The delaware delegation

congressional officials …

President Biden’s home state congressional delegation is small but mighty.

Of the three members in the 2022-2023 class, two are male, and one is female and minority representation at that, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. One of the two Senators is a lawyer; the other two delegation members come from the political and business worlds.

Two members hold graduate degrees, with only Congresswoman Rochester receiving a degree from a Delaware university.

Senator Carper is a Navy veteran. He is the last United States Senator to have seen action in Vietnam.

The average tenure for the delegation currently is only 3.6 terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress since 2000.

When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)

If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.

• Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are important to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. None of the Delaware delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.

• Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on key matters because they do control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been, in our opinion, innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.

• Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.

We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. One of the two United States Senators’ term is expiring but that Senator has announced that they are retiring.

Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:

• Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.

• It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.

• Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Senator Carper’s open seat is included since it appears to be a race in 2024. Stay tuned!

So, would you like to meet these fascinating Delawareans? If so, keep reading on!

What is Thomas looking for?

There are no vulnerable races in Delaware for Thomas to watch in 2024.

the senators

United States Senator tom Carper (d)

Delaware’s senior senator Tom Carper has been of service to his state in the upper chamber for four terms. Before the Senate, Carper was Governor of Delaware from 1993 to 2001. The last remaining Vietnam veteran to serve in the United States Senate, Carper was in the Navy following graduation from Ohio State University. Now Dean of the Delaware delegation, Senator Carper, who is married and the father of two, serves on the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. He is retiring in 2024 and has announced that he will not be seeking re-election to the Senate.

Thomas Take: Not Running for Re-Election in 2024 (Open Seat) - Safe Bet Democrat

Thomas Rank: B

Website

United states senator chris coons (D)

Delaware’s junior senator is serving in his second full term in the U.S. Senate after first being elected in a special election in 2010.  A former New Castle County Executive, Senator Coons chairs the Ethics Committee and serves on the Appropriations Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.  A graduate of Amherst College with a Master’s and a law degree from Yale University, Coons is married and the father of three.

Thomas Take: Not Up For Re-Election in 2024

Thomas Rank: A

Website

the representatives