Voter turnout for Barack Obama in 2008 helped Democrats win control of the Delaware House of Representatives, turning a 22-19 Republican majority into a substantial 24-17 Democratic edge. In 2010, Democrats hope to maintain that majority in a high-stakes election that will affect the political makeup of the state for the next decade. The party that holds the Delaware House of Representatives next year will control redistricting done in the wake of the 2010 census.

DFM News looks at some of the races that could decide which party controls the State House, profiling the candidates in those races:

State House, 9th District:
John Marino (R) — Rebecca Walker (D)

State House, 36th District:
Harvey Kenton (R) — Russ McCabe (D)

State House, 18th District:
Mike Barbieri (D) — Terry Spence (R)

State House, 6th District:
Debra Heffernan (D) — Tom Kovach (R)

Only one statewide race has the two major party candidates within single digits of each other in the majority of public polls: the state treasurer’s race. A PublicMind poll of Delaware races released Thursday by Fairleigh Dickinson University shows that the battle between Republican Colin Bonini and Democrat Chip Flowers remains a tossup. Share this:

Democrat Debra Heffernan says she can “hit the ground running” if she is elected to the state House of Representatives—“especially in the areas of education and the environment.” Heffernan, who is challenging Republican incumbent Tom Kovach in the 6th District, points to her experience on the Brandywine school board and her professional credentials in environmental policy [...]

Rep. Tom Kovach’s is emphatic about his primary goal if he is reelected to the state House of Representatives—more work to encourage job creation. “That has got to be the absolute No. 1 priority,” said the incumbent from the 6th District (Brandywine Hundred South). Small businesses are an engine of job growth in Delaware, Kovach [...]

Governor Jack Markell discusses Delaware’s top teachers – including its teacher of the year, Joseph Masiello, a sixth grade English teacher at Cab Calloway School of the Arts in the Red Clay School District. Share this:

A late surge by Republican Christine O’Donnell put her over the top in September’s Delaware U.S Senate primary to upset Representative Mike Castle. Now, with a week to go before the general election, a new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) suggests O’Donnell is not building that kind of late momentum in her race against [...]

Voter anger has been one of the prevailing themes of the 2010 midterm elections. How deep is that voter anger in the First State and what is driving it?  DFM News’ Patrick Mairs attempts to gauge voter discontent in Delaware. Share this:

In 1971 Mike Barbieri helped take the University of Delaware football team to a national championship victory. In 2008, Barbieri, a Democrat, scored the biggest victory of his political career, ousting Republican House Speaker Terry Spence, an institution in the Delaware legislature. Share this:

From 1987 to 2008 Terry R. Spence served as Delaware’s speaker of the House, a position he held longer than any other state representative in the United States. Yet in 2008 the Republican found himself without a seat in the Delaware General Assembly. Now the former legislative power broker is intent on reclaiming the 18th Representative District [...]

Russ McCabe takes the long view of governing. That comes from a 31-year career in state government—specifically, as an archivist and ultimately as the director of the Delaware Public Archives. “Working in government provides a unique perspective about how government works and doesn’t work well,” said the Democratic candidate for the 36th Representative District. “You [...]