Coons beats back progressive Senate primary challenger in Delaware

Sen. Chris Coons (Del.) became the latest incumbent to hold back a progressive primary challenger on Tuesday with his victory in the Democratic Senate primary.

The Associated Press called the race for Coons at 9:24 p.m. EDT.

Coons faced a challenge from Jessica Scarane, a former nonprofit board member who ran on a number of progressive causes, including “Medicare for All” and the Green New Deal. She was among a number of left-wing candidates who challenged House incumbents in this year’s Democratic primaries, though she didn’t attract the same amount of attention as others such as Jamaal Bowman, who recently defeated Rep. Eliot Engel in New York. 

The senator now joins a number of Democratic incumbents who have survived similar challenges, including House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

A close confidant of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Coons went in to Tuesday’s election with a sizable cash advantage that propelled him to victory. Scarane faced less than $200,000 cash on hand heading into the final week, according to fundraising reports.

Coons, the vice chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, was first elected to the Senate in 2010 to replace Biden when he became vice president. He endorsed Biden for president in a video message as part of the final night of this year’s Democratic National Convention and leaned heavily on Biden’s support during his Senate race in Delaware.