Anti-Trump Candidate Rebrands, Loses Delaware Senate Primary

E. No-Trump Hansen, who legally changed his name to emphasize his opposition to former President Donald Trump, suffered a significant defeat in Delaware's Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday. Hansen, a former Walmart executive who previously ran as a Republican in 2024, switched parties and rebranded himself in an effort to break from Trump and the Republican Party.

Despite his dramatic name change, Hansen secured less than 4 percent of the vote. The incumbent, Chris Coons, who has represented Delaware in the Senate since 2010, won the primary with a commanding 78 percent of the vote. Coons is seeking another six-year term and is considered the favorite in the general election.

Hansen had explained his name change to WHYY, stating, "Trump has said he'll go after his critics by any means available." He added that he was willing to bear the risk, believing the alternative was allowing things to worsen for Delawareans.

In the 2024 election cycle, Hansen ran as a Republican and was defeated by Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester, who subsequently won the Senate seat. This year, he faced the challenge of unseating an established Democratic incumbent in a state with a strong Democratic advantage.

Other candidates in the Democratic primary included historian and artificial intelligence specialist Jeff Appelhans, who came in second with 10.6 percent of the vote, and naval architect Mary Louve, who received 7.5 percent.

The Republican primary in Delaware also featured a candidate who had switched parties. Michael Katz, a former Delaware state senator who served as a Democrat from 2009 to 2013, became a Republican after running as the Independent Party of Delaware's Senate nominee in 2024. Katz won the Republican nomination with 77 percent of the vote and will face Coons in the general election.

Coons, a longtime ally of former President Joe Biden, previously won reelection in 2020 by over 21 percentage points against Republican Lauren Witzke.