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DELAWARE - The 2026 midterm elections will decide control of the next U.S. Congress and key state leadership, including Delaware’s statewide offices.
Before the general election, each state will hold primaries to determine which candidates appear on the November ballot.
By the numbers:
In Delaware, the September primary will narrow the field of candidates who will compete in the November general election for several important posts, per Ballotpedia.
- U.S. Senate — One U.S. Senate seat is up for election in Delaware in 2026: the seat currently held by Senator Chris Coons.
- U.S. House of Representatives (Delaware at-large district) — One U.S. House seat is up for election in Delaware in 2026: the state’s at-large seat.
- Statewide executive offices — Voters will choose party nominees for statewide offices, including attorney general, state auditor and state treasurer.
- Delaware State Senate — Roughly half of the 21 State Senate districts will hold elections in 2026, with primaries determining party nominees in contested races.
- Delaware House of Representatives — All 41 State House districts are on the ballot in 2026.
Dig deeper:
The 2026 midterms are expected to be highly competitive and potentially pivotal in determining which party controls the two chambers of Congress. As of April 2026, the Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress.
On Nov. 3, voters will cast ballots for all 435 U.S. House seats, 35 U.S. Senate seats and numerous state and local positions, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Voters will decide 33 regularly scheduled Senate seats, plus two special elections to fill the seats vacated by J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida, who left Congress to serve as vice president and secretary of state, respectively.
Voter registration and deadlines
What you can do:
Voters in Delaware who want to take part in the state’s 2026 primary must register by Saturday, August 22, according to the Delaware Department of Elections.
The primary election will be held on Tuesday, September 15, and the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Friday, September 11.
Voters are encouraged to check their registration status and ballot information well before these dates to ensure participation in both the primary and the November general election.
The Source: Information from the Delaware Department of Elections, Ballotpedia, the Bipartisan Policy Center and previous FOX 5 NY reporting.