NEW: Dems Suffer Stunning Election Underperformance In Harris +9 District

A special election in Delaware is drawing national intrigue after the Democratic Party nominee managed to barely squeeze out a win in a district that was carried by former Vice President Kamala Harris by a wide margin.

Alonna Berry, the Democrat nominee in Delaware’s House District 20 special election, managed to defeat Republican challenger Nikki Miller by a little over 100 votes. Given the district’s small size, this amounts to a 1.4 percent margin of victory.

The seat was previously held by Stell Parker Selby, who resigned for health reasons after a short tenure in the state house that began in 2022.

Berry’s victory constitutes a massive underperformance when compared with past presidential election results. This past November, then-Vice President Kamala Harris comfortably carried Delaware’s 20th House District with 54 percent of the vote. Harris’ victory actually marked a slight uptick from Joe Biden’s winning margin, when the Delaware native carried it the district by a 53-46 spread.

The district — which is located in southeastern Sussex County — is no stranger to close House elections, however. Also in 2024, Parker Selby managed to squeak by her Republican challenger by just a 51-49 margin.

Despite the surprising result, Republicans are not expected to be competitive in Delaware anytime soon. Berry’s win allows Democrats to hold onto their two-thirds supermajority in the Delaware State House, where they control 26 of 41 seats.

And while Vice President Harris did underperform Joe Biden’s margin in the state, rightward shifts were measured in just about every state in 2024. Biden is also a Delaware native and represented the state in the U.S. Senate prior to his selection as former President Barack Obama’s running mate in 2008.

The Republican Party has not held a statewide seat in Delaware since Ken Simpler was elected as state treasurer in 2015.