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Christopher A. Coons
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County Executive of New Castle County
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2005
Preceded by Thomas P. Gordon
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President of the New Castle County Council
In office
January 2, 2001 – January 4, 2005
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Born September 9, 1963 (1963-09-09) (age 47)
Greenwich, Connecticut
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Annie Lingenfelter
Residence Wilmington, Delaware
Alma mater Amherst College (B.A.)
Yale Law School (J.D.)
Yale Divinity School (M.A.R.)[1]
Website Chris Coons for U.S. Senate
Christopher Andrew "Chris" Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware, and is the County Executive of New Castle County. On February 3, 2010, he announced his candidacy for the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden.[2][3]
Contents
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County Executive of New Castle County
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 4, 2005
Preceded by Thomas P. Gordon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
President of the New Castle County Council
In office
January 2, 2001 – January 4, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Born September 9, 1963 (1963-09-09) (age 47)
Greenwich, Connecticut
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Annie Lingenfelter
Residence Wilmington, Delaware
Alma mater Amherst College (B.A.)
Yale Law School (J.D.)
Yale Divinity School (M.A.R.)[1]
Website Chris Coons for U.S. Senate
Christopher Andrew "Chris" Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware, and is the County Executive of New Castle County. On February 3, 2010, he announced his candidacy for the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joe Biden.[2][3]
Contents
1 Early life and family
2 Professional career
3 Awards and honors
4 Political career
4.1 2010 U.S. Senate campaign
4.1.1 Controversy
5 Public offices
5.1 Election results
6 References
7 External links
Early life and family
Coons grew up in Hockessin, Delaware, married Annie Lingenfelter, and has three children. They live in Wilmington, Delaware. He graduated from the Tower Hill School and then Amherst College in 1985 with a B.A. in Chemistry and Political Science, earning a Truman Scholarship. During his junior year of college, Coons studied abroad at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He earned graduate degrees from both the law and divinity schools at Yale University.
Professional career
After college, Coons worked in Washington, D.C., for the Investor Responsibility Research Center, where he wrote a book on South Africa and the U.S. divestment movement. He then worked as a volunteer for the South African Council of Churches and as a relief worker in Kenya, before returning to the U.S. to work for the Coalition for the Homeless in New York. In 1992, he earned his J.D. degree from Yale Law School, and a master's degree in Ethics from Yale Divinity School.[4]
Coons clerked for Judge Jane Richards Roth on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and then worked for the National "I Have a Dream" Foundation in New York.[5] After returning to Delaware in 1996, Coons began his eight year career as in-house counsel for W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Newark, Delaware-based makers of Gore-Tex fabrics and other high-tech materials. There he was responsible for the ethics training program, federal government relations, e-commerce legal work, and for general commercial contracting.[citation needed]
He has also worked with several non-profits, including the Council for the Homeless, the education-oriented “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Delaware, and the South African Council of Churches, and serves on several boards including First State Innovation, the Bear/Glasgow Boys & Girls Club, and the Delaware College of Art & Design.
Awards and honors
In 1999, he was awarded the Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award for his work with the "I Have a Dream" Foundation, the Governor's Mentoring Council, and the United Way of Delaware.[citation needed]
Coons has been named an honorary commander of the 166th Air Wing of the Delaware Air National Guard, and is an honorary life member of the Minquadale Fire Company.
Political career
Coons first became involved in politics working on behalf of Republican politicians, first for Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign in 1980 and then for Bill Roth's Senate campaign in 1982.[6] During college, he switched from being a Republican to a Democrat and in 1988, Coons worked as a volunteer for the Senate campaign of Democratic Delaware Lt. Gov. Shien Biau Woo[5]. He was a delegate from Wilmington to the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His first elected office was President of the New Castle County Council, elected in 2000 and serving four years before being elected County Executive in 2004. He was the endorsed candidate of the New Castle County Democratic Party in 2008, and was re-nominated by the party on September 9, 2008.
Coons was re-elected on November 4, 2008, defeating Republican candidate and former New Castle County Executive Thomas P. Gordon.
