Results from Primaries in DE, NH, and RI: RI's Congressional Delegation to Remain All-Male and Vulnerable Incumbents Advance in NH

CAWP Staff

Updated 9.14.22 1pm ET (final results)

Three primaries were held on Tuesday in Delaware, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Full context about women in the 2022 elections, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, is available via the Center for American Women and Politics’ (CAWP) Election Watch.

Among the most notable results for women:

  • Women congressional incumbents advanced to the general election in New Hampshire but remain vulnerable in their bids for re-election.
    • Incumbent U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D) won the Democratic nomination to seek re-election in a general election contest currently rated as “Lean Democratic” by Cook Political Report. New Hampshire is one of four states currently represented by two women in the U.S. Senate; the others are Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington.
    • Incumbent U.S. Representative Ann McLane Kuster (D) is seeking re-election in NH-02. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will run for re-election in a contest currently rated as a "Lean Democratic" by Cook Political Report.
  • Karoline Leavitt (R) won the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D) in NH-01, a contest currently rated as a Democratic toss-up by Cook Political Report. If successful in November, Leavitt could become the youngest woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
  • While 2 (2D) women filed as candidates for U.S. House seats in Rhode Island, none were successful, all but ensuring that Rhode Island’s congressional delegation will remain all male in 2023. The last and only woman to serve in the U.S. Congress from Rhode Island was Claudine Schneider (R), who served in the U.S. House from 1981 to 1991.
  • Ashley Kalus (R) won the Republican nomination for governor of Rhode Island. She will challenge incumbent Governor Dan McKee (D) in a general election contest currently rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report. Incumbent Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea (D), who was term-limited in her current role, ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.
  • In Rhode Island, incumbent Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos (D) won the Democratic nomination for re-election. Upon her appointment to the position in 2021, Matos, who is Afro-Latina, became the first Black woman and the second Latina to serve in statewide elective executive office in Rhode Island.
  • In Delaware, incumbent State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness (D) was defeated in the Democratic primary by Lydia York (D). Earlier this year, McGuiness was convicted of three misdemeanors; she has not yet been sentenced. York will face Janice Lorrah (R) – who was unopposed in the Republican primary – in an all-woman open-seat general election contest. If York is successful in November, she will be the first Black woman to be state auditor and the second Black woman to be elected to statewide executive office in Delaware.

Delaware

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

 

Delaware

U.S. House

Incumbent U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) – who holds Delaware’s at-large seat in the U.S. House – is the first and only woman to have served in the U.S. Congress from Delaware. She was first elected in 2016.

Rochester (D) was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will run for re-election in a contest currently rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report. She is 1 of 2 (50%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Delaware, including 1 of 1 (100%) Democrats and 0 of 1 (0%) Republicans. No other women filed as candidates for the U.S. House in 2022.  

Statewide Elective Executive Office

Women currently hold 4 (4D) of 6 statewide elective executive offices in Delaware. Fifteen (9D, 6R) women have served in statewide elective executive offices in Delaware, including 1 (1D) woman who has served as governor. Just 3 of 6 statewide elective executive offices in Delaware are up for election in 2022: attorney general, auditor, and treasurer.

Six (4D, 2R) women filed as candidates for statewide elective executive offices up for election in Delaware in 2022.

Based on primary election results, women are 5 of 6 (83.3%) major-party nominees already selected for statewide elective executive offices in Delaware, including 3 of 3 (100%) Democrats and 2 of 3 (66.7%) Republicans. One (1D) woman candidate for statewide elective executive office was unsuccessful.

  • Incumbent State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness (D) was defeated in the Democratic primary by Lydia York (D). Earlier this year, McGuiness was convicted of three misdemeanors – official misconduct, conflict of interest, and structuring a contract to avoid a procurement policy – for hiring her college-age daughter for a part-time job and awarding a contract to a consultant who worked on her campaign. She has not yet been sentenced. York will face Janice Lorrah (R) – who was unopposed in the Republican primary – in an all-woman open-seat general election contest. If York is successful, she will be the first Black woman to be state auditor and the second Black woman to be elected to statewide executive office in Delaware.
  • Incumbent Attorney General Kathy Jennings (D) is running for re-election. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face Julianne Murray (R) in an all-woman general election contest. Murray was also unopposed in the primary.
  • Incumbent State Treasurer Colleen Davis (D) is running for re-election. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face Greg Coverdale (R) in the general election. Coverdale was also unopposed in the primary.

