Sussex Democrat ends Republican control of Auditor's office

Democrat Kathy McGuiness has won the race for Delaware's next Auditor of Accounts, overcoming Republican candidate James Spadola and earning the Democratic Party a seat in a position that hasn't been blue for three decades.

"I’m excited," McGuiness said. "I’m very grateful for my family, my friends, my campaign, my supporters and those who were with me in the beginning. ... But I’m also really excited to make this office relevant to all Delawareans."

McGuiness garnered more than 205,000 votes, 58 percent of the total, to Spadola's nearly 150,000 votes.

While celebrating with the Democratic Party in Wilmington on election night, McGuiness said her opponent, who was appointed as deputy auditor just weeks ago, had already reached out and offered to make her transition into office "seamless."

"Now the work begins," she said.

McGuiness, a certified fraud examiner and small-business owner who has been a Rehoboth Beach Commissioner for 17 years, won a close three-way Democratic primary race for the office earlier this year. She prevailed over Kathleen Davies and Dennis Williams. 

Spadola, a veteran and former police officer, was appointed as deputy auditor less than three weeks ago. State Auditor Tom Wagner cited long running health problems and looming plans to get a kidney transplant when he appointed Spadola to run the office part-time while he receives treatment.

STATEWIDE ELECTIONS:Delaware statewide election results

Democrats said they were sympathetic to Wagner's condition, but called the decision an "audacious" move that "just smacks of a political stunt," as previously reported by The News Journal. 

"Delaware voters are smart and they will clearly see through my opponent's efforts to inject partisanship into the Auditor’s Office at the taxpayers' expense," McGuiness said then.

The race for Auditor of Accounts, an office held by Wagner for nearly 30 years, was surrounded by controversy leading up to the primary with eyes on defeated Democrat Kathleen Davies, whose termination from the office was at the heart of a confidential report that claimed abuse of power and a "hostile workplace" environment.

Wagner's decision not to seek re-election opened the door for Delaware's Democratic Party for the first time in nearly three decades. No Democrat has held the office since Dennis Greenhouse was elected New Castle County executive in 1989 and resigned. 

The State Auditor is tasked with serving as the state's "fiscal watchdog" by conducting audits, investigations and inspections to uncover financial fraud, waste and abuse in government. Wagner earned an annual salary of $111,667 as the Auditor of Accounts, according to a database of state salaries published by The News Journal.

Contact reporter Maddy Lauria at (302) 345-0608, mlauria@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @MaddyinMilford.