Delaware’s incumbent state auditor Kathy McGuiness lost her Democratic primary in the state’s only contested primary for a statewide office on Tuesday after she was convicted on criminal corruption charges earlier this year.
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Political newcomer Lydia York, an attorney who was backed by the state Democratic Party in the race, defeated McGuiness and will go on to face Republican Janice Lorrah in November’s general election.
The misdemeanor convictions did not bar McGuiness from seeking office under state law, but they, as well as her looming sentencing, cast a pall over her campaign.
McGuiness was found guilty of misdemeanors by a jury on charges related to hiring her daughter as a part-time employee in the auditor’s office, as well as payments made to a consulting firm that had worked on one of her previous political campaigns.
The convictions marked the first time in Delaware history that a sitting statewide elected official had been convicted on criminal charges, according to the Associated Press.
York told the outlet that voters were looking for “competence and clarity and leadership” but said the scandal weighed on their choices.
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“It had to, because this was historic for the state of Delaware,” she said. “I think the voters felt a certain way about that.”
