Chris Coons defeats challengers in Delaware’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate

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U.S. Sen. Chris Coons is moving forward as the 2026 Democratic nominee for one of Delaware’s U.S. Senate seats after defeating artificial intelligence systems builder Jeff Appelhans, business executive Eric No Trump Hansen and small business owner Mary Louve in the state’s Sept. 15 primary election.

Coons will face off against Dr. Mike Katz in the November general election.

The Associated Press called the race at 8:16 p.m., declaring Coons the primary winner. As of 8:23 p.m., he holds 84% of the vote. About 30% of ballots have been counted.

Each of the 50 states has two U.S. senators, who serve six-year terms. Senators write laws and vote on bills, including budget bills. They sit on committees that consider pieces of legislation and hold hearings. They also approve the president’s nominations for cabinet members, federal judges and U.S. Supreme Court justices.

Coons successfully staved off his three Democratic challengers, besting Appelhans, Louve and Hansen.

Coons was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, and is seeking his fourth term in Congress.

He serves on Senate Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Ethics committees. He is the vice chair of the Ethics Committee and the ranking Democrat on the Defense Appropriations subcommittee.

Coons has pointed to fighting policies of President Donald Trump’s administration. He has said that if he is reelected, his top priorities would be making sure Delawareans have opportunity, security and justice through raising wages, protecting residents from threats abroad and at home and rooting out corruption in Washington, D.C.

He has been endorsed by many Delaware officials and groups, including Delaware U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Congresswoman Sarah McBride, Gov. Matt Meyer and the Delaware Democratic Party.