BuyerGeneralSeller

October 05, 2026

This isn't an endorsement of any candidate. It's an endorsement of the idea that candidates asking Delawareans for their votes should answer questions in front of them.

Early voting in Delaware starts Thursday, October 22. Mail ballots have been going out since mid-September. The University of Delaware has canceled its debates, and as of today, there isn't a single televised debate scheduled for any of Delaware's three statewide races: U.S. Senate, U.S. House, or Attorney General.

That leaves about two weeks. If the debates don't happen before October 22, they come too late for thousands of Delawareans who will already have voted.

I sell homes for a living. I'm not writing this as a Democrat or a Republican. I'm a Delawarean who wants to make an informed decision, and I think my neighbors deserve the same chance. No incumbent is entitled to reelection without being challenged. No challenger is entitled to office without being challenged either.

In their own words

I don't need to argue that debates matter. The incumbents already have.

"I take seriously the idea this campaign is a job interview."
Chris Coons, opening his 2010 Senate debate (RealClearPolitics transcript)

"Democracy is strongest when we meet face to face."
Sarah McBride, after an April 2025 Wilmington town hall (Sen. Coons press release)

"Debates really are the foundation of our democracy."
Kathy Jennings, closing the August 19, 2026 Democratic primary debate (Spotlight Delaware)

I agree with all three. So let's have the debates.

Where things stand

The University of Delaware canceled its 2026 debates. For years, UD's Delaware Debates were the main televised debates for these races. In a September 25 letter, published by the Arminio campaign, UD's Center for Political Communication said regular debates are "simply too costly" and no longer align with its "research-focused mission" (UD letter; Bay to Bay News).
WDEL and CoastTV offered to step in. WDEL reports it offered debates in all three races. Sen. Coons rejected the offer. Attorney General Jennings rejected an offer to debate Dave Graham. Rep. McBride has been non-committal (WDEL, Sept. 28).
Two challengers have publicly asked for debates. Mike Katz has called for a televised debate with Coons (Delaware LIVE). Joe Arminio has invited McBride to debate and asked for an answer by October 6 (Arminio campaign). I haven't found a public statement from Dave Graham either way.
A forum isn't a debate. All six candidates appeared at a September 17 forum hosted by the Jewish Federation of Delaware, but the format didn't let candidates question or rebut each other (WDEL).

This isn't about one party

Both parties have ducked debates in Delaware:

2020: There was no UD Senate debate because Sen. Coons said he was unable to participate against Republican Lauren Witzke (UDaily).
2024: Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester declined the Senate debate and Republican John Whalen declined the House debate, so UD turned both into one-on-one interviews (WDEL; Delaware Public Media).

Whalen should have debated in 2024. Blunt Rochester should have debated in 2024. Coons should have debated in 2020. And every major-party candidate should debate in 2026. This year, two incumbents have reportedly said no, and the third has yet to say yes. The standard shouldn't depend on the party.

Why a real estate broker cares

Safe streets aren't only a public safety issue. They're a home value issue. Economists Devin and Jaren Pope studied the 1990s crime drop and found that ZIP codes with the biggest declines in crime saw property values rise 7% to 19% (Pope & Pope, Regional Science and Urban Economics). The neighborhoods that have struggled most with crime have the most to gain.

The people we elect, especially the Attorney General, shape what happens on those streets. Homeowners deserve to hear how each candidate would protect the biggest investment most families will ever make.

What I'm asking for

Three debates. Three races. All before October 22.

Chris Coons vs. Mike Katz (U.S. Senate)
Sarah McBride vs. Joe Arminio (U.S. House)
Kathy Jennings vs. Dave Graham (Attorney General)

90 minutes each. One stage, one neutral moderator, the same questions for both candidates, and time for rebuttal. No scripts, no stand-ins, and no campaign-edited clips. Broadcast it statewide and post the full, unedited video online.

And one more rule: if a candidate doesn't answer the question, the moderator asks once more, "The question was yes or no. Which is it?"

The questions Delaware deserves answered

My rule for these: state the fact, ask the question, and stop. Here are three for each candidate, and one for all six.

