# 2012 United States Senate election in Delaware

The 2012 United States Senate election in Delaware took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Carper won re-election to a third term in a landslide.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Tom Carper, incumbent U.S. Senator

#### Eliminated in primary

* Keith Spanarelli, businessman (no endorsement)

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Carper (incumbent) | 43,587 | 87.9 |
| | Democratic | Keith Spanarelli | 6,028 | 12.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 49,615 | 100.0 |

## General election
### Candidates

* Tom Carper (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
* Andrew Groff (Green), businessman; also endorsed by the Libertarian Party
* Alex Pires (IPoD), businessman and attorney
* Kevin Wade (R), businessman

### Debates

Only one debate was held between Carper, Wade, and Independent Party candidate Pires.
* Complete video of debate, October 16, 2012 - C-SPAN

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Solid D | November 1, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe D | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Safe D | November 2, 2012 |
| Real Clear Politics | Safe D | November 5, 2012 |

### Fundraising

| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt |
| Tom Carper (D) | $3,516,328 | $3,462,004 | $853,377 | $0 |
| Kevin Wade (R) | $181,367 | $181,600 | $11,500 | -$234 |
| Alex Pires (DI) | $414,343 | $413,774 | $278,925 | $566 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission |||||

#### Top contributors

| Tom Carper | Contribution | Kevin Wade | Contribution | Alexander Pires | Contribution |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | $43,600 | Defenders of Freedom | $10,000 | Highway One | $10,525 |
| AstraZeneca | $40,050 | Friess Associates LLC | $10,000 | Alloy Development | $4,000 |
| Ashland Inc. | $38,730 | Associates International | $6,000 | Boston University | $2,750 |
| Blackstone Group | $38,000 | Trinity Logistics | $5,000 | American Real Estate | $2,500 |
| Wells Fargo | $30,500 | Tiger Trading | $2,500 | Gallo Realty | $2,500 |
| DuPont | $29,600 | Rollins Jamaica | $2,400 | Community Bank of Delaware | $2,500 |
| Discover Financial | $23,250 | Fiat S.p.A. | $2,300 | Redpeg Marketing | $2,500 |
| NORPAC | $22,700 | Janvier Jewelers | $2,000 | Sodel Concepts | $2,500 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield Association | $20,800 | Cover Rossiter, CPA | $1,500 | Wdms | $2,500 |
| Cigna | $20,000 | Eastern States Group Construction | $1,000 | Dc Bar Pro Bono Program | $2,400 |
| Source: OpenSecrets ||||||

#### Top industries

| Tom Carper | Contribution | Kevin Wade | Contribution | Alexander Pires | Contribution |
| Insurance industry | $388,910 | Retired | $49,565 | Real estate | $10,750 |
| Lawyers/law firms | $313,010 | Misc. issues | $20,000 | Retired | $7,600 |
| Financial institutions | $299,750 | Financial institutions | $10,250 | Lawyers/law firms | $6,600 |
| Lobbyists | $218,695 | Printing & publishing | $6,000 | Misc. business | $6,250 |
| Pharmaceuticals/health products | $199,950 | Business services | $5,500 | Universities | $4,250 |
| Commercial banks | $193,940 | Automotive industry | $3,300 | Health professionals | $2,000 |
| Chemical industry | $165,757 | Tourism | $2,400 | Entertainment industry | $1,750 |
| Leadership PACs | $162,500 | Accounting firms | $1,500 | Printing & publishing | $1,000 |
| Health professionals | $147,450 | Lawyers/law firms | $1,250 | Food & beverage | $1,000 |
| Retired | $136,700 | General contractors | $1,000 | Commercial banks | $800 |
| Source: OpenSecrets ||||||

### Results

United States Senate election in Delaware, 2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Tom Carper (incumbent) | 265,415 | 66.42% | −0.71% |
| | Republican | Kevin Wade | 115,700 | 28.95% | +1.51% |
| | Independent Party | Alex Pires | 15,300 | 3.83% | N/A |
| | Green | Andrew Groff | 3,191 | 0.80% | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 399,606 | 100.00% | N/A |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |