Former Democrat Mike Katz Wins GOP Nod to Challenge Sen. Chris Coons in Delaware
Katz, a pediatric anesthesiologist and former state senator, will face the three-term incumbent in a race for a seat Republicans have not won in over three decades.
Mike Katz, a former Democratic state lawmaker, secured the Republican nomination in Delaware's U.S. Senate primary election on Tuesday. He is set to challenge three-term Democratic Sen. Chris Coons in the general election on November 3.
Katz, who previously served in the Delaware state Senate as a Democrat from 2008 until losing his re-election bid in 2012, also ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024 as an Independent candidate. He later registered his 2026 Senate candidacy as a Republican. Federal Election Commission records confirm this registration.
During his primary campaign, Katz focused on lowering the cost of living, reforming healthcare, protecting jobs in Delaware, and reducing federal spending. He described his switch to the Republican Party not as a change in principle but as an alignment with long-held beliefs. "Our campaign is building a coalition. A coalition of Republicans, Independents and Democratic voters to win this race in November to defeat Chris Coons," Katz told supporters.
Katz defeated retired Army colonel John Shulli in the Republican primary. The general election contest will feature a Republican candidate attempting to win a U.S. Senate seat in Delaware for the first time since Republican Sen. William Roth won re-election in 1994. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has highlighted Coons's re-election prospects, noting his legislative experience and bipartisan work. Coons, a vocal supporter of President Biden's agenda, has represented Delaware in the Senate since 2010, winning re-election bids in 2016 and 2022.