U.S. Senate: Chris Coons (D)

1. WDEL reports it offered you a televised debate on WDEL and CoastTV, and you declined. In 2010 you called your campaign "a job interview." After 16 years in office, will you sit for the interview again and debate before October 22? Yes or no?

2. Name one major problem facing Delaware that Washington, or you personally, hasn't solved in 16 years. What would you do differently in another term?

3. Delaware's coastal homeowners depend on the National Flood Insurance Program, which Congress keeps alive through short-term extensions. Will you commit to a long-term reauthorization, and what will you do about rising premiums?

U.S. Senate: Mike Katz (R)

4. You've called for a debate. Will you commit to any professionally moderated statewide debate offered to both candidates under equal rules, even if the format isn't your preference?

5. You served in the State Senate as a Democrat, ran for U.S. Senate in 2024 as an Independent, and are now the Republican nominee (Delaware Public Media). You've said the move "was not a change in principle" (Fox News). Which principles have stayed the same, and why should voters of all three parties trust them?

6. First-time buyers in Delaware are being priced out. What one federal change would you push to get more starter homes built?

U.S. House: Sarah McBride (D)

7. You've said "democracy is strongest when we meet face to face." Will you agree to a televised, professionally moderated debate with Joe Arminio before October 22? Yes or no?

8. At the September forum, you asked organizers to let Mr. Arminio stay on stage after he was ordered removed (Delaware Public Media). You've shown you're willing to share a stage with him. Is there any reason you won't debate him?

9. Delaware has one House seat, so you represent every homeowner and renter in the state. What housing bill have you sponsored, or would you sponsor, to bring down the cost of owning or renting here?

U.S. House: Joe Arminio (R)

10. At the September forum, you were warned, apologized, and were then removed after making the same kind of remark about Rep. McBride again (Delaware Public Media; Spotlight Delaware). If she agrees to debate you, will you follow every rule set by a neutral moderator, so Delaware voters, not a controversy between the candidates, stay the focus? Yes or no?

11. You've never held elected office, and your only previous congressional campaign was in Maryland in 2008 (Delaware Public Media). What is your single strongest qualification to replace a sitting member of Congress?

12. You've said your focus on "debt relief" resonated with primary voters (Delaware Public Media). What exactly would you cut or change, and how would your plan affect mortgage rates for Delaware families?

Attorney General: Kathy Jennings (D)

13. You said "debates really are the foundation of our democracy." WDEL reports you rejected its offer to debate Dave Graham. Will you debate him before October 22? Yes or no?

14. You've said Delaware has had "the six safest years this state has seen since records began in terms of violent crime." The state's own 2021–2025 crime report cautions that 2021 figures were affected by COVID-19, but it shows murders down 55% and firearm robberies down 29%, which is real progress. The same report shows reported violent offenses up 6% statewide, up 9% in Kent County, and up 13% in Sussex (Delaware Statistical Analysis Center). How should voters in Kent and Sussex read those numbers?

15. Will DOJ use civil tools, such as nuisance actions, against problem properties that drag down a block?

Attorney General: Dave Graham (R)

I'll be honest: I know Attorney General Jennings' record far better than I know Dave Graham's. I suspect a lot of Delaware voters are in the same position. That's not an argument for Graham or against Jennings. It's an argument for a debate.

16. You're a CPA and Army veteran, not a lawyer, and Delaware doesn't require its Attorney General to be one (Delaware LIVE). Is your lack of prosecutorial experience a weakness? If not, what makes up for it?

17. Name one current DOJ policy you would change in your first 30 days, and explain specifically how it would lead to a different result.

18. Name one Delaware neighborhood you'd focus on first, and the specific tools you'd use there.

For all six

19. Will you commit today to at least one professionally moderated, televised debate with your opponent before early voting begins on October 22, with equal time, identical questions, and a chance for rebuttal? Yes or no?

21 more questions voters deserve answered

Those are only the beginning. If you want to send a candidate a question, pick one from either list.

Chris Coons

20. You also didn't debate in 2020. In your own words, why not debate this year?

21. If you won't debate, will you take an hour of live, unscreened voter questions on statewide TV or radio before October 22?

22. What federal crime-fighting dollars have you brought to Delaware neighborhoods, and what measurable results can you show for them?

