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Delaware voters head to the polls Tuesday for the final primary of the 2026 election cycle, capping a season marked by high-profile victories for progressives and socialists over Democratic establishment rivals and President Donald Trump’s continued immense influence in Republican contests, despite some notable setbacks.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons and state Attorney General Kathy Jennings each face primary opponents, and Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride is unopposed in her primary, as they tune up for the general election, when Republicans will try to break the Democrats’ lock on Delaware’s statewide offices.
Delaware’s nominating contests close out a primary season that upended the Democratic Party, with left-wing and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) backed contenders winning, and in some cases ousting longtime incumbents.
A year after socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rocked the political world with a Democratic primary victory en route to winning the general election in the nation’s most populist city, the far-left struck again in June.
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Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote rally at King’s Theater on June 18, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
A slew of incumbents and establishment candidates were defeated by left-wing rivals, including DSA members Melat Kiros topping 15-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York ousting five-term Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York.
Those wins were followed on an even larger scale in August, with triumphs in crucial statewide Senate primaries by Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota, and state Rep. Angie Nixon in Florida.
While there were notable setbacks for the left, including frontrunner Francesca Hong’s August defeat in battleground Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, the left vastly increased its clout in the political fight for the party’s ideological future. And many of the winning candidates ran on platforms calling for abolishing ICE, cutting military aid to Israel, and pushing for a single-payer “Medicare for All” health system.
“It is undeniable that progressives have built a coalition and have a message that can serve to buoy a candidate when they are an acceptable alternative to the status quo,” longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Digital.
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Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in battleground Michigan, takes questions from reporters following a town hall event in Waterford, Michigan, on Sept. 3, 2026. (Emily Elconin/Getty Images)
Caiazzo added, “What’s incumbent upon progressives if they want to continue to be successful is to put forward candidates who are serious, credible, and are accessible to the public.”
In Republican nominating battles, Trump took to social media late last month to tout, “My Endorsements are stronger than ever….There has never been anything close!”
The numbers back up the president’s assertion that despite some setbacks, he remains the ultimate kingmaker in GOP nomination showdowns.
According to a Trump Primary Endorsement Tracker, the president batted a thousand in Senate GOP primaries this cycle, and enjoyed a near-perfect record in House Republican nomination showdowns.
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U.S. President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak during a campaign rally for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham at Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Aug. 21, 2026. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has dramatically reshaped the GOP since his first White House victory a decade ago, with the populist MAGA and America First wings gaining prominence over more traditional fiscal and social conservatives. And the president’s grip over party politics remains extremely firm.
But he has had some setbacks, with five of his gubernatorial picks in Republican primaries this year going down to defeat. That list includes Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and Minnesota businessman and “My Pillow” founder and former CEO Mike Lindell.
“The Republican Party is Trump’s party, and there’s no question that an endorsement from the president provides a tremendous boost in a Republican primary. But it doesn’t necessarily mean the candidate’s going to win,” veteran GOP strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Digital.
Williams said that “the president still has a firm grip on the party, even in places where a candidate he backed loses a nomination.” But he noted that “if there are underlying issues with a candidacy, those can pose problems that even an endorsement can’t overcome.”
After a primary season that kicked off on March 3 in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas, Delaware brings the calendar to a close.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware is running this year for a third full term in the U.S. Senate.
Coons, who is running for a third full term in the Senate, is facing longshot primary challenges from University of Delaware history professor Jeff Appelhans, naval architect Mary Louve, and former business executive Eric Hansen, a Republican turned Democrat.
Former state Sen. Michael Katz and U.S. Army Reserves Col. John Shulli are competing for the Republican nomination.
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Rep. Sarah McBride is unopposed in the Democratic primary, as she seeks a second term as Delaware’s statewide House member. Republicans Joseph Arminio, Earl Cooper and John Whalen are battling for the GOP nomination.
State Attorney General Kathy Jennings faces challenges for the Democratic nomination from attorney Dwayne Bensing and domestic violence victims advocate Patty Rickman. David Graham is unopposed for the GOP nomination.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
