Katz defeats Shulli in Delaware’s Republican primary election for U.S. Senate

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Dr. Mike Katz is moving forward as the 2026 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, after defeating John Shulli in the state’s Sept. 15 primary election.

Katz will face off against Coons in the Nov. 3 general election.

The Associated Press called the race at 8:19 p.m., declaring Katz the primary winner. As of 8:40 p.m., he holds 74% of the vote. About 22% 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.

Katz could be the first Republican elected to the seat in 25 years. The last time Delaware had a Republican U.S. senator was the late U.S. Sen. William Roth, who served from 1971 to 2001.

Katz, a former state senator, is a pediatric critical care anesthesiologist and owns a commercial real estate company. He has identified himself as a Democrat, independent and Republican in Delaware politics over the past several years.

He has several endorsements, including from former U.S. Attorney Julianne Murray, the Delaware Republican Party and Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association President Jeff Hague.

If elected, Katz said he would focus on lowering the cost of living, fixing America’s health care system and making the federal government more fiscally responsible.

Katz beat Shulli, a military veteran who is currently a part-time faculty instructor at the U.S. Army War College. Shulli had been endorsed by former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and state Rep. Lyndon Yearick, R-Magnolia.