Delaware voters head to the polls Tuesday for the final primary of the 2026 election cycle, capping a season marked by high-profile victories for progressives and socialists over Democratic establishment rivals and President Donald Trump’s continued immense influence in Republican contests, despite some notable setbacks.
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voters → head → setbacks
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons and state Attorney General Kathy Jennings each face primary opponents, and Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride is unopposed in her primary, as they tune up for the general election, when Republicans will try to break the Democrats' lock on Delaware's statewide offices.
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Republicans → face → offices
Delaware's nominating contests close out a primary season that upended the Democratic Party, with left-wing and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed contenders winning and, in some cases, ousting longtime incumbents.
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contenders → close → incumbents
A year after socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rocked the political world with a Democratic primary victory en route to winning the general election in the nation's most populist city, the far-left struck again in June.
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left → rock → June
A slew of incumbents and establishment candidates were defeated by left-wing rivals, including DSA members Melat Kiros topping 15-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado and Darializa Avila Chevalier of New York ousting five-term Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York.
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Chevalier → defeat → York
Those wins were followed on an even larger scale in August, with triumphs in crucial statewide Senate primaries by Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota and state Rep. Angie Nixon in Florida.
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wins → follow → Florida
While there were notable setbacks for the left, including frontrunner Francesca Hong's August defeat in battleground Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary, the left vastly increased its clout in the political fight for the party's ideological future.
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left → be → future
And many of the winning candidates ran on platforms calling for abolishing ICE, cutting military aid to Israel and pushing for a single-payer "Medicare for All" health system.
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many → win → system
"It is undeniable that progressives have built a coalition and have a message that can serve to buoy a candidate when they are an acceptable alternative to the status quo," longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital.
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Caiazzo → build → Digital
Caiazzo added, "What's incumbent upon progressives if they want to continue to be successful is to put forward candidates who are serious, credible and are accessible to the public."
In Republican nominating battles, Trump took to social media late last month to tout, "My Endorsements are stronger than ever....
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Endorsements → add → media
The numbers back up the president's assertion that despite some setbacks, he remains the ultimate kingmaker in GOP nomination showdowns.
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he → back → showdowns
According to a Fox News Trump Primary Endorsement Tracker, the president batted a thousand in Senate GOP primaries this cycle and enjoyed a near-perfect record in House Republican nomination showdowns.
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president → accord → showdowns
Trump has dramatically reshaped the GOP since his first White House victory a decade ago, with the populist MAGA and America First wings gaining prominence over more traditional fiscal and social conservatives.
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wings → reshape → conservatives
And the president's grip over party politics remains extremely firm.
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grip → remain → politics
But he has had some setbacks, with five of his gubernatorial picks in Republican primaries this year going down to defeat.
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five → have → defeat
That list includes Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and Minnesota businessman and "My Pillow" founder and former CEO Mike Lindell.
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list → include → Lindell
"The Republican Party is Trump’s party, and there’s no question that an endorsement from the president provides a tremendous boost in a Republican primary.
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endorsement → ’ → primary
But it doesn’t necessarily mean the candidate’s going to win," veteran GOP strategist and communicator Ryan Williams told Fox News Digital.
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Williams → mean → Digital
Williams said that "the president still has a firm grip on the party, even in places where a candidate he backed loses a nomination."
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he → say → nomination
But he noted that "if there are underlying issues with a candidacy, those can pose problems that even an endorsement can’t overcome."
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endorsement → note → that
After a primary season that kicked off on March 3 in Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas and Delaware bring the calendar to a close.
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Carolina → kick → close
Coons, who is running for a third full term in the Senate, is facing longshot primary challenges from University of Delaware history professor Jeff Appelhans, naval architect Mary Louve and former business executive Eric Hansen, a Republican turned Democrat.
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who → run → Appelhans
Former state Sen. Michael Katz and U.S. Army Reserves Col. John Shulli are competing for the Republican nomination.
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Katz → compete → nomination
Rep. Sarah McBride is unopposed in the Democratic primary, as she seeks a second term as Delaware's statewide House member.
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she → seek → member
Republicans Joseph Arminio, Earl Cooper and John Whalen are battling for the GOP nomination.
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Arminio → battle → nomination
State Attorney General Kathy Jennings faces challenges for the Democratic nomination from attorney Dwayne Bensing and domestic violence victims advocate Patty Rickman.
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Jennings → face → Bensing
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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Press → contribute → report
The Aporia
