1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware

The 1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware took place on November 5, 1968. Incumbent Republican William Roth was challenged by Democrat Harris McDowell whom he had previously unseated in 1966. Roth won re-election by 17 points.

1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware

← 1966 November 5, 1968 1970 →

Nominee William Roth Harris McDowell Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 117,827 82,993 Percentage 58.67% 41.33%

County results State House district results Roth:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% McDowell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. Representative before election William Roth Republican Elected U.S. Representative William Roth Republican

Roth ran for the Republican nomination unopposed, while McDowell saw challenge from Democrats.

Background

McDowell had previously represented Delaware's at-large congressional district from 1959 through 1967 before being defeated in 1966 by Roth.

Candidates and primaries

• William Roth (Republican), incumbent representative seeking a second term
• Harris McDowell (Democrat), former representative of the seat

Democratic primary

• Harris McDowell, former representative of the seat
• Sam Shipley, director of the State Development Department, eliminated in primary
• Robert Kelly, declined to run

McDowell's decision to run again was met with push back from his fellow Democrats. Delaware Governor Charles L. Terry Jr. had endorsed Robert Kelly, however Kelly declined to run. Terry later endorsed Sam Shipley. Shipley was seen as a better candidate due to being significantly younger than McDowell, as McDowell's age was considered a factor in his loss against Roth.

Election

Throughout the campaign Roth campaigned alongside his wife, Jane Roth, and their dog, Ludwig. Roth frequently wore a button reading "I am Bill Roth".

Results

On November 5, 1968, Roth defeated McDowell a second time with over 17 percent of the vote, an improvement on his 11 percent victory in the previous election. For the second election in a row Roth won all three of Delaware's counties. Roth's victory set records for the largest votes cast for a Delaware House of Representatives candidate and the biggest majority for one.

Roth attributed his victory to his bipartisan work and his creation of the "Roth Catalog" (later the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) a government issued catalogue of federal agencies. Following his victory Roth went on a "thank you" campaign and revisited all his campaign locations to thank supporters.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	William Roth	117,827	58.67%	2.9
	Democratic	Harris McDowell	82,993	41.33%	2.9
Total votes			200,820	100.00%
	Republican hold

Aftermath

Midway through his second term, Roth resigned from the House to fill a vacant Senate seat. He was succeeded by state representative Republican Pete du Pont. During McDowell's concession speech he stated that he did not regret running, and that he had understood his chance of victory was small. Following the loss McDowell retired from politics after 35 years. The loss was McDowell's third defeat out of eight campaigns.

References

1. "McDowell, Harris Brown, Jr". Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. Archived from the original on February 23, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
2. Cripps, George W. "State of Delaware Official Results of General Election 1966" (PDF). Delaware Department of Elections. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
3. Frank, Bill (June 25, 1968). "McDowell displays new political vigor". The Morning News. p. 20. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
4. Frank, Bill (June 28, 1968). "Shipley should give McDowell a good fight". The Morning News. p. 26. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
5. Frank, William P. (November 6, 1968). "Roth tops McDowell". The Morning News. Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Frank, William P. (November 6, 1968). "Roth goes on thank campaign". The News Journal. pp. 1 and 3. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1968" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
8. "Sen. William Roth, 82; Created Popular Retirement Account". Los Angeles Times. December 15, 2003. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
9. "Pierre 'Pete' du Pont IV dies; ran for president in 1988". Politico. May 9, 2021. Archived from the original on December 30, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2025.