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Delaware primary to decide governor's contest and could pave the path for US House history

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Delaware primary to decide governor's contest and could pave the path for US House history


DOVER, Del. (AP) — Voters in Delaware are set to decide the nominees for several political contests, including a closely watched campaign for governor and a potentially historic race for U.S. House.

The contest for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination that pits Delaware’s lieutenant governor against the chief executive of the state’s most populous county is the marquee race in Tuesday’s primary election.

Democrats also are voting in a U.S. House race where the favored candidate if elected would be the first openly transgender person in Congress. That would join another trailblazing race in November in which the lone Democratic candidate for an open U.S. Senate seat could become one of only two Black women in the Senate next year.

Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. John Carney is hoping to continue his long career in politics by winning his party’s nomination for mayor of Wilmington.

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Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Here’s a closer look at those key races:

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR U.S. HOUSE

State Sen. Sarah McBride would move one step closer to becoming the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. Congress with a win in the Democrat primary on Tuesday. Delaware’s lone U.S. House seat is being vacated by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who has no primary opponent as she seeks the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Carper, who held the seat since 2001.

McBride faces only token opposition in the primary from businessmen Earl Cooper and Elias Weir, neither of whom reported raising any money for their campaigns. Cooper is a political newcomer, while Weir finished dead last in a 2016 congressional primary with less than 1% of the vote. McBride, meanwhile, has raised almost $3 million in contributions from around the country.

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McBride achieved national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the United States.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary will go up against either Donyale Hall, a Dover businesswoman and a Gulf War-era veteran of the U.S. Air Force, or James Whalen IIII, a retired state police officer and construction company owner from Millsboro, who are facing off in the GOP primary. Democrats have held the seat since 2010.

Meanwhile, with a victory in November Blunt Rochester could become one of only two Black women in the Senate next year, joining Angela Alsobrooks of neighboring Maryland if she is also victorious in her campaign.

DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY

Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, who has held public office since winning a state House seat in 2002, is hoping to overcome a campaign finance scandal and succeed Carney, who can’t run for governor again due to term limits. Hall-Long has been endorsed by Carney and Delaware’s Democrat Party establishment.

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But the two-term lieutenant governor is facing a tough primary challenge from New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, who has raised substantially more money and has repeatedly drawn attention to Hall-Long’s campaign finance violations. Former state Environmental Secretary Collin O’Mara also is seeking the Democratic nomination, but has been overshadowed by the other two candidates.

Hall-Long’s campaign finance scandal surfaced last September, when she abruptly postponed a campaign event with Carney, saying she needed to attend to “a personal, private matter.”

In reality, her campaign was in disarray after people hired to lead it discovered major discrepancies while reviewing years of finance reports. The scandal led to a series of resignations among top campaign staff and prompted election officials to commission a forensic audit. The audit found that Hall-Long and her husband had received payments totaling $33,000 more than what she purportedly loaned to her campaign over several years — with many of the loans never being reported in the first instance.

It also found that Hall-Long’s husband and former campaign treasurer, Dana Long, wrote 112 checks to himself or to cash. The checks totaled just under $300,000 and should have been reported as expenditures. Instead, 109 were never reported in initial finance reports, and the other four, payable to Dana Long, were reported as being made to someone else.

Despite the violations, Delaware’s attorney general and elections commissioner, both fellow Democrats, declined to seek criminal charges against Hall-Long.

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DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR WILMINGTON MAYOR

Carney is prohibited by law from seeking a third term as governor, but he wants to remain in public office as a chief executive and is seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor of Wilmington, Delaware’s largest city.

His opponent is Velda Jones-Potter, a former Wilmington city treasurer who lost a bid for mayor four years ago. Potter served a two-year stint as Delaware’s state treasurer after being appointed to that post in 2008, but she lost an election for a four-year term as treasurer in 2010.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary will face no opposition in November. Carney has said as mayor he would build on the investments his gubernatorial administration has made in Wilmington, with a focus on improving public schools, expanding affordable housing and helping small businesses.



