Meyer wins Democrat primary, to face Ramone in November

WILMINGTON —  New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer has secured the Democratic nomination for Delaware’s next governor in Tuesday’s primary race, beating Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and Collin O’Mara, the former Delaware Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Meyer will face Rep. Mike Ramone, a small business owner who represented the Pike Creek district for 16 years, at the polls in November.

“What an incredible night to be able to move Delaware forward,” Meyer said while addressing supporters at the Chancery Market in downtown Wilmington. “Today, Delaware Democrats spoke clearly, and your work matters. Our progress matters in our cities across our state, in our three county governments… the insiders of this state did not think a night like this was possible. Well, they were wrong.”

Meyer’s victory came after a year of campaigning across the state and raising millions of dollars, notably starting his campaign with a significant war chest of $1 million before the election season informally started. He raised another $200,000 in the final three weeks of the primary, according to campaign finance reports. In total, he spent about $2.1 million, including more than $1 million in the last month before the election alone.

“This was a people’s campaign, with more than 10,000 people donating with small amounts, sometimes even as small as $2.50,” Meyer told the Delaware Business Times. “I think Delaware is looking for a new way. Schools need a new way, affordable housing needs a new way, and the cost of health care is the highest it’s ever been in my lifetime. And I plan to address that as the next governor.”

Meyer, who billed himself as the candidate outside the establishment, said that the 2024 election was a pivotal moment in Delaware, where the next governor needed to make innovative choices for health care access, education, affordable housing and more.

If elected governor, Meyer will be the first New Castle County executive to hold the seat. However, in his year on the campaign trail, he has ventured farther south from New Castle County to meet with people and business leaders. The only county he did not carry on election night was Kent County – and Meyer held 45% of the vote in Sussex County.

“It doesn’t matter where you live, I believe all Delawareans want the same thing. They want great schools, efforts to protect the environment and affordable housing. They want bold action, and I believe that my message resonated with that,” he said.

Delaware has not elected a Republican governor since 1984, when Mike Castle held the post. Registered Democrats make up 40% of all registered voters in the state, meaning that Meyer likely has the numbers on his side.

Representative Mike Ramone has said the race in November will be more about merit and the messaging he hopes to deliver versus campaign spending. l PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE RAMONE

The campaign trail

Still, that does not worry Ramone too much. The House leader bills himself as a serial entrepreneur, when he first opened Ramone’s Flower Shoppes and later more businesses followed, including swim center D-Fit and property management firms BC Communities. Ramone announced that he would retire this year, as his district saw more Democrats move there over time. He pointed to the rapidly growing third-party voters in Delaware, notably the 33,110 registered voters with no party.

“There’s people out there who are tired of the way things are, and I’m definitely not intimidated by the amount of money spent in this race just to win 47% of the vote. The primary is the hard core of the voters out there, they’re not always representative of the people,” Ramone told DBT. “I’m humbled and grateful for the support I’ve received in this race, and I believe in running not on quid pro-quo but on your own resume.”

The 2024 primary has been marked with a series of negative ads, specifically focusing on the Democratic race. Hall-Long, who had served in various elected office since 2002 and had received the endorsement from Gov. John Carney, has contended with a campaign finance scandal for months. Shortly after she announced her candidacy, Hall-Long announced there were discrepancies in her reports, and filed amended versions while removing her husband, Dana Long, from her campaign staff.

But in July, WHYY reported that election officials contracted an independent auditor to review Hall-Long’s finances. That audit found that over the course of seven years, Dana Long wrote 112 checks to himself or cash, many of which were not disclosed in the finance reports. Hall-Long has repeatedly said those checks represent loan repayments she made to her own campaign, but did not report.

In the weeks leading up to the election, political action committee funding from New Delaware Way had pushed out dozens of campaign mailers on this issue, including rare television advertisements that hit cable airwaves. In the meantime, Hall-Long’s campaign and the Delaware State Education Association funded literature and television advertisements.

Her campaign had also been sharing information through mailers and direct texts to voters on a sexual harassment lawsuit that had been filed by a New Castle County government employee against the Meyer administration.

Races to watch

State Sen. Sarah McBride easily won the Democratic primary as well, with more than 80% of the vote against two political newcomers. She will face Republican John Whalen III for Delaware’s seat in Congress in November’s election. If McBride wins, she will be the nation’s first transgender person elected to federal office – and the youngest since President Joe Biden was sent to the U.S. Senate.

Other critical state races included a three-way primary for Democrats Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker and veteran Debbie Harrington. Evans Gay won with 48% of the vote, and she will face Rep. Ruth Briggs King in the general election.

The Wilmington mayoral race saw tight margins throughout the night, with only 60 votes between outgoing governor Carney and former state Treasurer Velda Potter Jones when early votes and absentee ballots were first counted. But when the day’s votes came in, Carney secured 53% of the vote.

Editor’s note: a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Sen. Kyle Evans Gay will not face a challenger in November. Rep. Ruth Briggs King of Georgetown will face her in the general election. We regret the error.