1992 Delaware gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1992 United States gubernatorial elections.

1992 Delaware gubernatorial election

←  1988 November 3, 1992 1996  →

Nominee Tom Carper B. Gary Scott Party Democratic Republican Running mate Ruth Ann Minner Sherman N. Miller Popular vote 179,365 90,725 Percentage 64.74% 32.75%

County results State House district results Carper:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Governor before election Dale E. Wolf Republican Elected Governor Tom Carper Democratic

The 1992 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican governor Mike Castle, barred by term limits from seeking another term as Governor of Delaware, instead sought election to the United States House of Representatives. Congressman and Democratic nominee Tom Carper defeated Republican nominee B. Gary Scott in a landslide, winning his first term in office and becoming Delaware's first Democratic governor since 1977. As of 2026, this is the last time the Governor's office in Delaware changed partisan control.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Tom Carper, U.S. representative, former Delaware state treasurer
• Daniel D. Rappa

Results

Democratic Party primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Carper	36,600	89.19
	Democratic	Daniel D. Rappa	4,434	10.81
Total votes			41,034	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• B. Gary Scott, insurance company executive
• Wilfred Plomis

Results

Republican Party primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	B. Gary Scott	23,994	81.78
	Republican	Wilfred Plomis	5,346	18.22
Total votes			29,340	100.00

General election

Results

Delaware gubernatorial election, 1992 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Carper	179,365	64.74%	+35.48%
	Republican	B. Gary Scott	90,725	32.75%	−37.98%
	A Delaware Party	Floyd E. McDowell	3,779	1.36%
	Libertarian	Richard A. Cohen	3,165	1.14%
Majority			88,640	32.00%	−9.47%
Turnout			277,034
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

By county

County	Tom Carper Democratic		Gary Scott Republican		All Others Independent
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Kent	24,734	63.2%	13,406	34.2%	1,418	2.6%
New Castle	124,601	66.2%	58,609	31.1%	5,047	2.7%
Sussex	30,030	60.5%	18,710	37.7%	903	1.8%
Totals	179,365	64.7%	90,725	32.7%	6,968	2.5%

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• All 3

References

1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.