Incumbent Kathy Jennings wins Delaware Democratic primary for attorney general. She’ll face the GOP’s David Graham in November

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Two-term incumbent Kathy Jennings defeated two challengers Tuesday in the Democratic primary for Delaware attorney general. Jennings will face Republican David Graham in the Nov. 3 general election.

The Associated Press declared Jennings the primary winner, calling the race at 8:16 p.m. She currently has about 77% of the vote, with about 30% of the ballots counted.

Delaware’s attorney general is the state government’s chief law enforcement official. The office prosecutes all felonies and almost all misdemeanors. The office also provides legal counsel to every state agency and enforces consumer and public trust laws statewide.

In her bid for a third four-year term, Jennings defeated Dwayne Bensing, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Delaware chapter, and Patty Rickman, a “spiritual oasis” store owner who is not a lawyer.

Jennings defeated the two first-time candidates with the endorsement of the state Democratic Party and Gov. Matt Meyer.

She’ll be a heavy favorite to defeat Graham in a state where Democrats hold all nine statewide elected offices. Graham, who also isn’t a lawyer, is a state finance official who entered the race in late August.

Jennings, 73, has said she’s running on her record of reducing violent crime and recidivism, holding corporations accountable and joining other attorneys general in challenging the Trump administration’s executive orders and policies.

But Bensing, a 42-year-old Arkansas native vying to become the first openly gay man elected attorney general in any state, had campaigned on the need for new leadership and direction in the office.

“It’s time to pass the torch,” Bensing told WHYY News when he entered the race in May. “That’s kind of our campaign slogan. I think today’s problems can’t be solved with yesterday’s playbook.”

Rickman, 53, was seeking to become the first nonlawyer to hold the office. She told WHYY News she is a domestic abuse survivor who said the system needs to do more for people like herself.

“I saw firsthand that not only is Delaware’s criminal justice system known as catch and release, I’ve seen it from the inside out,” Rickman said. “To say it’s broken is putting it mildly. There were policies and procedures, laws that were not adhered to, through what I witnessed.”