Christopher Coons

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons once again fended off Democratic primary challengers on Sept. 15, securing his party's nomination as he seeks another term representing Delaware.

The races were called shortly after the polls closed at 8 p.m. by multiple news outlets, including the Associated Press and the New York Times. As of about 8:50 p.m. Delaware was reporting absentee and early votes counted, as well as some precincts reporting.

Coons had received 80.6% of the Democratic vote in the primary, defeating Mary Louve, Eric No-Trump Hansen and Jeff Appelhans, according to unofficial results from the Delaware Department of Elections.

ELECTION RESULTS: Live Delaware Primary results tracker

The outcome was largely expected in a state where Coons remains one of Delaware's most established political figures.

He will face Republican Dr. Mike Katz − who defeated John Shulli in the Republican primary, according to early results − in the general election.

As of 8:50 p.m., Katz had received 75.6% of the Republican vote, compared with 24.4% for Shulli. National outlets had similarly called the race for Katz soon after the polls closed.

In a social media post, Coons did not address the win, but thanked "every volunteer and grassroots donor who supported this campaign," as well as "every Democrat who raised their hand to run for office in Delaware."

Coons seeks third full term in U.S. Senate

Coons entered Tuesday's primary as the clear favorite. The 62-year-old Wilmington Democrat first won the Senate seat in a 2010 special election to replace then-Vice President Joe Biden and has since won two full terms.

When he last faced a Democratic primary challenger in 2020, he defeated progressive activist Jessica Scarane with nearly 73% of the vote. He went on to handily defeat Republican Lauren Witzke in the general election.

Still, Witzke's showing made waves. The Trump-aligned Republican received more than 186,000 votes − the most any Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Delaware had received since at least 2000.

BACKGROUND: Coons won handily on Tuesday, but Witzke got record GOP votes. Was Trump's influence underestimated?

And though she received just under 38% of the vote, Witzke performed better than pre-election polling had suggested. An October 2020 University of Delaware poll showed Coons leading Witzke by 30 points, 57% to 27%. He ultimately won by about 21 points.

Katz to face Coons in November

Coons will face Katz on Nov. 3 in the general election.

Katz, an anesthesiologist, businessman and former Delaware state senator, centered his campaign on lowering the cost of living, health care reform and reducing federal spending.

Katz previously served in the Delaware Senate as a Democrat before leaving the party. He ran for U.S. Senate as an independent in 2024 before seeking the Republican nomination this year.

He ran against Shulli, a U.S. Army colonel and instructor at the U.S. Army War College, who campaigned largely on national security, the economy and education.

Later in the evening, Katz told Delaware Online/The News Journal his "grassroots," "Delaware-first" campaign will set him apart in the general against Coons. If he makes it to Capitol Hill, he said he would be able to work with the Trump administration.

"I will work in areas that I'm able to with this current administration," Katz said. "And in areas that I disagree, I'll make sure that I let them know and try to find some commonality there. Right now, the first thing we need to deal with is affordability in Delaware."

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