Some numbers to consider as we look at the 2010 US Senate race for Delaware

Neither Mike Castle nor Chris Coons has ever lost an election.
They have only been on the ballot in the same election year twice, 2000 and 2004.
Since Coons has only run countywide in New Castle County, in this post I am looking only at election results for each of them in New Castle County only.

While it is noticeable that Castle won New Castle County by a wider margin each time, I think Coons may have faced tougher opponents in that Castagno had held elective office in the City of New Castle and Ramone is very committed to the process of being elected ,later running unsuccesfully for state senate and in 2008 was elected as state representative in the 21st district.

In each of these races about 4,000 more votes were cast for Congress than for the county race in which Coons was running. If those votes were cast and remained proportional to the votes cast in Coon's race that would have extended his margin somewhat.

Additionally, I think the more local the office the greater the chance of people abandoning party labels in certain instances. Otherwise it would not be possible for Dori Connor to continue to be re-elected as a Republican in a heavily Democratic state senate district and Republicans Terry Spence and Bill Oberle could not have held seats in districts with Democratic registration edges in the state house of Representatives for multiple decades each.

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2004
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
DONNELLY PAUL DEMOCRATIC 75,796
CASTLE MICHAEL N. REPUBLICAN 149,671
BARROS MAURICE J. IND OF DEL 1,345
MORRIS WILLIAM E. LIBERTARIN 1,350
Total votes cast countywide 228,162

COUNTY EXECUTIVE
COONS CHRISTOPHER A. DEMOCRATIC 131,529
CASTAGNO CHRISTOPHER REPUBLICAN 93,535
Total votes cast countywide 225,064

http://electionsncc.delaware.gov/2004g/ncc.pdf
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2000
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
MILLER MICHEAL C. DEMOCRATIC 66,625
CASTLE MICHAEL N. REPUBLICAN 134,232
WEBSTER JAMES P. CONSTITUTN 1,585
THOMAS BRAD C. LIBERTARIN 1,736
Total votes cast countywide 204,178

PRESIDENT OF COUNTY COUNCIL
COONS CHRISTOPHER DEMOCRATIC 113,050
RAMONE MICHAEL REPUBLICAN 87,462
Total votes cast 200,512




http://electionsncc.delaware.gov/2000g/2000g_6300.pdf