Delaware
Delaware’s Democratic primary for governor now has a third candidate
Meyer also dismissed the notion that O’Mara could claim the mantle of most progressive among the candidates.
“We’ve accomplished more in less time than previous [New Castle County] administrations,’’ Meyer said. “There’s gonna be a lot of talk about who the progressive candidate is. The root word of progressive is progress, and if you ask people who’ve gone through the Hope Center, if you ask people who’ve had a chance to experience a thousand kids coding and a number of other programs that we introduced at the county, that’s progress. And real progress for Delawareans.”
Hall-Long, a two-term lieutenant governor who was elected in 2017 after spending 15 years in the state House and Senate, did not agree to an interview.
Instead, the University of Delaware nursing professor who lives in a Middletown-area golf course community issued a statement that targeted the affluence of her opponents.
“I will welcome anyone into the race that wants to move Delaware forward and cares about the future for all Delawareans,’’ her statement said. “Voters have the choice between two millionaire self-funders and someone who has had boots on the ground and a proven track record of getting things done.
“I understand the rising cost of living and struggles Delawareans face. I’ve spent my entire life helping the people of Delaware and am committed to making our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”
Hall-Long has refused extended interviews about her candidacy, and has not spoken at all with WHYY News since her fledgling campaign was thrown into disarray within days of her September launch. Her candidacy kicked off with her staffers and volunteers starting to revolt and some resigning over her explanations for $207,000 in undisclosed campaign payments made since 2017 to her husband and campaign treasurer, Dana Long.
Hall-Long suspended fundraising for several weeks and later issued statements saying the checks to her husband were repayments for loans the couple had made to the campaign. She blamed the “errors and confusion’’ on the couple’s sloppy financial practices, and amended her reports to reflect that she — not her husband —had loaned $308,000 to the campaign. State law requires that all loans be disclosed on campaign finance reports.
O’Mara disclosed $750,000 he loaned to his campaign, and Meyer listed $580,000 in loans he made, when they filed their campaign finance reports for 2023 in January. Those reports showed that Meyer had $1.7 million in his campaign account — far more than both Hall-Long and O’Mara.
The winner of the primary advances to the Nov. 5 general election. Jerrold Price, a retired New York City and Rehoboth Police officer who has never run for elected office, is currently the only Republican candidate.
Delaware Democrats hold a nearly 2-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans, and hold all nine statewide elective posts.
O’Mara has ‘outsider or challenger status’ in three-candidate race
So what impact could O’Mara have on the contest?
Samuel B. Hoff, professor emeritus of political science at Delaware State University, said O’Mara is an attractive addition to the ballot and gives Delaware’s Democratic voters a solid third choice.
While many political insiders have said privately that O’Mara could hurt Meyer because the race is now two men against one woman in a contest where Hall-Long has trumpeted the fact that she would be Delaware’s second female governor, Hoff has a different view.
He thinks O’Mara will draw votes from Meyer because he’s seen as the outsider in the race. The professor said Meyer previously held that role because he’s not part of the entrenched state Democratic establishment, unlike Hall-Long, who has been in office for more than two decades and counts endorsements from Gov. Carney, House Speaker Valerie Longhurst and a host of additional legislators. Carney is barred by state law from seeking a third term, but is mulling a run for mayor of Wilmington.
O’Mara’s “entry is most challenging or damaging, if you will, to Mr. Meyer,’’ Hoff said. O’Mara now has the “outside or challenger status and although he certainly was an insider, he’s been in an independent position for a number of years.’’
Hoff said the bottom line is that O’Mara could appeal to a wide range of voters.
At age 44, he’s the youngest in the race, which could make him the favorite of Gen Zers,, Hoff said. Meyer is 52, and Hall-Long is 60.
The professor also cited O’Mara’s leadership roles with the state and the wildlife group, saying his work in those posts show he has administrative experience and should also play well with environmentalists.
School board elections are one of the highest-leverage, lowest-participation decisions in Delaware. Turnout is low. Margins are small. In some cases, candidates run without a real contest. When voters do not engage, leadership is not selected. It is decided by default. When governance is decided by default, the system performs accordingly.
It’s clear that when residents fail to vote, it can have consequences — ones that most people recognize, but rarely connect to the ballot box. It shapes whether schools are focused on clear priorities or pulled in competing directions. It determines whether resources are invested in what improves student outcomes or spread thin. Those decisions show up in real ways: in the preparedness of students, the confidence of families, and the strength of Delaware’s workforce and economy.
In 2024, fewer than 5% of eligible voters cast ballots in Delaware school board elections, even as concern about outcomes, funding, and district leadership remained high across every sector of public life. The disconnect between what communities demand and how they participate is one of the most significant, and most solvable, barriers to progress in our state.
