DELAWARE -Delaware's Department of Elections has announced the official cancellation of the Republican Presidential Primary in the First State in 2024.
The Department was previously re-evaluating a decision to cancel the Republican Presidential Primary this year due to former President Donald Trump being the only candidate left in the Republican Race. After votes from the State Senate and House on Tuesday, that decision was affirmed and made official.
Delaware election law mandates a candidate notify them of their withdrawal from a Primary race no later than a certain deadline to have their name removed from the ballot. However, due to the rare circumstance of Haley withdrawing past the deadline, Delaware lawmakers passed legislation to make an exception in 2024.
"Pursuant to the passage earlier today of Senate Bill 241 by the General Assembly, and the Governor signing the legislation into law, the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary Election will not be held due to there being no contested race," a Department of Elections spokesperson said on March 19th. "This cancellation is due to the recent withdrawal of Republican Party Presidential Candidate Nikki R. Haley from the Republican Presidential Primary Ballot, leaving Republican Party Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump as the sole, active, filed Republican Party Presidential Candidate."
The Primary was originally scheduled for April 2nd.
The Democratic Primary Election in Delaware is not being held due to President Joe Biden running unopposed. According to the State’s election laws, if only one candidate has filed for a party’s nomination by the filing deadline, that candidate is considered to have received 100% of the vote in the party’s presidential primary election.
The Department of Elections says the cancellation of the Republican Primary has saved taxpayers at least $1.5 million.
Both Trump and Biden dominated their respective primaries on Super Tuesday on March 5th. Neither will officially be named the nominees for either party until the parties’ conventions over the summer, however.
