The 2008 New Castle County Executive election was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent County Executive Chris Coons ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged in the Democratic primary by former County Executive Thomas P. Gordon, and handily defeated him, winning renomination, 65–35 percent. In the general election, Coons had no opponents and won uncontested. Coons did not end up serving out his full term. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and resigned shortly after winning to take his seat.
On March 10, 2008, Gordon announced that he would challenge Coons in the Democratic primary. During Gordon's final year as County Executive, he was indicted for racketeering and mail fraud, ultimately pleading guilty to two misdemeanors.[3] In launching his campaign, Gordon emphasized that he wanted to "help get [the county] back to the way it was" when he left office.[2] Coons also campaigned on his record, noting in his re-election announcement on June 7, 2008, that he was "willing to step up and make the tough choices" as County Executive.[1] As the campaign progressed, Coons raised significantly more than Gordon, enabling him to out-spend him.[4] Coons ultimately defeated Gordon in a landslide, winning his second term.
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