Data from the 2026 Delaware Opportunity Outlook reinforce this disconnect. A majority of Delawareans believe school board members have a direct influence on the quality of K–12 education, yet far fewer report understanding how improvement efforts are being carried out, or how decisions are made at the local level. In other words, people believe boards matter, but are not consistently using the one mechanism they have to influence who serves and how decisions are made.
What governing actually requires
A strong board member asks clear, outcome-focused questions and expects specific answers. They connect decisions to priorities, work through tradeoffs with colleagues, and ensure decisions are understood before the board moves forward. They listen for whether information reflects progress or activity, and press for clarity when it does not.
These are not intuitive responsibilities. They require preparation. School board governance is often treated as something individuals can step into without training, but these are complex roles that involve setting priorities, interpreting data, making tradeoffs, and ensuring decisions lead to results over time.
The Delaware Opportunity Outlook suggests that this is not how the role is widely understood. While Delawareans recognize that school boards influence the quality of education, far fewer identify training and professional preparation as essential.
That gap has direct consequences. As the state advances new priorities, the effectiveness of those efforts will depend on whether local board members are prepared to implement them, monitor progress, and make results visible.
Delaware’s moment
Delaware has established a clear direction for public education: defined priorities, a statewide literacy commitment, and a funding reform that will place significant new responsibilities on local boards. Plans set direction. Boards determine whether those plans turn into results.
What happens next will not be determined by those plans alone. It will be determined by how effectively school boards translate those priorities into decisions, how consistently they track progress, and whether they make results visible to the public.
Candidate evaluation
Evaluating a candidate is straightforward: Can they name a small number of district priorities and explain why those matter? Can they describe what data they would review regularly and how they would use it? Can they explain how resources should align to outcomes and what they would do if results do not improve? Candidates who can answer those questions demonstrate an understanding of the role. Those who cannot speak to governance beyond the issues that brought them to the race may find the role more demanding than they anticipated.
Make your voice heard
Voting in a school board election is one of the few places where individual participation has a direct and immediate impact on how the system performs. School board elections are decided by small numbers of voters. Your decision to engage, or not, determines who governs. Choosing not to participate is not neutrality. It is a choice, and it carries the same weight as the vote itself.
Today, a decision will be made about who governs Delaware’s schools. You can be part of that decision, or it will be made without you. Either way, the results will show up in classrooms, in communities, and in the long-term strength of this state.
Find out who is running. Evaluate them on the work the role requires, not only on the positions they hold. Vote, and encourage others to do the same.
For more details about voting in today’s elections, visit First State Educate’s 2026 School Board Elections page.
Read more from Spotlight Delaware
Monday, May 11, 2026 10:57AM
TRAINER BOROUGH, Pa. (WPVI) — A person has died after being hit by a vehicle in Delaware County.
It happened around 2:45 a.m. on Monday in the 4300 block of West 9th Street in Trainer Borough.
Police and fire crews were called to the Parkview Mobile Home community for reports of a pedestrian hit by a car.
Officials say the victim went into cardiac arrest immediately after the crash.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
LAUREL, Del. — Delaware State Police are investigating a shooting in Laurel that left a 19-year-old man injured Friday afternoon and resulted in firearm charges against a Georgetown man, authorities said.
Troopers responded around 3:20 p.m. Friday to TidalHealth Nanticoke after the victim arrived at the hospital in a personal vehicle with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to police. Investigators said the man had been shot in front of a residence on Portsville Road near Randall Street in Laurel.
Police said the victim was transported to the hospital in a blue Mazda 3 driven by 20-year-old Alexison Amisial of Georgetown. Troopers later located the vehicle and Amisial at First Stop Gas Station, where investigators said he was found carrying an untraceable firearm concealed in his waistband.
Amisial was taken into custody without incident and charged with carrying a concealed deadly weapon and possession of an untraceable firearm, both felonies, police said. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 3 and released on a $3,500 unsecured bond.
The Delaware State Police Troop 4 Criminal Investigations Unit continues to investigate the shooting. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Detective R. Mitchell at 302-752-3794 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-847-3333.
-
New York11 minutes agoAirbnb Turns to Black Leaders in Its Bid to Make a Comeback in New York
-
Detroit, MI41 minutes agoMetro Detroit braces for Frost Advisory, Freeze Warning overnight before rain arrives
-
San Francisco, CA53 minutes ago50 Beagles Rescued From Wisconsin Lab Arrive in Bay Area, SF Activist Faces Felony Charges
-
Dallas, TX59 minutes ago
Former Cowboys QB Craig Morton passes away at age 83
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoBrickell Avenue Bridge openings spark rush hour gridlock concerns in downtown Miami
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoWhat we know about accused Memorial Drive gunman Tyler Brown
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoBroncos Ring of Famer Craig Morton, who led Denver to first Super Bowl, dies at 83
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoVictim identified in deadly Seattle beer garden shooting on Lake City Way; suspect sought
