(1963-09-09) September 9, 1963 (age 60) Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party
Democratic (1988–present)
Other political affiliations
Republican (before 1988)
Spouse
Annie Lingenfelter
(m. 1996)
Children
3
Education
Amherst College (BA) Yale University (MAR, JD)
Website
Senate website
Chris Coons's voice
Chris Coons questions witnesses on online counterfeit goods Recorded November 2, 2021
Christopher Andrew Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Delaware since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Coons served as the county executive of New Castle County from 2005 to 2010.
Raised in Hockessin, Delaware, Coons graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He received graduate degrees from Yale Divinity School and Yale Law School. He went to work as a volunteer relief worker in Kenya, where he had taken classes at the University of Nairobi, later returning to the U.S. to work for the Coalition for the Homeless in New York. He spent some time as a legal clerk in New York before returning to Delaware in 1996, where he spent eight years as in-house counsel for a materials manufacturing company. In the interim he worked for several nonprofit organizations.
Coons served as president of the New Castle County Council from 2001 to 2005 and county executive of New Castle County from 2005 to 2010. He balanced the county budget with a surplus in fiscal year 2010 by cutting spending and raising taxes, and the county maintained a AAA bond rating. Coons contested the 2010 Senate special election for Delaware. He defeated the Republican nominee, Christine O'Donnell, to succeed Ted Kaufman, who had been appointed to the seat when Joe Biden resigned to become Vice President of the United States. He was elected to a full term in 2014. Coons is the chair of the Senate Ethics Committee. His other committee assignments include Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He previously served as ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs and the Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts.[1]
Coons co-chaired the 2017 and 2019 National Prayer Breakfasts and co-chairs the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast.[2]The New York Times called him an "effective" emissary of Joe Biden to former and current Republican lawmakers in Biden's 2020 campaign for president.[3]
Coons will become Delaware's senior senator in January 2025 when Tom Carper retires from the Senate.[4]
^"Chris Coons Biography". coons.senate.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^"National Prayer Breakfast Co-Chairs Named". Time. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
^Martin, Jonathan (June 6, 2020). "Bush, Romney and Powell wouldn't back Trump re-election". The New York Times.
^Robertson, Nicky (May 22, 2023). "Longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Carper says he will not seek reelection | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
Democratic Party, Coons served as the county executive of New Castle County from 2005 to 2010. Raised in Hockessin, Delaware, Coons graduated from Amherst...
"Meet the GOP's favorite Democrat". Politico. "ChrisCoons, U.S. Senator for Delaware". ChrisCoons. "COONS, CHRISTOPHER A. – Candidate overview". FEC.gov...
States Senate election in Delaware, which she lost to incumbent Democrat ChrisCoons. She is a former TV show host for TruNews. Witzke was born on February...
Republican primary to face Democrat ChrisCoons, who had run unopposed for his party's nomination. In the general election, Coons defeated O'Donnell by 57% to...
general election, O'Donnell lost to Democratic nominee ChrisCoons by a vote of 57% to 40%. Coons was sworn in on November 15, 2010 and served out the remainder...
succeeded by ChrisCoons, a Democrat, after Coons defeated Republican nominee Christine O'Donnell in November 2010. Kaufman resigned and Coons took office...
Alonzo B. Coons (1841–1914), American lawyer and politician Asa Coons (1993-2007), gunman in the SuccessTech Academy shooting Carleton S. Coon (1904–1981)...
also raised significantly more money than Gardner. One-term Democrat ChrisCoons was re-elected in 2014; he first took office after winning a 2010 special...
United States Senate on May 12, 2011. It was proposed by Amy Klobuchar, ChrisCoons, and John Cornyn. It would have been an amendment to US Code Title 18...
Hampshire ChrisCoons, Delaware Chris Murphy, Connecticut Tim Kaine, Virginia Jeff Merkley, Oregon Cory Booker, New Jersey Brian Schatz, Hawaii Chris Van Hollen...
senators are Democrats Tom Carper (serving since January 3, 2001) and ChrisCoons (serving since November 15, 2010). Joe Biden is Delaware's longest serving...
senators Michael Bennet, Richard Blumenthal, Cory Booker, Sherrod Brown, ChrisCoons, Amy Klobuchar, Sheldon Whitehouse, and J. D. Vance. Current and former...
students have included four U.S. senators—Cory Booker, Michael Bennet, ChrisCoons, and Josh Hawley—and government officials Jake Sullivan and Neal Katyal...
Merkley, Oregon ChrisCoons, Delaware Brian Schatz, Hawaii Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Chris Murphy, Connecticut Joe Manchin, West Virginia Chris Van Hollen,...
hypothetical match-up between Castle and the Democratic candidate, ChrisCoons; in it, Castle beat Coons by a 21-point margin (54%–34%) and also had a favorable...
principal deputy campaign manager. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Jim Clyburn, ChrisCoons, Tammy Duckworth, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Gretchen Whitmer were named...
winning by a 57% to 41% margin. Coons sought re-election. His Republican opponent was engineer Kevin Wade, whom Coons went on to defeat in the general...
constitutional law and originalism, whose notable students include Kavanaugh, ChrisCoons, and Cory Booker, called the nomination of Kavanaugh Trump's "finest...
Hickenlooper received 53.5% of the vote in 2020. Two-term Democrat ChrisCoons was re-elected in 2020 with 59.4% of the vote. Incumbent Democratic Senator...
the governor. Delaware's U.S. Senators are Tom Carper (Democrat) and ChrisCoons (Democrat). Delaware's single U.S. Representative is Lisa Blunt Rochester...
26-year campaign of terror" was put forward by Senators Jim Inhofe and ChrisCoons. The resolution stated that it would back "the effort of Uganda, the...
(D-WA) John Boozman (R-AR) State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs ChrisCoons (D-DE) Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Transportation, Housing and Urban Development...
Coons, colleagues, raise concerns over potential threat of Chinese attempts to undermine U.S. democracy". coons.senate.gov. Office of Senator Chris Coons...
Runoff Results". The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2020. Casteel, Chris (November 3, 2010). "Oklahoma elections: Republican James Lankford wins...
Governor of Delaware (1993–2001), U.S. Representative for DE-AL (1983–1993) ChrisCoons, Delaware (2010–present)[better source needed] U.S. Representatives Lisa...
Succeeded Select Committee on Standards and Conduct Leadership Chair ChrisCoons (D) Since February 3, 2021 (2021-02-03) Vice chair James Lankford (R)...
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