall, Delaware wasSolid Democratic, having voted forBarack Obama (D) in 2012,Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, andJoe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Delaware following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Delaware county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	1	57.7%
Solid Republican	1	24.0%
Battleground Democratic	1	18.4%
Total voted Democratic	2	76.0%
Total voted Republican	1	24.0%

Historical voting trends

Delaware presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 15Democratic wins
• 16Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also:List of United States Senators from Delaware

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Delaware.

U.S. Senate election results in Delaware
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	59.4%	37.9%
2018	60.0%	37.8%
2014	55.8%	42.4%
2012	66.4%	29.0%
2010	56.6%	40.0%
Average	59.6	37.4

Gubernatorial elections

See also:Governor of Delaware

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Delaware.

Gubernatorial election results in Delaware
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	59.5%	38.6%
2016	58.3%	39.2%
2012	69.3%	28.6%
2008	67.5%	32.1%
2004	50.9%	45.8%
Average	61.1	36.9

See also:Party control of Delaware state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Delaware's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Delaware
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	1	3
Republican	0	0	0
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	1	3

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Delaware's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Delaware, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	John Carney Jr.
Lieutenant Governor	Bethany Hall-Long
Secretary of State	Jeffrey W. Bullock
Attorney General	Kathy Jennings

State legislature

Delaware State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	15
	Republican Party	6
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		21

Delaware House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	26
	Republican Party	15
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		41

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Delaware Party Control: 1992-2024
Sixteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

The table below details demographic data in Delaware and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for Delaware
	Delaware	United States
Population	989,948	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	1,948	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	63.8%	65.9%
Black/African American	22%	12.5%
Asian	4.1%	5.8%
Native American	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%
Other (single race)	3.3%	6%
Multiple	6.5%	8.8%
Hispanic/Latino	9.9%	18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	91.2%	89.1%
College graduation rate	34.5%	34.3%
Income
Median household income	$79,325	$75,149
Persons below poverty level	7.5%	8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau,"American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere.

See also

Delaware	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
Delaware State Executive OfficesDelaware State LegislatureDelaware Courts	2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016Delaware elections:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016	Party control of state governmentState government trifectasState of the state addressesPartisan composition of governors

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Governor of Delaware

Footnotes

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