Delaware: who should earn your vote for Congress in 2026

Opinion · The paper’s scorecard

Delaware: every race for Congress on the 3 November 2026 ballot, and how the candidates measure up against our standards.

Sitting and former members are scored on the same key votes, read from the official House and Senate roll calls; each vote links to the record. Candidates who have never served in Congress have no votes to score, and outside the battlegrounds we have not researched them, so they are marked as not scored. Where only one candidate could be measured, the mark rates that record on its own; it is not a verdict on the opponent. How the marks work · All states

U.S. Senate D+8

Leans our way: Chris Coons

Leans our way

Chris Coons

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 20 key votes · total +1

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
✓Live and let live
?Light touch on tech
✗Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
✗Right to bear arms
✓Hard on violent crime

With us (12)

Voted against the June 2026 bill adding about $70 billion for immigration enforcement. Source
Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act. Source
Voted for the amendment requiring a warrant to search Americans' communications under FISA Section 702. Source

Against us (8)

Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Source
Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act. Source

Michael Katz

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

At-large district D+8

Leans our way: Sarah McBride

Joseph Arminio

Republican

No congressional voting record; not scored

Leans our way

Sarah McBride

Democrat · incumbent

Scored on 11 key votes · total +1

✗Smaller government
✗Small business over giants
?Live and let live
✓Light touch on tech
?Free speech
✓No surveillance state
✓Home first, open trade
✓Checks on power
?Right to bear arms
✗Hard on violent crime

With us (6)

Voted for the CLARITY Act, a light-touch rulebook for digital assets. Source
Voted against a further clean extension of FISA surveillance authorities in 2026. Source
Voted for ending the emergency behind the tariffs on Canada. Source

Against us (5)

Voted against the 2025 package cancelling about $9 billion in approved spending. Source
Voted against a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. Source
Voted against the Small Business Regulatory Reduction Act. Source

Photo credits. Official congressional portraits are works of the U.S. government and in the public domain.