Delaware has just one contested primary for a statewide office on the ballot on Tuesday: the Democratic race for auditor of accounts, an unheralded position whose holder is responsible for supervising the state’s use of taxpayer money. But the campaign is not lacking in drama.
Kathleen K. McGuiness, the incumbent, is facing a primary challenge from Lydia York, a lawyer and former corporate accountant. Ms. York received the state Democratic Party’s endorsement this summer after Ms. McGuiness was found guilty by a jury of misdemeanors related to hiring her daughter and payments to a consulting firm that had worked on one of her past political campaigns. The winner will face Janice Lorrah, a Republican.
Unlike felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions do not disqualify people from holding public office in Delaware, according to a Delaware Supreme Court ruling issued last year in a case unrelated to Ms. McGuiness.
