It is the nation's oldest congressional district, having existed uninterrupted since the 1st United States Congress in 1789.

The two seats were filled by a statewide ballot, with the two candidates receiving the highest votes being elected.

Mike Castle, a Republican and former governor of Delaware, held this seat from January 1993 until his retirement in January 2011, after his unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination to run for U.S.

Even as Delaware swung heavily Democratic at the state and national level, Castle was usually reelected without serious difficulty.

From 1813 to 1823, Delaware elected two members of the United States House of Representatives.