Of the 5 (3D, 2R) women nominees for statewide elective executive, 1 (1D) woman – York (state auditor) – is Black and 4 (2D, 2R) women – Lorrah (R, state auditor), Jennings (D, attorney general), Murray (R, attorney general), and Davis (D, state treasurer) – are white.

 

New Hampshire

U.S. Senate

Women currently hold both seats in the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire. Three (2D, 1R) women have served in the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire, including current Senators Maggie Hassan (D) and Jeanne Shaheen (D). New Hampshire is one of four states currently represented by two women in the U.S. Senate.

Incumbent U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D) – who was the only woman who filed as a candidate for the U.S. Senate – won the Democratic nomination to seek re-election in a general election contest currently rated as “Lean Democratic” by Cook Political Report.

U.S. House

Women currently hold 1 (1D) of 2 seats in the New Hampshire delegation to the U.S. House (50%). Two (2D) women have served in the U.S. House from New Hampshire.

In 2022, 5 (1D, 4R) women filed as candidates for U.S. House seats in New Hampshire.

Based on primary election results, women are 2 of 4 (50%) major-party nominees already selected for the U.S. House in New Hampshire, including 1 of 2 (50%) Democrats and 1 of 2 (50%) Republicans. Three (3R) women candidates for the U.S. House were unsuccessful.

  • Incumbent U.S. Representative Ann McLane Kuster (D) is seeking re-election in NH-02. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will run for re-election in a contest currently rated as a Democratic toss-up by Cook Political Report.
  • Karoline Leavitt (R) won the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent U.S. Representative Chris Pappas (D) in NH-01, a contest currently rated as a Democratic toss-up by Cook Political Report. If successful in November, Leavitt (R) could become the youngest woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

Of the 2 (1D, 1R) women U.S. House nominees, both are white. All of the women who have served in the U.S. Congress from New Hampshire to date are white.

Governor

The only statewide elective executive office in New Hampshire – governor - is up for election in 2022. Three (2D, 1R) women have served as governor of New Hampshire: Vesta Roy (December 1982- January 1983), Jeanne Shaheen (1997-2003), and Maggie Hassan (2013-2017).

In 2022, 1 (1R) woman – Karen Testerman – ran unsuccessfully as a primary challenger to incumbent Governor Chris Sununu (R).

 

Rhode Island

U.S. House

Women currently hold 0 of 2 (0%) seats in the Rhode Island delegation to the U.S. House. Just one (1R) woman has served in the U.S. House from Rhode Island. Claudine Schneider (R) served in the U.S. House from 1981 to 1991.

In 2022, 2 (2D) women filed as candidates for U.S. House seats in Rhode Island.

Based on primary election results, women are 0 of 4 (0%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Rhode Island, including 0 of 2 (0%) Democrats and 0 of 2 (0%) Republicans. Two (2D) women candidates for the U.S. House were unsuccessful. Based on these results, Rhode Island’s congressional delegation will remain all male in 2023.

Statewide Elective Executive Office

Women currently hold 2 (2D) of 5 statewide elective executive offices in Rhode Island. Nine (5D, 4R) women have served in statewide elective executive offices in Rhode Island, including 1 (1D) woman who has served as governor: Gina Raimondo (2015-2021). All 5 statewide elective executive offices in Rhode Island are up for election in 2022.

Seven (6D, 1R) women filed as candidates for statewide elective executive offices up for election in Rhode Island in 2022, including 3 (2D, 1R) women candidates for governor.

Based on primary election results, women are 2 of 10 (20%) major-party nominees for statewide elective executive offices in Rhode Island, including 1 of 5 (20%) Democrats and 1 of 5 (20%) Republicans. Five (5D) women candidates for statewide elective executive offices were unsuccessful.

  • Ashley Kalus (R) won the Republican nomination for governor. She will challenge incumbent Governor Dan McKee (D) in a general election contest currently rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report.
  • Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos (D) won the Democratic nomination for re-election. She was first appointed to the position in 2021. Upon her appointment in 2021, Matos became the first Black woman and the second Latina to serve in statewide elective executive office in Rhode Island.
  • Incumbent Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea (D), who was term-limited in her current role, ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Of the 2 (1D, 1R) women nominees for statewide elective executive offices, 1 (1D) woman – Matos (lieutenant governor) – is Afro-Latina and 1 (1R) woman – Kalus (governor) – is white.

****

For primary results summaries from other states and full results, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, see CAWP’s Election Watch.

CAWP Staff