2010 U.S. Senate campaign
See also: United States Senate special election in Delaware, 2010
Coons is running in the 2010 special election against the Republican candidate Christine O'Donnell for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Ted Kaufman, who was appointed after Joe Biden resigned.[7][dead link]
In the first post-primary polls, Rasmussen Reports showed Coons with a double-digit lead over O'Donnell, describing this as a "remarkable turnaround" as the race had been leaning Republican until O'Donnell upset Mike Castle in the Republican primary election.[8]
Controversy
During the campaign, a controversy arose surrounding an article Coons wrote in 1985 for his college newspaper, entitled "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist". In it, he describes his transformation from a Republican to what FoxNews described as a "Democrat suspicious of America's power and ideals."[9]Coons said his college anthropology courses had "undermined the accepted value of progress and the cultural superiority of the West", while coursework on the Vietnam War had led him to suspect that "the ideal of America as a ‘beacon of freedom and justice, providing hope for the world' was not exactly based on reality." He went on to state that his belief in the "miracles of free enterprise and the boundless opportunities of America" may be untrue. Coons concluded the article with the statement that he had "returned to loving America, but in a way of one who has realized its faults and failures and still believes in its promise."[10][11]
Dave Hoffman, a Coons campaign spokesman, said the title of the article was designed as a humorous take-off on a joke Coons's college friends had made about how his time outside the country had affected his outlook. "After witnessing crushing poverty and the consequences of the Reagan Administration's 'constructive engagement' with the South African apartheid regime, he rethought his political views, returned to the America he loved and proudly registered as a Democrat," Hoffman said in a statement to POLITICO.[12]
According to FoxNews, Coons was "targeted by Republicans" over the 25-year-old piece. Coons himself downplayed the article, as well as controversial past statements by his opponent Christine O'Donnell, saying that voters were interested in current issues such as job creation and the national debt and were not "particularly interested in statements that either of us made 20 or 30 years ago."[9] David Weigel, writing in Slate, opined: "If the Tea Party Express slings the 'bearded Marxist' nonsense, I doubt it will work."[13]
Public offices
The County Executive of New Castle County takes office the first Tuesday of January and has a term of four years. In his six years in office as County Executive, Coons balanced the budget with a surplus in fiscal year 2010 by cutting spending and raising taxes.[14] New Castle County maintained a AAA bond rating throughout his tenure.[15]
Office Type Location Elected Took Office Left Office notes
County Council Legislature Wilmington 2000 January 2, 2001 January 4, 2005 President
County Executive Executive Wilmington 2004 January 4, 2005 Incumbent —
...
2 Professional career
3 Awards and honors
4 Political career
4.1 2010 U.S. Senate campaign
4.1.1 Controversy
5 Public offices
5.1 Election results
6 References
7 External links
Early life and family
Coons grew up in Hockessin, Delaware, married Annie Lingenfelter, and has three children. They live in Wilmington, Delaware. He graduated from the Tower Hill School and then Amherst College in 1985 with a B.A. in Chemistry and Political Science, earning a Truman Scholarship. During his junior year of college, Coons studied abroad at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He earned graduate degrees from both the law and divinity schools at Yale University.
Professional career
After college, Coons worked in Washington, D.C., for the Investor Responsibility Research Center, where he wrote a book on South Africa and the U.S. divestment movement. He then worked as a volunteer for the South African Council of Churches and as a relief worker in Kenya, before returning to the U.S. to work for the Coalition for the Homeless in New York. In 1992, he earned his J.D. degree from Yale Law School, and a master's degree in Ethics from Yale Divinity School.[4]
Coons clerked for Judge Jane Richards Roth on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and then worked for the National "I Have a Dream" Foundation in New York.[5] After returning to Delaware in 1996, Coons began his eight year career as in-house counsel for W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Newark, Delaware-based makers of Gore-Tex fabrics and other high-tech materials. There he was responsible for the ethics training program, federal government relations, e-commerce legal work, and for general commercial contracting.[citation needed]
He has also worked with several non-profits, including the Council for the Homeless, the education-oriented “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Delaware, and the South African Council of Churches, and serves on several boards including First State Innovation, the Bear/Glasgow Boys & Girls Club, and the Delaware College of Art & Design.
Awards and honors
In 1999, he was awarded the Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award for his work with the "I Have a Dream" Foundation, the Governor's Mentoring Council, and the United Way of Delaware.[citation needed]
Coons has been named an honorary commander of the 166th Air Wing of the Delaware Air National Guard, and is an honorary life member of the Minquadale Fire Company.
Political career
Coons first became involved in politics working on behalf of Republican politicians, first for Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign in 1980 and then for Bill Roth's Senate campaign in 1982.[6] During college, he switched from being a Republican to a Democrat and in 1988, Coons worked as a volunteer for the Senate campaign of Democratic Delaware Lt. Gov. Shien Biau Woo[5]. He was a delegate from Wilmington to the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His first elected office was President of the New Castle County Council, elected in 2000 and serving four years before being elected County Executive in 2004. He was the endorsed candidate of the New Castle County Democratic Party in 2008, and was re-nominated by the party on September 9, 2008.
Coons was re-elected on November 4, 2008, defeating Republican candidate and former New Castle County Executive Thomas P. Gordon.
