Democratic Incumbent Defeats Anti-Trump Challenger in Delaware Senate Primary

Clear Facts

• Sen. Chris Coons won the Democratic primary for Senate in Delaware on Tuesday.
• Challenger E. No-Trump Hansen officially changed his name to reflect opposition to President Donald Trump.
• Delaware has not elected a Republican senator since 1966.

Sen. Chris Coons secured the Democratic nomination for a third term in the U.S. Senate after defeating a field of challengers in Tuesday’s primary election. The incumbent faced little difficulty in holding onto his position in the deep-blue state.

One of the more unusual aspects of the race involved challenger E. No-Trump Hansen, who legally changed his name from Eric Hansen to reflect his opposition to President Donald Trump. Hansen previously ran as a Republican in 2024 and won that party’s nomination before losing the general election to Sen. Lisa Blunt-Rochester.

“The name E. (Eric) No-Trump Hansen isn’t a gimmick — it’s his complete commitment to positive change,” his campaign website stated.

Hansen told WHYY that he changed his name to reflect his opposition to Trump. “Trump has said he’ll go after his critics by any means available,” Hansen said. “He will go after me, but I’m willing to bear that risk anyway — because the alternative is letting things get worse for Delawareans.”

Coons, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, first entered Congress in 2010 to replace then-Sen. Joe Biden when Biden became Barack Obama’s running mate. He won his first full term in 2014 and has held the seat since.

The First State has not sent a Republican to the Senate since 1966, when former Sen. J. Caleb Boggs lost re-election to a 29-year-old Joe Biden. That outcome cemented Delaware as a reliable Democratic stronghold for decades.

Coons will face either Mike Katz or John Shulli in November’s general election. Delaware voters have consistently supported Democratic Senate candidates in recent cycles.

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