Patrick Smith will face Representative Bryan Shupe in the primary for the third time in September. Smith lost the last primary by only 11 votes. Recently, Smith provided details on his background and his reason for running for office.
“I decided to run for more pointed conservative representation in Dover and to tackle constituency services within the district,” Smith said. “I have spent many days and nights since the first Trump term fighting alongside other very good Republicans to keep our ideologies and beliefs at the forefront of Delaware citizens, and this was just a natural progression for me. As for 2026 specifically, I lost by absentee ballots and should have been awarded a recount in the 2024 election. We won the polls! I know the community supports my goals and 2024 showed that. I had a lot of encouragement to go again in 2026.”
Smith stated that he was not running for office for money or office space, but because he wanted to be sure citizens are represented as they should be regardless of political affiliation. His goal is to make District 36 the safest, most comfortable place for everyone.
“My biggest challenge will be getting voters to turn out to the polls,” Smith said. “We average around 25 percent turnout in elections. Republicans must start coming to the pools if we want o change anything in Delaware and locally in District 36. There is no excuse not to vote especially with early voting now established. I also hear a lot of confusion about what the Primary Election is and work hard to educate voters that this is a party restricted election with two Republicans running against each other, not to be confused with the General Election.”
Smith attended Holy Cross Elementary School before attending Caesar Rodney High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and business form West Virginia University and his MBA in Information Systems from Wilmington University. He currently works in healthcare informatics as an Application Analyst on the Epic Platform. He has been married to his wife, Shannon, for nine years and they have two labradors, Hank and Boh.
“As a legislator, I have public safety at the forefront of my platform and the need to ensure our first responders have what they need to get the job done,” Smith said. “With the exploding population this has never been more critical. That goes for police, fire and EMS. I hope to bring reduced costs of living through cutting energy costs and costs that the state government can effectively eliminate, like the fees being charged by DMV which are now outlandish. Charging citizens a late fee for a lapsed vehicle registration is asinine. I hear from a lot of constituents how DMV fees are becoming burdensome. DMV is already taxpayer funded; it is ridiculous to extort them for every penny possible.”
Another focus for Smith is constituency services.
“This does not require legislation to get done and I do believe that is a major issue for citizens when I am speaking to them,” Smith said. “We can make District 36 a better place to live without writing a piece of legislation.”
Smith feels that he is different from his opponent because his approach is simple and transparent.
“We live in a small town, and we should practice politics as such,” Smith said. “I strive to be present and visible innall of District 36, not just specific areas. I also am practical and am not making promises I cannot keep. If I say I am going to work on your issue, I will follow through until a solution is found. Our citizens deserve some ROI on their vote. And if I cannot do the job, I tell voters, vote me out too.”
The primary election will be held Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Early voting is scheduled for September 2 through 5, September 8 from 7 AM to 7 PM and September 9 through 13 from 11 AM until 7 PM. There is no voting on September 6 and 7 due to the Labor Day holiday. Polling places are open from 7 AM to 8 PM on Primary Election Day.
Delaware is a closed primary state. This means that registered Democrats will only choose from Democratic primary candidates and only Republicans will choose from Republican candidates. The deadline to change party affiliation was the end of May, but voters may change their affiliation after the primary.
Voters who were automatically registered to vote through the DMV, known as AVR voters, were not given the opportunity to choose a party affiliation. As a result, those voters may complete and submit a form to designate a party affiliation at any time up to and including September 15, 2026. This primary election is the last in which the AVR provision applies.
To learn more about absentee ballots and other voting requirements, visit the Department of Elections online.
