Delaware lawmakers eliminated April’s presidential primary elections with legislation approved Tuesday afternoon. The primary became unnecessary after GOP presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley dropped out of the race about two weeks ago, leaving just one Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, as the party’s presumptive nominee.
Despite suspending her run, Haley missed the state’s deadline to remove her name from appearing on the ballot, potentially costing Delaware $1.5 million to hold a primary. Lawmakers moved quickly to resolve the issue before early voting started Wednesday. The primary was scheduled for April 2.
The move won’t impact future primaries beyond 2024.
“It sunsets at the end of this calendar year,” Republican Rep. Lyndon Yearick said. “We’ve moved the withdrawal day for a presidential candidate to have his or her name removed from the ballot.”
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Dave Lawson, R-Marydel, shifted the withdrawal date by 14 days. It passed the Senate with 19 voting yes and Democratic Sen. Kyle Evans Gay voting no. It passed without opposition in the House.
A 2024 Democratic primary had not been scheduled because President Joe Biden was the only candidate listed on the ballot.
Gov. John Carney’s office confirmed he signed the legislation.