Delaware U.S. Senate Voter Guide: Coons and Katz on Affordability and Health Care
Two candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot for U.S. Senate in Delaware, according to the Delaware Department of Elections' list of qualified candidates: Democratic Sen. Chris Coons and Republican Dr. Mike Katz. The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares where they stand on affordability and health care.
Coons, a former New Castle County executive, has served in the Senate since 2010 and is seeking reelection. Katz, a physician, represented the 4th state Senate District as a Democrat from 2009 to 2013 and ran for the U.S. Senate as an independent in 2024, WHYY reported. Delaware has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since William Roth, who left office in 2001, Spotlight Delaware reported.
Why Affordability and Health Care Are Issues in Delaware's Senate Race
Health care costs drew some of the sharpest contrasts when the two candidates met at a candidate forum in Wilmington on Oct. 22, the first day of early voting in Delaware, Spotlight Delaware reported. Katz called the health care system "broken" and "bloated," while Coons defended the Affordable Care Act and blamed rising numbers of uninsured Americans on the 2025 law that let enhanced ACA tax credits expire, according to Spotlight Delaware. WHYY reported that Katz supports repealing the ACA in favor of more price transparency and competition, while Coons has pushed back against cuts to the ACA and Medicaid.
On affordability, the TDFP video says Coons prioritizes affordable housing and reducing tariff costs while using federal investment to support Delaware communities. It says Katz backs cutting wasteful spending and red tape and lowering energy and housing costs.
On health care, the video says Coons backs permanent expanded ACA tax credits and Medicare drug price negotiation to lower patient costs. It says Katz backs lower drug costs, stronger rural care, and more prevention and coordinated community health.
Chris Coons (Democrat)
On affordability, Coons' campaign website says he "is committed to finding creative ways to eliminate roadblocks to home ownership, including pushing back on Trump's unlawful tariffs that increase building costs and drive up the costs of new homes." It says he has secured more than $100 million in federal funds for affordable housing initiatives in Delaware. "I've used my role as an appropriator to bring resources to Delaware, to tackle the problems I hear most Delawareans concerned about: housing, health care, jobs and the cost of living," Coons told WHYY. He also told WHYY he has been working to reduce tariff costs.
On health care, Coons' Senate office says he voted in 2021 to expand tax credits for working families buying insurance on the ACA marketplace and is "pushing the Senate to make these investments permanent." It says the Inflation Reduction Act, which he helped pass, "gave Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices," capped insulin at $35 a month for seniors and capped Medicare out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 a year.
Mike Katz (Republican)
On affordability, Katz's campaign platform says he would "halt wasteful spending, cut red tape, and lower energy and housing costs for Delaware families." His website says Delaware families "are paying more for groceries, energy, and housing than they were five years ago." He told WHYY he would address the cost of living, especially grocery and gas prices.
On health care, Katz's platform calls for him to "lower drug costs, fix rural care gaps, and shift the system from treating illness to preventing it." It calls for "coordinated community health," moving "from fragmented, encounter-based care toward coordinated population and community health, with providers responsible for outcomes, not just billable visits." At the Oct. 22 forum, he said the ACA has "a lot of really good things in it," including protections for pre-existing conditions, but called it "a failed policy," Spotlight Delaware reported.
Where to Follow the Candidates
Chris Coons: @ChrisCoonsforDE on X and chriscoons.com. Mike Katz: @drmikekatz on X and drmikekatz.com.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Delaware voters can check their registration and find their polling place through the Delaware Department of Elections at elections.delaware.gov. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Delaware Department of Elections, General Election 11/3/2026 Filed Candidates by Office: https://elections.delaware.gov/candidates/candidatelist/genl_fcddt_2026.html ; Chris Coons for Delaware, Priorities: https://chriscoons.com/priorities/ ; Office of Sen. Chris Coons, Health Care: https://www.coons.senate.gov/issues/health-care/ ; Dr. Mike Katz for U.S. Senate: https://drmikekatz.com/ ; Dr. Mike Katz platform: https://drmikekatz.com/platform.html ; WHYY, Delaware Senate voter guide: https://whyy.org/articles/election-2026-delaware-senate-voter-guide/ ; Spotlight Delaware, As early voting opens, Coons, Katz debate affordability, Israel aid (Oct. 23, 2026): https://spotlightdelaware.org/2026/10/23/as-early-voting-opens-coons-katz-debate-affordability-israel-aid/
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