Candidates for Delaware’s lone U.S. House seat sound off in forum

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Candidates for the First State’s lone Congressional seat gave their views on foreign and domestic policy at a forum in downtown Wilmington Tuesday.

State Sen. Sarah McBride, businessman Earl Cooper and financier Elias Weir are vying for the Democratic nomination in the September 10 primary. Small businesswoman and veteran Donyale Hall and John J. Whalen III are competing for the Republican nomination. The seat is being vacated by Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is campaigning to replace Sen. Tom Carper, who is not running for re-election.

All the candidates except Whalen participated in the debate, which discussed issues including abortion, immigration, the Gaza war and the U.S. relationship with Russia and China.

The contenders all agreed with supporting Israel in its war in Gaza. McBride said the loss of life was heartbreaking.

“That’s one of the reasons why I’ve been so supportive of the U.S. government’s led efforts to negotiate a long-term cease-fire that secures the release of the hostages and builds a bridge toward a lasting peace and a sustainable peace,” she said. “We have to be clear that while that deal is currently on the table, Israel has accepted a version of that deal. Hamas has not accepted that version of the deal.”

Hall highlighted her and her family’s decades of military experience in her answer.

“From that perspective, my family has a lot of skin in the game. I think I bring a credible voice to anything that we would talk about in foreign policy, and I believe in peace through strength,” she said. “For that reason, we have a long-standing ally through Israel that I support us continuing, making sure that we keep that relationship strong for the sake of world peace.”

Cooper said that he was in favor of a reset with Russia and China, but he also used his time during this question to talk about the difference between minimum wage and prevailing wage, which is paid to some workers in certain industries such as construction.

“Fifty dollars an hour can really change a person’s life,” he said. “I have individuals that work for me and they are able to sustain their family, and these are the things that I want to be able to speak on.”

Hall said she did not support writing a “blank check” to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in 2022. According to the U.S. State Department, the Biden administration has provided $55.5 billion in military assistance since February 2022.

Weir agreed that the U.S. should keep a hawkish approach toward China and Russia.

“China wants to be a superpower. Russia wants to be a superpower,” he said. “If these two, they want to align, and it’s a critical issue that the United States needs to address.”

There was sharp disagreement on the issue of abortion, with McBride saying she was proud of her role in making Delaware a sanctuary state as a legislator. She said she would fight any attempts to ban the procedure federally if elected.

“We are not safe from MAGA extremists who want to implement their Texas and Alabama agenda at the federal level,” McBride said. “Look, the far right wing told us that they weren’t going to overturn Roe. They overturned Roe. Now those same people are telling us that they won’t institute a nationwide abortion ban. They will. We will not be fooled.”

Cooper also said he supported leaving the decision up to women, while Hall and Weir said they opposed abortion.

“It’s a terrible thing, and I think that the Supreme Court is exactly correct, and they hit the point just right in regards to Roe versus Wade,” Weir said.

On the issue of immigration, Cooper said he supported a pathway to citizenship for people without proper documents immigrating to the U.S.

“We need to monitor all those that are coming in and to make sure here in Delaware, we need to be able to take some of the laws and at least allow them to work here in Delaware,” he said.

Hall said her ex-husband had immigrated to his country, making her 10 children first-generation citizens. She said she supported securing the southern border and a more efficient citizenship process.

“We cannot afford to keep having an influx of more people that are coming to the states that are hurting us here by taking away valuable resources from homeless veterans, for instance,” she said, “[who] cannot access the same shelters, the same benefits, the same humane treatment.”

The candidates also discussed fertility treatments, child care, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. The debate was sponsored by the Delaware Journalism Collaborative. The DJC comprises 23 independent newsrooms and community organizations throughout Delaware, including WHYY News. You can watch the full debate on the DJC Facebook page.

Early voting is now underway for Delaware’s primary election and will run for 10 days before the primary election at locations around the state. Eligible voters can cast their ballots between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. through August 31, and again on September 3. Early voting hours are extended from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning September 4 through September 8.

The last day to submit a request for a primary election absentee ballot to be mailed is Sept. 6.

The deadline for the state Department of Elections to issue absentee ballots for the primary election is Sept. 9 at noon.

Absentee ballots must be received by the Department of Elections by Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. to be counted.

You can find a full list of candidates who will appear on the primary ballot at WHYY.org.