Delaware Governor: This race spent almost all of 2015 in a holding pattern. The cycle started with the assumption that Democratic state Attorney General Beau Biden was the frontrunner to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Jack Markell. After Biden’s untimely death from cancer in May, politics in Delaware went on hiatus out of respect for Biden’s family, particularly his father, Vice President Joe Biden. In mid-September, the period of mourning ended when Democratic At-Large U.S. Rep. John Carney announced that he would seek the nomination. Carney secured endorsements from much of the state’s Democratic leadership, essentially clearing the field of serious opposition. This is a far cry from 2008 when Carney, who was then Lieutenant Governor, was expected to win the Democratic nomination, only to be surprised by Markell. On the Republican side, state Sen. Colin Bonini and retired state trooper Lacey Lafferty have announced. Bonini is the frontrunner, but his campaign was in some turmoil at the end of last year, leading some to wonder how committed to the race he is. In any case, this is an uphill climb

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