Lydia York defeated incumbent Kathy McGuiness in the Democratic primary for state auditor Tuesday, after McGuiness was charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors for misusing taxpayer money.
McGuiness was charged with two felonies, theft and witness intimidation, by grand jury in October 2021, Delaware Public Media reported. She was additionally charged with misdemeanors such as Official Misconduct, Conflict of Interest and noncompliance with state procurement law.
In a statement following McGuiness’ conviction in July, Attorney General Kathy Jennings said the verdict revealed no one was above the law in Delaware. (RELATED: ANALYSIS: NYT Polling Guru Notices Something Strange (And Terrifying For Dems) In Senate Polls)
“After weeks or grueling trial and mistreatment of whistleblowers, the state auditor — whose job is to protect our state from waste, fraud, and abuse – has been found guilty of three crimes by a jury of her peers,” Jennings said in the statement. “Our office’s — and the jury’s —message is clear: abuse of office will not be tolerated in Delaware,” she continued.
Lydia York learns the AP calls the Delaware Auditor Race for her over Kathy McGuiness pic.twitter.com/XttNxWXe6T
— Sean Greene (@SeanGreeneWDEL) September 14, 2022
McGuiness did not win a single district in Delaware, according to Delaware Online. York won 69.9% of the vote and will run against Republican Janice Lorrah in November.
“I’m still overwhelmed with it,” York said after winning Tuesday night, the outlet reported. “It’s still quite heartening to know that there was this swell of support for me.”
York reportedly said the outcome of the election meant voters had rejected “misfeasance in office.”
“I think a lot of people came out and may not have known me as well as I would have liked them to know about me,” she said. “But they had a choice. And that was, frankly, one of the reasons I ran. They needed to have a choice. And specifically a choice for someone who was (not) tangled up in the criminal justice system,” she said, according to the outlet.
McGuiness was the first sitting statewide elected official in Delaware history to be convicted, according to the state’s official website.