Special Election for State Senator Update
- 39th District Republicans
- Feb 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 8
The Special Elections for Senate Districts 1 and 5 are officially underway, with Early Voting kicking off on February 4th. As of February 5th, 2025, the turnout numbers are still quite low, but there’s good news—if 50% of registered Republican voters turn out to vote, there is a real possibility that Republicans can win in these two districts!
A Brief Recap of Key Details
The Special Elections for Senate Districts 1 and 5 will both be on Saturday, February 15th. There will also be early voting, February 4 - 13.
Click to learn more about the the candidates:
Steve Washington for SD 1
Brent Burdge for SD 5
If you are not sure whether you live in SD1 or SD5, visit delawaregop.com. There is a link so that you can see if you live in either district.
If you want to volunteer in ANY capacity, please go to www.nnccrrc.com for more information on the Special Elections as well as useful links.
Although these elections are in New Castle County, we ALL have a vested interest in the outcome and this is a STATEWIDE effort to help.
What Are The Voting Results So Far?
In both Senate Districts, Democrat voter turnout is higher than that of Republicans, which is expected in these historically Democrat-leaning areas. However, there are some key differences between the two districts that give Republicans hope.
Senate District 5 shows a stronger Republican turnout, with 27% of the votes cast by Republicans, compared to only 19% in Senate District 1. This is significant because it suggests that there is more Republican engagement in SD5, and the district remains competitive.
Senate District 1, on the other hand, presents a bigger challenge due to a large number of Democrat permanent absentee voters. Democrats have long been preparing for this election by registering a substantial amount of absentee voters who automatically receive their ballots. If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that with low voter awareness of the election, some absentee voters might discard their ballots, leaving them unreturned.
Voting Breakdown:
Here’s a closer look at the numbers so far:
Senate District 1 (Steve Washington):
Republican: 19% (66/345)
Democrat: 70% (244/345)
Other: 10% (35/345)
Permanent Absentee Votes (not necessarily returned):
Democrats: 1,003
Republicans: 192
Senate District 5 (Brent Burdge):
Republican: 27% (129/470)
Democrat: 60% (283/470)
Other: 12% (58/470)
Permanent Absentee Votes (not necessarily returned):
Democrats: 812
Republicans: 242
Given the data, it seems wise to focus our efforts more heavily on Senate District 5. This district is still in play, and with the higher Republican turnout, it’s a winnable race. We can leverage the DE GOP app to send targeted text messages to SD5 voters, and once those voters are contacted, we can shift efforts to SD1.
Remember, the DE GOP app is up and running for those who have it installed—make sure to use it every day to send text messages to SD5 and SD1 voters!
What Can You Do?
Postcards - Thanks to everyone who has mailed postcards so far—it’s a huge help!
If you have postcards but can’t address them due to the DE GOP snafu, reach out to the Northern New Castle County Region Chair for a list of addresses, just let PJ O'Dwyer know how many addresses you need.
Texts and the DE GOP app - Please continue texting through the DE GOP app! The text message is already filled out, and all you need to do is hit send.
The Delaware Republican Party app will be a vital tool in our efforts. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Phone Calls - If you are making phone calls through the lists provided by Joyce Hoover, please continue to do so, and keep requesting more numbers.
Checker Challengers - Chris Rowe is organizing Checker Challengers. Anyone interested should reach out to Paula at DEGOP HQ (302-688-1954). If you have been a checker challenger in the past please consider volunteering for this important task. We are short on time to train new people but will do so if you are a first-time volunteer)
Election Day War Room - We will have Election Integrity War Room Operations like we did in November so that we can deal with real-time elections issues if any arise.
Election Integrity War Room Operations - Sussex GOP will have Election Integrity War Room Operations like in November to deal with real-time elections issues if any arise.
Please consider lending a hand
It’s both rewarding and fulfilling to help spread the word about strong candidates. The key to winning a special election is TURNOUT, and we need to make sure every voter is informed.
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