Gov. Matt Meyer weighs in on several Democratic Primary races, notably endorsing challengers in two state Senate races with Democratic incumbents.
Meyer is backing Adriana Bohm, in Senate District 1 against Senator Dan Cruce, and Shay Frisby, in Senate District 5 against Senator Ray Seigfried.
His Monday endorsement for Democratic candidates in State Senate, House, and one New Castle County council race said, “each candidate is committed to taking on the state’s toughest battles, regardless of the odds.”
Seigfried and Cruce both championed healthcare cost reform measures during the last legislative session. Cruce won a special election for his seat in 2025, filling a vacancy left when Sarah McBride was elected to Congress. Seigfried was also elected last year in a special election to fill the vacancy left by Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay.
Seigfried said he’s had a short yet effective term, championing measures to reduce healthcare spending. He believes Meyer is singling him out.
“The real reason he did not endorse me is pure and simpler etaliation,” Seigfried said. “He is angered at me for my work in healthcare, mostly because I exposed his bureaucratic inertia team and their unwillingness to fight back for better prescription prices.”
This month, Seigfried called out a report published by the State Employee Benefits Committee on reducing drug prices the state pays in its employee insurance plans. He said the report lacks initiative to push the conversation forward.
Several prominent executive branch members sit on the SEBC, including its most recent chair, the state’s Office of Management and Budget director.
Seigfried said he wasn’t contacted by Meyer’s administration about his endorsements.
Seigfried said he’s also focused on keeping federal immigration sweeps out of Delaware and addressing property tax issues.
He added the endorsement for Frisby was a surprise, given Meyer's support of SB 21, an overhaul of incorporation law enacted in 2025. During her campaign, Frisby has argued it gives corporations too much power.
Governors are considered the de facto leader of their state party, and endorsements against incumbents in a primary is an unusual move for legislative races.
A spokesperson from Meyer said it’s to be determined whether he’ll offer any more endorsements. The slate of candidates in this round have strong education policy backgrounds, which the spokesperson said is Meyer’s top priority.
That state's primary elections start September 2.
