National debates surrounding abortion rights, immigration and the economy will be top of mind when voters consider their choice for Delaware’s lone representative in the U.S. House of Representatives this midterm election.

Two of the candidates vying for the seat — Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Republican Lee Murphy — say they will address the issues most pertinent to Delawareans needs; something Rep. Blunt Rochester feels she has done during her three terms in Congress, and something Mr. Murphy feels Delawareans have been void of at the federal level in recent years.

After being elected to the seat in 2016, Rep. Blunt Rochester has had successful bids for reelection in 2018 and 2020. Mr. Murphy ran in the last two races, falling short in the statewide Republican primary in 2018, and in the 2020 general election, where he lost to the incumbent by a 57-40 margin.

Abortion
Rep. Blunt Rochester is determined to protect women’s’ reproductive rights, while Mr. Murphy agrees with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to give the decision back to the states.

Mr. Murphy said it is important to note that Roe v. Wade, “is not an abortion ban.” He was critical of Rep. Blunt Rochester’s rhetoric in regard to the decision, stating she has mischaracterized it as an outright ban on the campaign trail, calling it “deception and distraction from the important issues facing Delawareans, which are number one the economy.”

“Her fearmongering is to distract from an abysmal, terrible economy,” Mr. Murphy said. “Right now, people in Delaware can approach their Republican or Democrat legislators and they can make their voices heard. It’s codified in law here, the right to abortion in Delaware, but we have the chance as resident citizens to contact our legislators and make our feelings known.”

While Delaware’s General Assembly codified Roe v. Wade in 2017, Rep. Blunt Rochester has remained committed to supporting federal legislation that provides women with a choice. She said she was “thoroughly disappointed” with the Supreme Court’s decision and added she was proud to co-sponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act, which federally protects abortion access and has since passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“People don’t have to be medical refugees,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said. “And people need to be clear in their positions; I’m clear on that. I believe that Delaware has done the right thing.”

Rep. Blunt Rochester noted that U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have put forward legislation that would pose a nationwide abortion ban, something that would “nullify the will of the people here in Delaware.”

At the University of Delaware’s 2022 Delaware Debates on Oct. 25, which featured both candidates, Mr. Murphy remained firm in his support of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision. However, he did not provide a firm answer on whether he would support the federal legislation to ban abortion.

Immigration 
Mr. Murphy said Congress has “kicked the can down the road” in regard to illegal immigration from the country’s southern border. Mr. Murphy supports “finishing the wall,” working with law enforcement and working with the Mexican government to secure the border.

After a plane of undocumented migrants were nearly sent to Delaware Coastal Airport in Georgetown by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sept. 20, Rep. Blunt Rochester said the state’s response spoke to the “uniqueness of Delaware.” The night prior, she said the state had caught wind of the rumor, which led to preliminary response efforts after conversations with nonprofits, federal and local government officials, and Gov. John Carney.

“It was a real all hands on deck response. A good government response that was planned and even though we did not need it, the fact that Delaware was able to pull together in good faith and find a solution, that’s what we need more of, and less of using people as political pawns,” she said.
In response to the Sept. 20 incident and the recent string of migrant flights,

Mr. Murphy said, “If Gov. DeSantis and Gov. [Greg] Abbott want to bring that point home because of what they’re facing right in their backyard, by sending illegals to New York City or Washington, D.C. or even Delaware; if they want to make that point, God bless ‘em.”

“It’s a problem that we have to tackle, and the president could take care of it tomorrow if he wanted to. But he’s not doing it,” Mr. Murphy said.

Economy and inflation
As Mr. Murphy and Rep. Blunt Rochester have traversed the state on the campaign trail, both said the top concern of voters is the economy and inflation.

In reference to the federal Inflation Reduction Act, Mr. Murphy said the experts at the Congressional Budget Office and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania have said “it does not reduce inflation. And number two, these claims that it pays for itself? This bill costs $500 billion.”

An Aug. 23 Penn Wharton Budget Model study reported the law would have little impact on inflation down the line, but “in the long run, lead to lower government debt, higher wages, higher total factor productivity and higher GDP.”

“The congresswoman, along with this administration, have just increased spending, and increased spending. And they’re digging a hole and it’s one that the American people and the people here in Delaware are greatly suffering from,” Mr. Murphy said.

To Rep. Blunt Rochester, the Inflation Reduction Act was “about Delaware families, and the things that I’ve heard up and down this state.”

The federal legislation lowers the costs of prescription drugs, health care and energy for families, among a variety of other items, which Rep. Blunt Rochester has said will be paid by tax increases to individuals and business in the “top tier percent.” In addition to providing tax provisions for addressing climate change, the act covered a wide variety of issues, according to the incumbent.

“It is a major once-in-a-lifetime investment,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said. “To me, it’s like a win, win, win; We’re saving the planet; We’re creating good paying jobs; We’re helping people with their energy bills; And at the same time, we’re helping also our health status.”

Aside from those of the two major political parties, the ballot will feature Libertarian Cody McNutt and David Rogers of the Non-Partisan Delaware party as well as independent write-in candidates Edward Shlikas and Scott Walker.

Staff Writer Joe Edelen can be reached at jedelen@iniusa.org
Follow @JoeEdelenDSN on Twitter