Politics of Delaware

Gubernatorial election results[1]
Year Democratic Republican
1952 47.9% 81,772 52.1% 88,977
1956 48.1% 85,047 52.0% 91,965
1960 51.7% 100,792 48.3% 94,043
1964 51.4% 102,797 48.7% 97,374
1968 49.5% 102,360 50.5% 104,474
1972 51.3% 117,274 47.9% 109,583
1976 42.5% 97,480 56.9% 130,531
1980 28.5% 64,217 70.7% 159,004
1984 44.5% 108,315 55.5% 135,250
1988 29.3% 70,236 70.7% 169,733
1992 64.7% 179,365 32.8% 90,725
1996 69.5% 188,300 30.5% 82,564
2000 59.2% 191,695 39.8% 128,603
2004 50.9% 185,548 45.8% 167,008
2008 67.5% 266,861 32.0% 126,662
2012 69.3% 275,993 28.6% 113,793
2016 58.3% 248,404 39.2% 166,852
2020 59.5% 292,903 38.6% 190,312

Due to the state's small size (45th of 50 by population in 2022), the politics of Delaware tend to be less convoluted and controversial than those in neighboring states. Nonetheless, Delaware's political status quo reflects the state's long history of political clout dating from the earliest days of the United States, some of which remains today. Historically, the state was considered a swing state, as it voted for the national winner all but twice between 1896 and 1996; the only exceptions being 1916 and 1948.[2] However, in the 21st century, the state has become strongly Democratic and provided double-digit wins to Democrats since 2008. The 2008 election saw Democrat Barack Obama with a 25.0% margin of victory, the best-ever result for a Democratic presidential candidate in the state's history. Obama's large margin of victory was aided by his running mate, Joe Biden, a longtime U.S. senator from the state and the first Delawarean to appear on a national presidential ticket. Biden later went on to become the first Delawarean elected president in 2020.

  1. ^ Leip, David. "General Election Results – Delaware". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Delaware Presidential Election Voting History - 270toWin".