2002 RACES TO WATCH
Updated:
Nov. 5, 2002
STATEWIDE
An
incumbent sweep, as expected
434 of 434 districts reporting -- 100 percent
U.S. Senate
Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democratic
incumbent, 58.2 percent
Raymond J. Clatworthy, Republican,
40.8 percent
Biden coasted to a record six Senate
terms, beating the same candidate he defeated six years ago.
Clatworthy barely improved on the 38 percent he polled in 1996.
U.S. House of
Representatives
Michael N. Castle, Republican
incumbent, 72.1 percent
Micheal C. Miller Sr., Democrat,
26.7 percent
Castle topped his previous personal best
of 71 percent, which he achieved twice. He claims the bragging
rights among all statewide candidates.
State
Attorney General
M. Jane Brady, Republican incumbent,
48.5 percent
Carl Schnee, Democrat, 45.5 percent
Vivian A. Houghton, Green Party, 6.0
percent
When is a victory not a victory?
When a candidate like Brady, regarded as potential gubernatorial
material, wins without getting a majority of the vote.
State
Treasurer
Jack A. Markell, Democratic
incumbent, 66.2 percent
Ronald G. Poliquin, Republican, 33.8
percent
With all those Biden-haters out
there, Markell led the Democratic ticket, and he did it by running
up a bigger percentage of the vote than John C. Carney Jr. did it as the candidate for lieutenant
governor in 2000. Carney got 62 percent of the vote then. Markell is
a man with a future.
State Auditor
R. Thomas Wagner Jr., Republican
incumbent, 61.8 percent
Robert B. Wasserbach, Democrat, 38.2
percent
A predictable result in a largely
colorless race.
LEGISLATURE
Control of the chambers didn't
change. Democrats retained the Senate majority
by 13-8, the same as before. Republicans picked up three seats in the House of Representatives,
increasing their margin to 29-12 from 26-15.
6th Senate, Newark-North
Star
Liane M. Sorenson, Republican
incumbent, 54.9 percent
Richard A. DiLiberto Jr., Democrat,
45.1 percent.
She’s the incumbent, she’s a woman,
she works for the university, and she was running in Newark. Add in
the Republican registration edge, and DiLiberto is out of the
legislature. He was a representative until he lost his House seat in
redistricting and tried to switch to the Senate.
8th Senate, Pike Creek Valley
David P. Sokola, Democratic
incumbent, 51.1 percent
Michael Ramone, Republican,
48.9 percent
It's a Republican district,
so the party targeted Sokola, as usual, and it came up short, as
usual.
14th Senate, Delaware
City-Middletown-Little Creek
James T. Vaughn Sr., Democratic
incumbent, 59.0 percent
Mark G. Schaeffer, Republican, 39.4
percent
Vaughn is the chairman of the Joint
Finance Committee, but he’s 77. Schaeffer is the mayor of Smyrna,
but he used to be one of those globe-trotting commissioners from the
Delaware River & Bay Authority. Advantage Vaughn.
7th Representative,
Brandywine Hundred
David D. Brady, Democratic incumbent,
47.0 percent
Wayne A. Smith, Republican incumbent,
52.1 percent
Smith, the House majority leader,
took one for his caucus during redistricting, drawing the lines so
he and Brady would be combined in one district. He held off Brady in
one of the most fiercely contested legislative races. Republicans
still win in Brandywine Hundred.
8th Representative,
Middletown
Bethany A. Hall-Long, Democrat, 60.7
percent
William C. Hutchison, Republican,
39.3 percent
This is a new seat, created by
redistricting. It leans Democratic in registration. Hall-Long,
making her second bid for the legislature, parlayed it into a win.
14th Representative,
Rehoboth Beach
Peter C. Schwartzkopf, Democrat,
53.1 percent
Michael A. Meoli, Republican, 46.1
percent
Another new seat. This one has a
Republican edge in registration, but it also had a Republican
primary. The result was a Democratic victory for Schwartzkopf, a
rare bright spot for his party.
15th Representative, Red Lion
Valerie J. Longhurst, Democrat, 45.3 percent
Bruce C. Reynolds, Republican incumbent, 54.7 percent
Longhurst came out of nowhere to make Reynolds jumpy in a district
with more Democrats than Republicans, but Reynolds kept his seat.
37th Representative,
Lewes-Georgetown
John R. Schroeder, Democratic
incumbent, 49.7 percent
Joseph W. Booth, Republican, 50.3
percent
Schroeder beat his last Republican
opponent by 2-1, but he was running in a redrawn district against
Georgetown’s ex-mayor. The registration was dead even between the
two parties, and the Republicans capitalized on it and elected
Booth.
38th Representative,
Millville
Shirley A. Price, Democratic
incumbent, 49.1 percent
Gerald W. Hocker, Republican, 49.8
percent
Price survived a run at her during
redistricting to emerge with a district to call her own. Only one
problem – it’s got more Republicans than Democrats in it. She
couldn't survive the election, and it gave the Republicans a key
pickup.
41st Representative District, Millsboro-Dagsboro
Donald L. Ward, Democrat, 39.4 percent
John C. Atkins, Republican, 59.8 percent
This race was supposed to be a slam-dunk for the Democrats. The
party not only has a registration advantage but fielded a candidate
who is a political pal of retiring Rep. Charles P. West, the
Democratic legislator here since Jimmy Carter was president. It got more
complicated after Ward was slammed as a developer, and he lost.
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