DOVER — With less than two weeks to go before Delaware’s presidential primary deadline, three of the eight major candidates have filed with the state.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, current Ohio Gov. John Kasich and businessman Donald Trump, all Republicans, have all qualified to be on the ballot for the Delaware presidential primary on April 26.
Elsewhere in the GOP field, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and neurosurgeon Ben Carson have not yet filed with the state. On the Democratic side, neither former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton nor Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has submitted the necessary information.
Mr. Bush was cleared by the state on Nov. 23, making him the first candidate to file in Delaware.
The deadline is Feb. 26, which is also the last day a Delawarean can change his or her party affiliation for the state’s closed primary. The final day to register to vote in the primary is April 2.
To appear on the ballot, candidates must gain 500 signatures or qualify for federal matching funds by raising at least $5,000 in 20 states.
In 2012, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the eventual Republican nominee, garnered 57 percent of the vote to beat three contenders in the primary. About 16 percent of Delaware Republicans voted.