New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer sits alongside Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long prior to delivering remarks at Friday’s Hodgson Vo-Tech groundbreaking ceremony. DELAWARE STATE NEWS/JOE EDELEN
Story by Joseph Edelen
NEW CASTLE — The Delaware Democratic Party has endorsed a slate of candidates ahead of this fall’s primary and general elections.
The list is headlined by support for Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long for governor and sitting state Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Talleyville, for lieutenant governor, as well as endorsements for congressional candidates U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester – who is seeking the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Carper – and state Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington, who is pursuing the now open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The amount and tenor of primaries this election cycle has been encouraging. No matter the outcome, it is clear that Delaware has a robust community of qualified and capable Democrats ready to serve,” Delaware Democratic Party Chair Betsy Maron said in a statement.
“Their willingness to engage in this dialogue about the direction of our state and party, which primaries often necessitate, should be commended. As a part of that dialogue, our Executive Committee has recognized these candidates as earning our State Party’s endorsement.”
The party also extended endorsements for President Joe Biden – a Delaware native – and denounced former President Donald Trump, who was convicted of 34 felonies in May and survived an assassination attempt on Saturday.
“Trump knows he lost the 2020 election but continues to attack our election process to protect his own ego. Trump appealed to his Supreme Court for Presidential Immunity to grow his own power. Now Trump’s Project 2025 agenda plans to tear down the foundation of the American government to remake it in his own image. We can not let that happen and Joe Biden is up to the task of stopping him,” Maron said.
On the state level, the party endorsed the lieutenant governor for the office of Delaware’s chief executive, in which Lt. Gov. Hall-Long faces two candidates: New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and former Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara, who currently presides over the National Wildlife Federation.
Since launching her campaign in September 2023, Lt. Gov. Hall-Long has faced scrutiny over blips in her campaign finance reporting.
She briefly paused fundraising weeks after announcing her bid, and after an independent audit studied her finances, it was determined she “covered various campaign-related expenses using personal credit cards and loans that were not accurately reflected in previous campaign finance report,” the campaign said.
The former longtime member of Delaware’s General Assembly states there has been no wrongdoing and that the audit of her campaign finances supported that.
While Lt. Gov. Hall-Long’s campaign released summaries of amended campaign finance reports in November 2023, the audit in question has not been released to the public.
In response to the Delaware Democratic Party’s endorsement, the Meyer campaign pushed back at Lt. Gov. Hall-Long’s campaign finances troubles.
“The state committee did not endorse Matt when he successfully defeated a three-term incumbent and put New Castle County back on track either, though. Matt lowered gun violence, got more people working and invested in kids as County Executive and will be doing the same as governor without the blessings of political insiders,” said Nick Merlino, Mr. Meyer’s campaign manager, in part.
As the Democratic race for governor heats up, Lt. Gov. Hall-Long’s campaign rebutted the comments, calling recent campaign efforts about her gubernatorial bid “misinformation.”
“Delawareans deserve better and we must raise the political rhetoric to focus on the issues that matter most,” Hall-Long’s campaign spokesperson Dan McCormick told the Daily State News.
“We’re honored to fight for the needs of everyday Delawareans with the support of key state elected leaders, (Gov. John Carney), the AFL-CIO, DSEA, and now the Delaware Democratic Party. The Delaware Democratic Party is made up of diverse, hardworking Delawareans that represent the entirety of our state.”
Delaware’s Democratic Party also endorsed incumbent state Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro for his post.
The First State’s primary election will take place on Sept. 10.
The Delaware Journalism Collaborative is a project of the Local Journalism Initiative.
