Delaware 2026 Election & Infrastructure Intelligence

# Delaware State Election and Infrastructure Overview ## Election structure Delaware has one at-large congressional district. Its September 15 primary will decide both U.S. Senate nominations and the Republican House nominee. Governor Matt Meyer and Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay are not up for regular election until 2028. ## Political and infrastructure context Delaware's small physical and electric footprint makes individual large-load projects unusually consequential. A legislative hearing identified at least five data-center projects under consideration, with the largest potentially drawing 1.2 GW, more than statewide residential consumption. The state is therefore becoming an early test of whether AI infrastructure can be recruited without shifting generation, transmission and distribution costs onto existing customers. ## 2026 data-center policy line - SB 312 prohibits state and local nondisclosure agreements that conceal information about potential or actual large-scale data centers of 100 MW or more. - A package of large-load bills passed the General Assembly, including ratepayer protections, Public Service Commission review and restrictions on incentives. - SB 353 proposed a moratorium through January 31, 2027, but the Senate declined to suspend its rules to take up the measure. - Governor Matt Meyer's permitting order accelerates generation, transmission, storage and grid projects while retaining environmental and safety review. ## Praevoium planning implications 1. Large-load approvals will increasingly depend on dedicated generation, transparent agreements and demonstrable ratepayer protection. 2. Delaware's corporate-law role makes the attorney-general contest relevant to AI governance even where the office does not directly site data centers. 3. PJM constraints and regional transmission costs can dominate project economics despite Delaware's small geography. 4. Port of Wilmington, coastal resilience, chemical and biopharma manufacturing, financ

Candidate	Office	Posture	Confidence	Evidence summary
Jeff Appelhans	U.S. Senate	**Unverified**	Unknown	No verified detailed position / No verified position
Chris Coons	U.S. Senate	**Enable**	Confirmed	Supports AI innovation and Delaware corporate-governance role while emphasizing
E. No-Trump Hansen	U.S. Senate	**Unverified**	Unknown	No verified detailed position / No verified position
Mary Louve	U.S. Senate	**Unverified**	Unknown	No verified detailed position / No verified position
Michael "Dr. Mike" Katz	U.S. Senate	**Enable**	Strong indication	Supports innovation-oriented growth; no detailed AI-governance platform verified
John Shulli	U.S. Senate	**Enable**	Confirmed	Former Pentagon Chief Digital and AI Office leader; explicitly links AI supremac
Sarah McBride	U.S. House At-Large	**Enable**	Strong indication	Supports a modern economy, federal investment, workforce training and green tech
Joseph "Dr. Joe" Arminio	U.S. House At-Large	**Unverified**	Unknown	No verified detailed position / No verified position
Earl L. Cooper	U.S. House At-Large	**Unverified**	Limited	No verified detailed position / No verified position
John J. Whalen	U.S. House At-Large	**Unverified**	Unknown	No verified detailed position / No verified position
Gage Dylan Thunder	U.S. House At-Large	**Unverified**	Unknown	No verified position / No verified position
Dwayne J. Bensing	Attorney General	**Unverified**	Limited	No detailed infrastructure-AI position verified / No verified position

Race	Status	Candidates	Impact	Key issue
U.S. Senate - Statewide	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact

# Delaware Race and Candidate Dossiers ## U.S. Senate - Statewide - Stage: Primary pending - Candidates: Jeff Appelhans; Chris Coons; E. No-Trump Hansen; Mary Louve; Michael Katz; John Shulli - Impact: Critical - Polling: No verified public poll - Praevoium issues: AI governance; data-center power demand; PJM reliability; nuclear and energy abundance; corporate governance; port and industrial investment - Status note: Both Democratic and Republican primaries remain unresolved. ## U.S. House - At-Large - Stage: Republican primary pending; Democratic incumbent renominated - Candidates: Sarah McBride; Joseph Arminio; Earl Cooper; John Whalen; Gage Thunder (independent filing requires continuing verification) - Impact: Critical - Polling: No verified public poll - Praevoium issues: Federal infrastructure funding; AI and workforce policy; grid costs; ports; coastal resilience; advanced manufacturing - Status note: Sarah McBride is qualified for the general election; three Republicans are qualified for the primary. Lee Murphy withdrew July 21. ## Attorney General - Statewide - Stage: Democratic primary pending - Candidates: Dwayne Bensing; Kathy Jennings; Patty Rickman - Impact: High - Polling: No verified public poll - Praevoium issues: AI and consumer protection; corporate-charter enforcement; utility and environmental litigation; cybersecurity - Status note: No Republican candidate appeared in the official federal/statewide primary list at the checkpoint. ## State Treasurer - Statewide - Stage: Democratic primary pending; Republican candidate qualified - Candidates: Ted Lauzen; Mike Miller; Michael Alexander Smith; Michael Ramone - Impact: Moderate - Polling: No verified public poll - Praevoium issues: Infrastructure finance; pension and cash management; state investment policy; fiscal exposure from energy projects - Status note: Democratic nominee unresolved; Michael Ramone is listed as qualified for the general election. ## Auditor of Accounts - Statewide - Stage: General field incomplete - Candidates: Lydia York - Impact: Moderate - Polling: No verified public poll - Praevoium issues: Public spending oversight; infrastructure procurement; incentive and grant accountability - Status note: Lydia York is qualified; continue monitoring for additional ballot-qualified candidates. ## Candidate classification rule A candidate is never assigned an AI or data-center stance from party affiliation alone. Unknown means no direct, reliable evidence was located at this checkpoint. Strong indication means adjacent policy evidence exists but a project-specific position has not been verified. ## Candidate records ### Jeff Appelhans - Party / office: Democratic / U.S. Senate - Status: Primary candidate - Alignment: Unknown - AI: No verified detailed position - Data centers: No verified position - Backing: Union26 campaign; broader backing requires finance enrichment - Confidence: Unknown - Primary source: https://elections.delaware.gov/candidates/candidatel