Bipartisan bill seeks to require primaries in special elections

After a year of heated intraparty special election contests within Delaware’s General Assembly, possible reforms could be on the horizon.

Last week, Rep. Mara Gorman (D-Newark) announced a bipartisan bill that would require primary elections as a part of the special election process for filling vacant seats in the legislature.

Co-sponsored by State Sen. Eric Buckson (R-South Dover), the proposal would strip local political party committee members’ authority to select a special election candidate, and instead allowing voters to select their party’s candidate through a primary election.

The bill comes after a year that saw three high-profile special elections, including the contentious races to fill U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride and Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay’s respective State Senate seats in February, which saw candidates dropping out over a lack of transparency in the special election nomination process, and Democratic Party leaders rebuffing Gov. Matt Meyer’s call for the party to hold a special election primary.


https://spotlightdelaware.org/2025/12/23/gorman-buckson-propose-bipartisan-special-election-reforms/