Meyer defeats Hall-Long, O’Mara in Delaware’s Democratic primary for governor

Some voters interviewed at polling places Tuesday mentioned Hall-Long’s troubles but others did not.

Prina Read, of New Castle, said Meyer was her choice.

“Obviously, Delaware as a whole is a much bigger platform and much more territory to cover than New Castle County,’’ Read said. “I think he’s proven his ability to be a good governor.”

Ramada Chapman, of Wilmington, also voted for Meyer.

“It got a little dicey even up to like the last 24 hours but I do think it’s Matt’s time,” Chapman said. “I think he’s done the work to work up to it. And I think it’s time for some fresh leadership with integrity.”

Khaleb Freeman, of Wilmington, said he voted for Hall-Long.

“I kind of fell in love with her personality and who she represented,’’ Freeman said. “I feel like she represents a newer generation in her own way and bringing forth new ideas.”

Kimberly Livington, of the Millcreek area, said she would have voted for Hall-Long but for “the recent scandals” and instead chose O’Mara.

Hall-Long faced revolt in her own campaign after launch

Hall-Long, by virtue of winning two statewide races for lieutenant governor, was widely viewed by political observers as the frontrunner when she announced her candidacy last September, and Carney immediately endorsed her.

At the time, Meyer was her only opponent, having declared his candidacy three months earlier. While Meyer had won two New Castle County races, the Wilmington native and resident was a relatively unknown candidate in Kent and Sussex counties, where about 130,000 of the state’s 351,000 registered Democrats live. Hall-Long, by contrast, hails from Sussex County.

But the race to replace Carney took a dramatic turn within days of Hall-Long’s launch when she abruptly suspended fundraising. That occurred within days of her campaign launch, and forced the cancellation of a handful of events, including one Carney was supposed to host.

Hall-Long’s campaign initially told some supporters she was dealing with a “personal, private matter.’’ But she soon announced that a review of her campaign finances she launched had found “there may have been reporting issues that require attention.” The lieutenant governor promised that forensic accountants would “thoroughly audit’’ her campaign receipts and spending.

What Hall-Long didn’t announce, however, was that her campaign and fundraising managers, plus other staffers and volunteers, had bolted from her team after discovering that more than $207,000 had been paid to her husband and campaign treasurer, Dana Long. The revolt, based on insider accounts, was revealed in a November WHYY News investigation.

The WHYY News story came days after the lieutenant governor said an audit had found she had been sloppy in recording $308,000 in loans that she — not her husband — had made to her campaigns since 2016, and $207,000 in repayments. Dana Long, who was not named as the recipient of the $207,000, was replaced as treasurer and Hall-Long said she would not seek to recoup the $101,000 loan balance.

Yet Hall-Long resisted calls by Meyer, Common Cause of Delaware, and others to release the so-called audit, insisting the issues were behind her and the campaign was back in stride.

Instead, the University of Delaware professor stressed to voters that she was well-equipped and prepared to be the first nurse to become a U.S. governor, and the second woman to hold the post in Delaware.

Carney, who had decided to run for mayor of Wilmington and won Tuesday’s Democratic primary, never held a fundraiser for his handpicked successor. Carney did, however, continue supporting her bid to succeed him, and even recorded a video promoting her candidacy.