As early voting opens, Coons, Katz debate affordability, Israel aid

Why Should Delaware Care?  
Delaware’s U.S. senators cast votes on federal laws that shape state budgets, healthcare, Social Security and the country’s military actions. Candidate forums are one of the few places voters can compare the visions of candidates, while in the same room and answering the same questions.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and Republican challenger Dr. Mike Katz laid out differing approaches to health care, Social Security and U.S. support for Israel during a candidate forum in Wilmington Thursday — the first day of early voting in Delaware.

Seeking a fourth term in office, Coons described the race as a “job interview” and urged voters not to “take a risk on an untested candidate.” Katz, a pediatric critical care anesthesiologist and former Democratic state senator, argued that 16 years of Coons in office had left Delaware “unaffordable” and “dying.”

The hourlong forum was hosted by the Rotary Club of Wilmington at the Hotel du Pont, and moderated by Spotlight Delaware Editor-in-Chief Jacob Owens. 

The forum occurred 12 days before the Nov. 3 general election when Delaware voters will choose their senator to serve for the next six years.

Katz faces a steep climb against Coons, who has won three Senate elections. Additionally, Katz’ former-Republican rival in the primary election, John Shulli,is running a write-in campaign that could peel votes away from Republican standard bearer. 

Katz beat Shulli, a retired Army colonel, in the primary with about 77% of the vote.

Two years earlier, he also ran for U.S. Senate with the Independent Party. Prior to that, he served in the Delaware Senate as a Democrat from 2009 to 2013. 

Coons won his September primary with 78% of the Democratic vote.

Delaware has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since William Roth, who left office in 2001.

Coons, Katz debate healthcare

During the debate, a question asking how to bring down healthcare costs drew some of the sharpest contrasts. 

Katz called the health care system “broken” and “bloated.” He said the Affordable Care Act has “a lot of really good things in it,” including protections for pre-existing conditions, but called it “a failed policy” overall. The comments echoed his public stance calling for a repeal of the act, also known as Obamacare. 

He also said the healthcare system needs to be restructured, using “a clean slate” approach. 

Coons, on the other hand, defended the Affordable Care Act, and argued that the increasing numbers of uninsured Americans have been driven by The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. He said the bill allowed Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire.

It will remove millions of people from Medicaid starting in January, he said.  

In August, the Congressional Budget Office projected that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act health care provisions would increase the number of uninsured Americans nationwide by 10 million by 2034. 

Throughout much of the debate, Katz refrained from stating precise policies actions he would take to address a range of issues, including a Social Security shortfall, rising healthcare costs and immigration.

He also repeatedly touted his independence as a candidate, and said he is not “bought and paid for by any special interests or corporate interests.” While the statement did not explicitly mention Coons, the notion echoed recent concerns about the incumbent senator after data company Palantir donated $27,500 to his campaign. 

The company came under fire from advocates in recent years for its work with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, U.S. military and the Israeli Defense Forces.

On Social Security, Coons said he is a current co-sponsor of a bill to lift the cap on wages subject to the payroll tax, which now sits at $184,500. He also committed to joining a bipartisan commission to consider various option to add more dollars to Social Security.

If elected, Katz said he would first “do the diagnosis” of the Social Security program’s problems before proposing a fix. He further said that he did not necessarily support raising the retirement age for program eligibility.

On foreign policy, the candidates parted ways over U.S. military aid to Israel. Asked whether he would continue military aid to Israel, Coons said he has long supported the country, but would reconsider such support if Benjamin Netanyahu moves to annex the West Bank or ignores humanitarian needs in Gaza. 

Coons said he recently introduced legislation to sanction those who would build settlements meant to block a two-state solution.

“I recognize that a traumatized Israeli population is not in the mood today to embrace the path of peace, but it has to remain open,” Coons said. 

Katz said Israel has a right to exist and Hamas must be disarmed, but he asserted that U.S. taxpayers should not pay for arms for wealthy, technologically advanced allies, such as Israel.

Both candidates said the U.S. war with Iran should end. Coons blamed rising gas prices on the war and said Trump launched it without planning or consulting allies. 

Katz said Iran cannot be allowed a nuclear weapon, and blamed decades of “failed leadership” for the current situation. He also criticized Coons for supporting the 2015 Iran nuclear deal under then-President Barack Obama. 

Asked how to end the war in Ukraine, Katz gave a brief answer and then quickly pivoted to what he characterized as the corruption of Delaware’s political process. He said he wanted to speak about it “because I may not get another opportunity.”

“Our campaign’s communications have been hacked. Staff members have been threatened. Fear and intimidation have been directed against campaign staff and supporters,” Katz said.

The remarks drew murmurs from the roughly 100 people in the room.

Katz did not name anyone responsible, but tied the allegations to the absence of a traditional televised debate in the race, saying there had been “no sustained scrutiny of the incumbent’s record.”

Coons, who answered the Ukraine question next, did not address the allegations. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin alone was responsible for the war and criticized President Donald Trump for “abandoning Ukraine.”