Delaware Commissioner Beats Out 3 Challengers in Democratic Primary

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart beat out three challengers in yesterday’s Democratic primary.

Of some 47,602 votes cast statewide, Commissioner Stewart won 15,590 votes — representing 32.7 percent of the total votes cast, according to results posted last night on Delaware’s government website.

Her closest challenger, Mitch Crane, a former regulatory official in the insurance department who was endorsed by the Delaware Democratic Party, got 14,429 votes, or roughly 30.3 percent of the total.

Dennis Spivack, a deputy attorney general and former Democratic congressional candidate, received 8,129 votes, or 17.1 percent. Paul Gallagher, the former board president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Delaware, received 9,454 votes or 19.9 percent.

Commissioner Stewart will now face Republican candidate Benjamin Mobley and Libertarian David Eisenhour in the Nov. 6 general election. Commissioner Stewart won election to become Delaware’s top insurance regulator in 2008.