Trump, Clinton win handily in Delaware

A Gravis Marketing poll released six days before Delaware’s presidential primary April 26 predicted Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton would win easily in the First State with 55 and 45 percent of the vote.

In the end, it wasn’t even that close.

While the results are unofficial, on the Republican side Trump received 61 percent of the vote, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich won about 20 percent, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz garnered 16 percent. Clinton received about 60 percent of vote while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tallied 39 percent of the vote.

Billy Carroll, Sussex County Republican Party chairman, said Trump supporters were passionate about getting out the vote, and that is why Trump had a big victory.

In Sussex County, said Carroll, Trump supporters did all they could to have people at polling locations. He said his numbers show 43 percent of registered Republicans in Sussex County voted.

Presidential primary voting districts in Delaware are broken down by representative districts, and the three that cover the Cape Region – 14th, 20th and 37th – all voted similarly to the statewide results.

In the 14th District, which covers Rehoboth, Dewey and Henlopen Acres, Clinton’s total of 2,364 votes was nearly two-and-a-half-times as many votes as Sanders, while Trump’s total of 2,034 more than doubled the combined votes of Kasich and Cruz.

Sanders fared a bit better in the 20th District, which covers Lewes and Milton, with 1,064 votes to Clinton’s 1,778. Trump’s win in this district was even more convincing than in the 14th – he had 2,318 votes to Kasich’s and Cruz’s combined total of 958.

Trump’s largest margin of victory came in the 37th District, which covers Long Neck to Georgetown. He received 2,048 votes to Kasich’s 368 and Cruz’s 257. Clinton also dominated in this district with 1,108 votes to Sanders’ 641.

Carroll said he was not surprised at all with Trump’s strong showing in Sussex County. A straw poll conducted by the Sussex County GOP had him winning with 72 percent of the vote, he said.

Peter Schott, Eastern Sussex Democrats Club chairman, said the only thing that surprised him about Clinton’s win was the margin of victory in Sussex County. He said Clinton's large margin locally might be because the population is older than in other areas of the state.

Local voters entered the polls knowing exactly who they were going to mark on their ballot.

Chad Miller and Margaret Mary Edge, both of Lewes, waited patiently for the Cape Henlopen High School doors to be opened at 7 a.m. the morning of the primary.

Miller said he was voting for Cruz because he's the true conservative and the one candidate that stands for liberty.

Edge said she was voting for Clinton because, in her opinion, Clinton is the most qualified person running for the office the country has ever had.

By mid afternoon, a small crowd had formed at the Lewes Fire Hall in downtown Lewes.

Barbara Wood, a resident of Bay Crossing, said she voted for Clinton.

“I don’t think any of the choices are stellar,” she said. “I think she’s the most prepared in terms of managing our country and foreign policy, but I certainly don’t think she’s perfect either.”

According to the Department of Elections, statewide, about 30 percent of Democrats and 38 percent of Republicans voted.

State Election Commissioner Elaine Manlove was on the road certifying primary results April 28. She said it was a turnout typical of a primary when there’s no sitting president. Manlove said all the districts had turned in their results and there had been no problems reported the day of the primary.

Manlove said her office will soon begin preparing for the state’s Sept. 13 primary. “We’re always looking for ways to improve and to work more efficiently,” she said.

The deadline to register to vote in the state primary is Saturday, Aug. 20.