Mike Katz

23. You say 16 years in Washington have made Sen. Coons part of the problem, but you've never served in federal office. Name one specific thing you'd get done for Delaware in your first two years that he hasn't.

24. Which specific federal crimes would you toughen penalties on, and what evidence shows that would make Delaware streets safer?

Sarah McBride

25. If you won't debate, will you hold an open town hall with unscreened questions before October 22?

26. What's the most important piece of legislation that became law because of your work and made a real difference for Delawareans? If there isn't one yet, what will you get done next term?

27. What have you done in Congress to help the Delaware neighborhoods hit hardest by violent crime, and how would voters measure whether it worked?

Joe Arminio

28. Looking back at the September forum, what would you do differently, and why should voters trust your judgment under pressure?

29. Will you accept any neutral Delaware news outlet as host, even if it isn't the format you proposed?

30. What would you do in Congress to help make Delaware's high-crime neighborhoods safer?

Kathy Jennings

31. You debated your Democratic opponents in August. Why debate in the primary but not in the general election?

32. Judges set bail, but DOJ decides when to ask for pretrial detention. How often does your office ask courts to hold defendants charged with violent crimes, how often do courts say no, and will you publish those numbers?

33. How many people charged with a violent crime in Delaware were charged with another violent crime while awaiting trial last year? If DOJ doesn't track that, why not?

34. Your primary opponents raised repeat DUI offenders and youth violence, and argued your office spends too much on lawsuits against the federal government (Spotlight Delaware). How much DOJ money and staff time have gone to those suits, and has any Delaware prosecution been short-staffed because of them?

35. Scammers are trying to sell land and homes they don't own by posing as the real owner. What is DOJ doing to protect Delaware property owners from deed and seller-impersonation fraud?

Dave Graham

36. Who would run day-to-day prosecutions under you? Will you commit to a career prosecutor as your chief deputy?

37. You've run statewide before: for governor in 2012 and 2020, and for Attorney General in 2014 (Delaware LIVE). What's different this time, and why this office?

38. Will you publicly commit to debate Attorney General Jennings in any neutral format, on any date before October 22?

All six

39. If your opponent shows up and you don't, should the debate go on with an empty chair?

40. If you win, will you commit to at least one open town hall with unscreened questions in each of Delaware's three counties every year you're in office?

Questions for the people who could make this happen

University of Delaware: You hosted these debates for years. What exactly did they cost, and would you co-host this year if a media partner covered the expense?

WDEL, CoastTV, Delaware Public Media, Spotlight Delaware, WHYY, and Delaware LIVE: Will you join together on one invitation, with one set of rules, so no campaign can pick and choose?

What you can do

Campaigns pay attention when voters ask, and there are only about two weeks left. If you want these debates:

Ask the campaigns directly. Call, email, or comment on their pages. One sentence is enough: "Will you debate before October 22?"
Ask the outlets. Tell WDEL, CoastTV, Delaware Public Media, and Spotlight Delaware you'll watch.
Pick a question from this post and send it to the candidate it's for.
Share this post with anyone who votes in Delaware, whichever way they lean.

Key dates for Delaware voters

October 10: Voter registration deadline
October 22 – November 1: Early voting (no early voting on October 25)
October 30: Last day to request a mail ballot
November 3: Election Day, polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Source: Delaware Department of Elections.

Three races. Three debates. Before October 22.

I'm not asking Delawareans to vote Republican. I'm not asking them to vote Democratic. I'm asking six people who want the privilege of representing us to stand on a stage, look Delaware voters in the eye, answer difficult questions, and defend their records and ideas.

Coons and Katz. McBride and Arminio. Jennings and Graham.

Delaware deserves to hear from its candidates before Delaware starts voting.

Sources

David Sordelet is the Designated Broker of Real Broker Delaware and Team Leader of Team Sordelet. The views in this post are his own and don't represent Real Broker, LLC. Team Sordelet has no affiliation with any campaign and hasn't been paid by or coordinated with any candidate. License: RB-0031238-DE / 5013138-MD.

In their own words

Where things stand

This isn't about one party

Why a real estate broker cares

What I'm asking for