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Delaware

Police identify victim of Wilmington motorcycle crash

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Police identify victim of Wilmington motorcycle crash


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State police identified 29-year-old Brian Silva of New Castle as the victim of a fatal motorcycle crash in Wilmington.

Silva was riding a Harley-Davidson northbound on Dupont Highway approaching Millside Drive in Wilmington around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 when it collided with the rear of a stopped Lexus at that intersection, police said. Silva was ejected from the motorcycle. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.

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Delaware State Police are still investigating this incident, and anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to them or to Delaware Crime Stoppers.



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When will Delaware warm up? After snow, ice Tuesday, temps will rise

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When will Delaware warm up? After snow, ice Tuesday, temps will rise


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Meteorological winter has ended and we’ve entered spring.

However, there’s still a last winter blast hitting Delaware early this week before a spring warm up hits at the end of the week.

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Here’s a look at the Delaware forecast.

Will Delaware see more snow?

After a brisk Monday, March 2 with sunny skies and highs only reaching 35 degrees, there’s a chance of snow after 1 a.m. Tuesday, March 3 with freezing rain after 4 a.m. in New Castle County. Snow and freezing rain are expected before noon Tuesday, March 3. The county may receive less than a half inch of accumulation.

In Kent County and Sussex County, there’s a chance of snow and freezing rain after 1 a.m. Tuesday, March 3.

When will it warm up in Delaware?

It will start feeling like spring as warmer air moves into the First State on Tuesday evening, March 3, but wet weather is coming as well.

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Rain is predicted from Tuesday, March 3 through Friday, March 5, but spring-like temperatures will make it bearable. In New Castle County temperatures will range from the mid-50s on Wednesday, March 3 to the 60s on Thursday, March 4 and Friday, March 5. Kent County should see temperatures in the 60s and Sussex County will see 70s during the mid- to later part of the week

What’s the weekend forecast?

Remember when you were daydreaming about warm weather during the polar vortex or blizzard? Well, it is coming next weekend.

The forecast is calling for sunny to partly sunny skies throughout Delaware on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8. Highs will reach the upper 60s in the north to the low 70s in the south.

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Law enforcement increases security across Delaware Valley after U.S. strikes on Iran

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Law enforcement increases security across Delaware Valley after U.S. strikes on Iran


PHILADELPHIA – Law enforcement agencies across the Delaware Valley are boosting security at religious and cultural sites following U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, even as officials say there is no credible threat to the area.

The Department of Homeland Security also issued an alert after Operation Epic Fury, warning agencies to remain vigilant for suspicious activity despite assessing that a large-scale attack on U.S. soil is unlikely.

Hours after the strikes, protesters gathered in cities nationwide. In Phoenixville, dozens rallied Saturday afternoon, calling the military action “senseless.”

“Stop the war. People are suffering in this country with food prices, rent, healthcare, money for the people’s needs here,” said Curry Malott, a West Chester University associate professor of educational foundations and policy studies.

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President Donald Trump has said the joint operation would eliminate Iran’s nuclear and military programs and change the regime. Some demonstrators criticized the president’s decision.

“Trump has broken his campaign promises with no new wars, and here he is going into another,” said Kyle Horstmann of Phoenixville.

Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said in a statement that Iran poses a grave threat, adding, “Iran and its proxies are responsible for countless deaths of Americans and our partners. That record is long, deliberate, and undeniable-and it cannot be ignored.” He adds sustained military engagement should be done with consent of Congress.

Democratic leaders, including Senator Andy Kim, argued the president failed to seek congressional approval for the strikes.

“I have zero confidence in this president who has so flagrantly violated our constitution,” Kim said. He called for Congress to immediately reconvene to vote on a war powers resolution.

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“I hope there can be unanimity that when it comes to strikes of this magnitude, when American service members lives are at risk, what greater responsibility do we have in Congress than to look out for our service members and the national security of our country?” he said.

The Homeland Security alert also warned of potential low-level cyberattacks targeting U.S. networks, adding another layer of concern for authorities monitoring threats at home.

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