U.S House and Senate candidates take the stage at the University of Delaware (UD) at the 2024 Delaware Debates three weeks ahead of the General Election.
U.S. House of Representatives
Delaware’s lone U.S. Congressional seat is open this year following incumbent Lisa Blunt Rochester’s decision to pursue a run at the U.S. Senate with the retirement of long-time Sen. Tom Carper.
The Republican nominee for the seat, John Whalen of Millsboro, declined his invitation to Wednesday’s debate, leaving Democratic nominee and State Sen. Sarah McBride alone on the stage.
McBride is poised to make history, becoming the first transgender member of Congress, if she wins. But when asked about how her identity informs her campaign, McBride says being an LGBTQ+ spokesperson is not her priority.
“I'm not running to be known for any one aspect of my identity. I'm running to be Delaware's member of Congress focused on all of the issues that matter," she told moderator Ralph Begleiter.
UD’s Center for Political Communication Director Danna Young believes female candidates emphasizing their qualifications, rather than their identity, is resonating with women voters — not just in Delaware, but across the nation.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, has also been notably avoiding using her race and gender in her campaign messaging, despite not only having the potential to become the first woman president in U.S. history, but also the first Black woman president.
"When women look at these, for example, these two women who are running for office and who are kind of putting aside their identity, their historic significance, and just kind of [saying] 'Here's what I'm going to do. I'm putting my credentials on the table. Here are my plans. Here's my approach.' I think that even that the sort of tone in that approach is probably something that resonates with a lot of women," Young explained.
The voting gender gap has become increasingly prevalent in the national election. According to recent data from The Survey Center on American Life, 45% of men plan to vote for Trump, while 39% of women plan to do the same.
Meanwhile, 43% of men and 47% women back Harris — the gender gap is twice as large among voters age 18-29, with young female voters being more likely to support Harris by 12 percentage points.
And according to data from a recent UD poll, gender gap data among Delaware Democrats is even wider than national averages, with, with 58% of women and 45% of men supporting McBride.
McBride covered a multitude of topics during the debate, including weighing in on ongoing U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.
She says she supports continuing to send aid to Ukraine in order to help win their war against Russia, not only to preserve Democratic values, but to keep Russian President Vladimir Putin from expanding his European invasions — ultimately leading to NATO involvement.
McBride also made it clear she supports Israel's right to defend itself following the attacks of terrorist group Hamas just over a year ago, but would support U.S.-led efforts for a ceasefire and a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
McBride has been a staunch supporter of female reproductive rights during her tenure in the Delaware Senate and says she would continue those efforts if elected to Congress.
"We've made Delaware a safe haven for patients and providers alike for the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion care, and in Congress, I will continue to stop at nothing to champion reproductive freedom and to restore the protections of Roe v Wade."
She made note of Whalen's public endorsement of The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which makes several references to limiting abortion access across the U.S.
While Whalen was not present at this debate, he did attend the Jewish Federation of Delaware Candidates Forum last month, where when asked a question on healthcare system reform, he responded with "it's a subject I know very little about" and passed on answering a question about reforming Pharmacy Benefit Managers to control prescription drug costs.
When asked about these comments, McBride told Delaware Public Media: "I don't know how you can run for federal office and not have a position on health care policy. This is a top concern for Delawareans. It is one of the biggest issue areas that the federal government engages with, from Medicare to funding the Medicaid program at the state level to regulating insurance plans."
McBride says she believes the federal government needs to build on the Affordable Care Act by providing a public option, expanding Medicare to include vision, dental and hearing, helping states train and recruit providers, and one day she hopes to see a medical school in Delaware by way of federal investment.
McBride also referenced personal support for U.S. Supreme Court term limits, financial support for first-time homebuyers, a ban on assault weapons and seizing all opportunities to capitalize on clean energy.
U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate debate stage was also graced with only one candidate, despite there being three contenders vying to fill retiring Sen. Tom Carper's seat.
Democratic candidate Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester declined to participate, and Independent candidate Mike Katz did not qualify under debate criteria.
A statement from Blunt Rochester's campaign spokesperson reads: “Our campaign tried to make it work. Right now, the Congresswoman is focused on meeting voters where they are, and that is exactly what she is doing today."
That left Republican nominee Eric Hansen to face a solo Q&A session, who noted his disappointment with Blunt Rochester's lack of attendance.
"I wish Lisa blunt Rochester had been here because I think it's actually really good for her constituents and for the voting public as a whole to hear more about what she's done or hasn't done. She's been in office for six years. I personally don't agree with a lot of her policies. I think she hasn't gotten the results that we all deserve here in Delaware, and we should expect more from politicians," he said.
Hansen spent the debate enforcing his stance as a moderate Republican whose priorities are cutting federal spending, reducing inflation, tax cuts for working families and restoring trust in government.
"I'm the reasonable Republican that wants to work with reasonable Democrats. I'm the guy who wants to pull people together — to unify. I'm the person who wants to start making people believe that the government can work, that politicians are not terrible, that politicians can collaborate and get things done, that the right and the left can actually talk and make some progress."
Hansen is endorsing a 2% across the board federal spending cut per year, with a plan to merge similar government agencies and implement cost-saving Medicare rule changes.
While he says he will not support a federal abortion ban, he did not outright clarify if he would support the restoration of Roe v. Wade, saying the decision should ultimately be left to the states.
“What's really good about the decision in Dobbs — to push it back to the state — is it sparks a really good dialogue. And in this case, Delaware, again, has made it very clear where they stand on the issue, and I don't think it's right for me to overrule that. I think it's good that we continue as a state to have these discussions."
Hansen also noted his support for the Bipartisan Border Reform Bill, which failed to advance in the U.S. Senate earlier this year on a 43-50 procedural vote, but says asylum loopholes need to be minimized and a more robust background check process needs to be put in place.
"Having more vetting? Fantastic. Making sure that the drug dealers are not coming in, the gang members are not coming in, the terrorists are not coming in — that's the vetting that we desperately need to make sure that we're letting in the right people."
Hansen notes he is in favor of first-time homebuyer tax credits, he is against offshore oil drilling off the Delaware coast and would rather see more investments in solar power than wind energy in the First State.
The 2024 Delaware Debates will conclude Thursday with remarks from gubernatorial candidates Matt Meyer and Mike Ramone starting at 6 p.m. EST. You can tune into the livestream on Delaware Public Media's homepage.