2010 U.S. Senate campaign
See also: United States Senate special election in Delaware, 2010
Coons is running in the 2010 special election against the Republican candidate Christine O'Donnell for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Ted Kaufman, who was appointed after Joe Biden resigned.[7][dead link]
In the first post-primary polls, Rasmussen Reports showed Coons with a double-digit lead over O'Donnell, describing this as a "remarkable turnaround" as the race had been leaning Republican until O'Donnell upset Mike Castle in the Republican primary election.[8]
Controversy
During the campaign, a controversy arose surrounding an article Coons wrote in 1985 for his college newspaper, entitled "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist". In it, he describes his transformation from a Republican to what FoxNews described as a "Democrat suspicious of America's power and ideals."[9]Coons said his college anthropology courses had "undermined the accepted value of progress and the cultural superiority of the West", while coursework on the Vietnam War had led him to suspect that "the ideal of America as a ‘beacon of freedom and justice, providing hope for the world' was not exactly based on reality." He went on to state that his belief in the "miracles of free enterprise and the boundless opportunities of America" may be untrue. Coons concluded the article with the statement that he had "returned to loving America, but in a way of one who has realized its faults and failures and still believes in its promise."[10][11]
Dave Hoffman, a Coons campaign spokesman, said the title of the article was designed as a humorous take-off on a joke Coons's college friends had made about how his time outside the country had affected his outlook. "After witnessing crushing poverty and the consequences of the Reagan Administration's 'constructive engagement' with the South African apartheid regime, he rethought his political views, returned to the America he loved and proudly registered as a Democrat," Hoffman said in a statement to POLITICO.[12]
According to FoxNews, Coons was "targeted by Republicans" over the 25-year-old piece. Coons himself downplayed the article, as well as controversial past statements by his opponent Christine O'Donnell, saying that voters were interested in current issues such as job creation and the national debt and were not "particularly interested in statements that either of us made 20 or 30 years ago."[9] David Weigel, writing in Slate, opined: "If the Tea Party Express slings the 'bearded Marxist' nonsense, I doubt it will work."[13]
Public offices
The County Executive of New Castle County takes office the first Tuesday of January and has a term of four years. In his six years in office as County Executive, Coons balanced the budget with a surplus in fiscal year 2010 by cutting spending and raising taxes.[14] New Castle County maintained a AAA bond rating throughout his tenure.[15]
Office Type Location Elected Took Office Left Office notes
County Council Legislature Wilmington 2000 January 2, 2001 January 4, 2005 President
County Executive Executive Wilmington 2004 January 4, 2005 Incumbent —
...
References
1.^ "Meet Chris Coons". Chris Coons for U.S. Senate. http://www.chriscoons.com/about/meet_chris_coons. Retrieved 2010-09-17. (campaign web site biography)
2.^ Taylor, Jessica. Chris Coons declares Delaware Senate bid. Politico. 4 February 2010.
3.^ Kleefeld, Eric (February 3, 2010). "Democrat Chris Coons Running For Delaware Senate Seat". TPMDC (Talking Points Memo). http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/democrat-chris-coons-running-for-delaware-senate-seat.php. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
4.^ Yearick, Bob (June 15, 2010). "Castle vs. Coons". Delaware Today. http://www.delawaretoday.com/Delaware-Today/July-2010/Castle-vs-Coons/index.php?cparticle=3&siarticle=2#artanc. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
5.^ a b CNN staff (September 15, 2010). "Chris Coons: Delaware's surprise favorite". CNN Politics (CNN). http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-15/politics/coons.profile_1_chris-coons-election-delaware?_s=PM:POLITICS. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
6.^ O'Donnell foe's career marked by political shift
7.^ Coons to challenge Castle for Senate seat[dead link]
8.^ "Election 2010: Delaware Senate". Rasmussen Reports. September 16, 2010. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/delaware/election_2010_delaware_senate. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
9.^ a b FoxNews staff (September 17, 2010). "46 Days to Decide: Dem Candidate Coons Comes Under Scrutiny in Delaware Senate Race". FoxNews. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/17/days-decidedem-candidate-comes-scrutiny-delaware-race-bidens-old-senate-seat/. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
10.^ Isenstadt, Alex (May 3, 2010). "Coons took 'bearded Marxist' turn". Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36726.html. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
11.^ Coons, Chris (May 23, 1985). "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist" (PDF). The Amherst Student. Media Matters for America. http://s3.mediamatters.org/static/images/item/20100920-coonsamherst.pdf. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
12.^ http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=613AC47F-18FE-70B2-A8C11DF4A50748E8
13.^ Weigel, David (September 17, 2010). "Chris Coons on the Air". Slate. http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2010/09/17/chris-coons-on-the-air.aspx. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
14.^ Delaware Online (September 24, 2010). "Coons for Senate ad claims he balanced county budget as NCCo executive". Caesar Meter Delaware Fact Check. Wilmington News Journal. http://blogs.delawareonline.com/delawarefactcheck/2010/09/24/coons-for-senate-ad-claims-he-balanced-county-budget-as-ncco-executive/. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
15.^ "Fitch Rates New Castle County, DE GOs 'AAA'; Outlook Stable". Business Wire. Forbes. September 9, 2010. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/businesswire/2010/09/09/businesswire145091665.html. Retrieved September 29, 2010..
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