Simpler: first non-incumbent statewide GOP win since '94

• Sean Barney %28D%29 - 100%2C218 %2843.6%25%29
• Kenneth Simpler %28R%29 - 123%2C104 %2853.6%25%29
• David B. Chandler %28G%29 - 6%2C373%282.8%25%29

Delaware Republicans finally had a good night on Tuesday.

A really good night.

Ken Simpler, the GOP candidate for state treasurer, easily toppled Democrat Sean Barney, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Tom Carper and Gov. Jack Markell, whose campaign had the backing of the state's most powerful politicians.

Simpler won by 10 percentage points, becoming the first non-incumbent Republican to win election to statewide office since 1994, when M. Jane Brady won the race for attorney general.

"We had to dust off the playbook from 20 years ago," Simpler told a crowd of supporters gathered at the Avenue Inn in Rehoboth, owned by his family's management company, Seaboard Hotels. "I am humbled."

Auditor Tom Wagner, a 25-year incumbent, dispatched another Democratic challenger, easily handling Brenda Mayrack, a lawyer and onetime executive director of the Delaware Democratic Party.

Republicans even knocked off a couple of legislative candidates.

Rich Collins unseated Democratic Rep. John Atkins, collecting 52 percent of the vote. And on the western side of the county, longtime state Sen. Robert Venables, a Laurel Democrat, lost to Republican Bryant Richardson, who collected 53 percent of the vote.

After Tuesday's elections, House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf will be the only remaining Democratic member of the General Assembly representing a Sussex County district.

Simpler won in dramatic fashion, collecting 53 percent of the vote compared with just 43 percent for Barney. More than 22,000 votes separated the candidates.

The margin of victory is surprising considering registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 125,000 voters statewide.

Democrats were not completely taken by surprise. Internal polling showed Barney trailing Simpler. A last-minute voter turnout effort appeared to fall flat.

"I have not run this campaign as any kind of ideologue," Simpler told supporters in Rehoboth. "I have not run this campaign as any kind of partisan. I have run this campaign as a finance guy. Delawareans looked past party affiliation tonight."

Barney praised Simpler and his campaign in an interview Tuesday night.

"I feel very good about our campaign," Barney said after he addressed Democratic supporters at the Hilton Wilmington/Christiana. "We worked incredibly hard and left it all on the field. And I hand it to Ken Simpler. They ran an incredibly aggressive campaign, very vigorous, well-managed, well-financed. And I tip my hat to him. I'm happy to support him as our next treasurer."

Democrats did win some races on the top of the ballot.

Lt. Gov. Matt Denn picked up almost 53 percent of the vote to become Delaware's next attorney general.

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and U.S. Rep. John Carney will both return to Washington after cruising to new terms.

For Coons, it will be his first full six-year term in the Senate after winning a 2010 special election to fill Vice President Joe Biden's old seat.

But Simpler was the story on Tuesday.

Just over 2,000 votes separated the two candidates in suburban New Castle County, where Democrats typically dominate elections.

Barney easily won Wilmington, while Simpler dominated in Sussex County, Delaware's most conservative county.

"We knew it was going to be a fairly close race," Simpler said in an interview from Rehoboth. "The margin is probably a little higher than we would have expected."

Voter turnout statewide appeared dismally low, with just 36 percent of registered voters casting a ballot, according to state election data.

Barney called Simpler to concede at about 9:45 in what Simpler called a "gracious" conversation. In remarks to supporters, Simpler called Barney an "honorable man" who ran a "dignified" campaign.

"He just chose the wrong office to express his desire to serve," Simpler said.

The race became personal at times.

Barney's campaign manager said last month that Simpler "lacked the character" to be state treasurer, citing Simpler's experience at a hedge fund in Chicago.

Barney also questioned the Republican's ties to Tom Draper, the owner of Salisbury TV station WBOC, who gave $100,000 to a political action committee backing Simpler.

Simpler himself ran a more focused campaign, saying his experience as an investment fund manager and chief financial officer of his family's Rehoboth-based hotel management business made him uniquely suited for the office.

The message resonated with some voters.

Jessica Ventura, 52, a registered Republican, voted Democrat across the ballot with one exception: the treasurer's race. Ventura voted in Middletown for Simpler on Tuesday morning.

"If you're going to be the treasurer, you should have some financial background," said Ventura, an executive assistant. "That's a common sense kind of thing."

The treasurer race was one without an incumbent after Democrat Chip Flowers in August abandoned his re-election effort after his former deputy accused him of harassment. Dover Police investigated but no charges were filed against Flowers.

Flowers was elected in 2010, and his term was marked by controversy. He clashed with a Democrat-controlled Legislature, which moved earlier this year to strip Flowers of any ability to direct investments in a $2 billion state cash portfolio.

He faced repeated questions about credit card spending out of his office. Flowers fired his former deputy for charging personal expenses on her state-issued credit card, including charges for tickets to a New England Patriots football game and a car service to the game.

Flowers later admitted to attending the game with the then-deputy, Erika Benner, but said he did not know until many months later that she had charged the game to the state. Taxpayers were reimbursed for the personal charges.

Flowers, who remains Delaware's treasurer until January, did not respond to a request for comment late Tuesday.

He posted on Twitter about the results of the race, tweeting "Congrats to Treasurer-Elect Simpler."

With Democrats winning top-of-the-ticket races on Tuesday, Delaware missed the dramatic Republican wave that appeared to be sweeping across the country.

Nevertheless, voters on Tuesday expressed continuing anxiety about the economy and about leadership in Washington.

Leon Gratkowski, 62, of Middletown, voted for Republicans up and down the ballot.

"I think we need a change," said Gratkowski, a state worker and registered Republican who worries about his economic standing. "I'm no better off than I was six years ago. I'm getting close to retirement, and I'm fearful what's going to happen next."

At South Dover Elementary school, Shani Benson brought her 2-year-old daughter, Shaianne, to the polls.

A teacher at the school, Benson said she was coming out to vote to ensure teachers had a voice at Legislative Hall. Common Core and other education issues are priorities to her, she said.

Benson said she talks to her students all the time about the importance of democracy and voting.

"I would not be a very good teacher if I didn't walk the walk," Benson said.

Karen Kelly, 49, of New Castle, said she voted straight Democrat because the economy has improved under Democratic leadership.

"The economy is better now," said Kelly, a banker who brought her 11-year-old daughter, Reagan, to the polling place. "I'm in a better place now than I was before."

Nadean Storey, 46, of Bear, also cast her ballot for Democrats, but expressed concern about the country's future. Too many children still go hungry, and politicians have too many excuses for not solving the problem, she said.

"I'm really not happy with either party," Storey said. "But I'd rather go with the party I feel more comfortable with."

Storey said voting allows her to help keep the party accountable.

"When the Democratic Party screws up, I only have that party to blame," Storey said. "I'm not happy with the way the country is going. But I'd rather vote than not vote."

One race out of the spotlight Tuesday will surely attract attention.

Lamar Gunn bested Betty Lou McKenna in the race for Kent County recorder of deeds by just two votes, 19,247-19,245.

The results are pending official certification and a recount appears likely.

William H. McMichael and Jon Offredo contributed to this story.

Contact Jonathan Starkey at (302) 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.

VOTE COUNT

All 430 districts

Sean Barney (D) 100,218 (43.6%)

Kenneth Simpler (R) 123,104 (53.6%)

David B. Chandler (G) 6,373(2.8%)