Lydia York, a lawyer and accountant, won the Democratic primary for state auditor on Tuesday, defeating Kathy McGuiness, the embattled incumbent who had lost the support of many in her party in the wake of her misconduct convictions.
York will face Republican Janice Lorrah, a Hockessin lawyer, in November. If elected, York will become the first Black woman to serve in the role.
The race, which was Tuesday’s only statewide primary, presented Democratic voters with an unprecedented scenario: Do they reelect the incumbent who has been convicted of official misconduct and has lost the support of her party?
The answer was a resounding no. York won 69.9% of the vote with nearly 95% of the precincts reporting as of 10 p.m. McGuiness did not win a single district.
“I’m still overwhelmed with it,” York said, shortly after her victory was announced on Tuesday night. “It’s still quite heartening to know that there was this swell of support for me.”
York said in a brief interview that voters made it clear in the election that “misfeasance in office should not be rewarded.” McGuiness called her to concede, and York said she thanked her opponent for running a fair campaign.
“I think a lot of people came out and may not have known me as well as I would have liked them to know about me,” she said. “But they had a choice. And that was, frankly, one of the reasons I ran. They needed to have a choice. And specifically a choice for someone who was (not) tangled up in the criminal justice system.”
Just before polls closed on Tuesday, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Wilmington to vote in the primary election. The auditor’s race was the only race Biden was eligible to vote in.
“It was quite remarkable that he did that,” she said. “That’s also underscoring and reinforcing the importance of voting in every election.”
This summer, McGuiness became the first statewide elected official to be charged with crimes and found guilty while in office. She has denied any wrongdoing and has told voters she’s the victim of an unfair, political prosecution.
DE POLITICSLawmakers want state auditor out of office. They just don’t agree on how to do it
In the weeks since she has been found guilty, Democrats, including some of McGuiness closest allies, expressed a lack of confidence in her ability to continue as state auditor. Many publicly campaigned for York. Despite this, Democrats have been divided on how to remove her from office.
Senate Democrats attempted to kickstart McGuiness’ removal this summer, only to be stymied by House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, who called the senators’ actions “political theater.” Schwartzkopf is a longtime friend and ally of McGuiness, and he was featured in a photo the auditor tweeted on Sept. 9.
The speaker, along with many other House Democrats, has previously stated that only Gov. John Carney has the power to remove McGuiness from office. Yet Carney said he would only make a decision once McGuinness has been sentenced – which has yet to happen.
Despite her legal troubles, support still remained for McGuiness. At the Cape Henlopen High School polling location, a few supporters stood outside the high school. They pointed to other Delaware legislators who have been charged with misdemeanors yet remain in office. None of these supporters were willing to provide their names to Delaware Online/The News Journal.
News Journal staffers Bill Bretzger and Shannon Marvel McNaught contributed reporting to this article.
