Delaware Republican U.S. Senate candidate alleges campaign interference by ‘powerful elite’ during forum

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Delaware U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and Republican challenger physician Michael Katz faced off in a debate Thursday, just as early voting kicked off in the state.

Coons is running for his fourth term in Congress, with the Democrat having first been elected in 2010.

The two candidates made their case at a candidate forum hosted by the Rotary Club of Wilmington. They took questions on domestic and foreign issues, including health care, immigration, gas prices and tariffs.

Coons said affordability is a big issue among voters across the state and that tariffs were driving up costs for Delawareans. He argued that he had the experience to tackle high prices if reelected to his seat.

“This is a moment that requires bipartisan, steady, capable leadership,” he said. “I don’t think we can or should take a risk on an untested candidate.”

Katz said the quality of life in Delaware has gone down during Coons’ tenure in office and the state needs new leadership.

“Over these 16 years, Delaware has become unaffordable and is dying,” he said. “Our health care system is broken, energy costs are skyrocketing, Delaware has ‘DExit’ and our education system continues to fail our kids.”

‘Delaware’s political process has been corrupted’

During one point in the debate, when asked a question about the war in Ukraine, Katz alleged that a “powerful elite” was behind a hack of his campaign communications and threats directed at members of his staff.

“Delaware’s political process has been corrupted,” he said. “When those in power silence opposition and suppress the people, they become the authoritarian rulers they claim to oppose.”

Asked for additional comment after the debate, Katz said he would not name who he blamed for the hacking and threats, but said it had been reported to law enforcement.

Coons and dozens of other members of Congress, along with Delaware election officials, recently received “suspicious” envelopes with a white powdery substance. A spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Elections confirmed earlier this week that the substance was not dangerous. The FBI is currently investigating.

Maddie McComb, Coons’ campaign spokesperson, said in a statement that “the senator’s team has also faced hacks and threats and was concerned to hear Dr. Katz’s claims that his team has as well.”

“Today’s conversation between Sen. Coons and Dr. Katz at the Rotary Club of Wilmington exemplified what campaigns should be about: a respectful exchange of ideas about how best to serve Delaware,” McComb said.

Candidates debate health care, gas prices and artificial intelligence

The two contenders put forth their plans to lower health care costs for Delawareans. State officials reported earlier this year that health care spending in Delaware increased to $11.3 billion in calendar year 2024, up about 8.7% compared to 2023. That surpassed the state’s own growth benchmark of 3%.

Coons said the key to lowering costs was to improve access to care, praising the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act during President Barack Obama’s first term.

Katz called the current system “broken.”

“The Affordable Care Act has a lot of really good things in it,” he said. “But overall, it’s a failed policy. All it does is really continue to subsidize who is paying for the increasing cost of health care, and it’s not doing anything to restructure the health system, increase the quality of care, the access to care.”

Both candidates agreed that gas prices would come down once the Iran War ended. Katz argued that the war was necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, while Coons blamed President Donald Trump, saying he started the war without a plan.

“Why is gas up $1 a gallon?” Coons said. “Because we’re at war in Iran, and it was entirely predictable that the Iranians would use cheap, lethal drones, which they manufacture by the millions for Russia to kill Ukrainians, to close the Strait of Hormuz.”

Switching gears, Katz said if he was elected, he would bring together experts and members of the business and technology communities to put guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence.

“We need to protect American workers and protect the workforce,” he said. “AI is a tool; it’s not a replacement for human beings.”

Coons also called for guardrails around the technology.

Katz and Coons said they were for humane immigration enforcement, with Coons arguing that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers should wear body cameras and be required to have a judicial warrant to arrest someone. Katz said the U.S. needs strong borders to prevent fentanyl traffickers, human traffickers and diseases from entering the country.

Delaware allows 10 days of early voting. Early voting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 to 24 and Oct. 26 to 27. It’s 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., starting on Oct. 28 and running through Nov. 1.