Top five primaries to watch in the Delaware legislature

Delaware voters will take to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots in the state’s primary election.

All members of Delaware’s House of Representatives are up for re-election this year, as is approximately half of the state’s Senate. While many lawmakers are running unchallenged in the primary, a few are being challenged ahead of November’s general election.

Below are a few legislative primary races to watch.  

State House District 31

Rep. Darryl Scott, a Democrat serving the Dover area, announced earlier this year that he is not seeking re-election.

Two Democratic candidates, Sean Lynn and Ralph Taylor, will face-off in the primary. The winner will be posed against Republican Sam Chick in November.

State House District 15

Rep. Valerie Longhurst, D-District 15, has represented the Delaware City and Bear areas since 2004. She also currently serves as House Majority Leader.

Longhurst is being challenged once again by James Burton, a mental health professional whom she defeated in the 2012 primary.

State Senate District 11

State Sen. Bryan Townsend was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2012. The life-long Newark resident made headlines in the 2012 primary when he defeated Anthony DeLuca, a 14-year member of the Senate and president pro tempore.

Townsend is challenged in this year’s Democratic primary by David Tackett, a 10-year member of New Castle County Council.

State Senate District 3

Wilmington City Councilwoman Sherry Dorsey Walker is challenging state Sen. Robert Marshall for the District 3 Democratic nomination. 

Marshall has served the Wilmington-West area since 1978 and most recently sponsored legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage.

Walker, a first-term councilwoman, has spent her career in film production and is involved in several Wilmington-area organizations. 

State House District 34

Rep. Donald Blakey has served the 34th District, which includes areas in Kent County, since 2006. He is the only black Republican in the House.

The four-term representative is running against Lyndon Yearick, a businessman. This is the first time Blakey will have an opponent in the primary.