The 2008 Presidential election brought much change for the First State. After serving six terms as one of Delaware’s senators, Joe Biden was moving on to become the next vice president of the United States. Governor Ruth Ann Minner was presented with the task of appointing the next senator who would represent Delaware alongside Senator Thomas R. "Tom" Carper.
In her statement, Governor Minner laid out the qualifications she was looking for when considering possible replacements. She needed to find someone whose political policy was closely related to Joe Biden's and someone who would agree to only serve in the position until the next special Senate election in November 2010. With those requirements in mind, Governor Minner appointed Ted Kaufman to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate.
