Trump Fails to Sweep Delaware GOP Primary with Only 88%; Challenger De La Fuente Gets 12%, Indicating Voter Disfavor

DOVER, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Republican presidential challenger Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente denied President Donald Trump a sweeping victory in the Delaware Presidential Primary last week by earning 12% of the vote to Trump’s 88%, a result that analysts say is an early indication of erosion of Republican support for the president.

At one point in the vote tally, De La Fuente had 26% of the vote compared to Trump’s 76%. And in one of Delaware’s three counties, Newcastle, De La Fuente won 17.9% of the vote compared to Trump’s 82.1%. De La Fuente did not campaign in Delaware.

To date, De La Fuente has tallied more votes against Trump than any of Trump’s GOP challengers. Only former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld has come close with 9.3 % of the vote in the GOP primary in his home state of Massachusetts, and a tally of 9.1% in the New Hampshire GOP primary.

“Trump is always saying that the only meaningful poll is the ballot box,” said De La Fuente, a lifelong businessman, philanthropist and serial entrepreneur in his second run for the presidency. “The fact that almost 4,000 Republicans voted for me instead of Trump should send a clear message to Trump and the GOP that people have had enough of him and are seeking another voice, another candidate, another way.”

The final tally was Trump with 28,689 votes to De La Fuente’s 3,900.

“With vast name recognition because of his lifelong celebrity status and more than three years in the presidency, compared to little known De La Fuente, Trump should have swept the election with close to 100%,” said Jim Rex, longtime political analyst, former Commissioner of Education for South Carolina and Chair of the Alliance Party. “I think the fact that one in seven voters in the GOP primary chose De La Fuente is clear evidence the president is beginning to lose favor among the party faithful.”

De La Fuente is also the Alliance Party’s nominee for president, with Darcy G. Richardson as his running mate.