Democrat · Delaware Senate · 2026
Chris Coons
Coons grew up in Hockessin, but a college semester in Kenya helped send his life in a different direction.
Biography
Chris Coons grew up in Hockessin and now lives in Wilmington with his wife, Annie, where they raised three children.1 His college years included a semester at the University of Nairobi in Kenya while studying at Amherst.1 He studied chemistry and political science before earning degrees in law and ethics at Yale.1
Before elected office, Coons worked for the I Have a Dream Foundation and the National Coalition for the Homeless, and as a lawyer for W.L. Gore & Associates.1 He was New Castle County Council president from 2001 to 2005 and county executive from 2005 to 2010.2 A 2010 special election brought him to the Senate, where he is now the senior Democrat on the Defense Appropriations subcommittee.2
Coons and Republican John Cornyn led the NICS Denial Notification Act, which became part of the 2022 Violence Against Women Act reauthorization.3 The resulting law requires the FBI to notify state, local or tribal police within 24 hours of denied firearm transactions.4 He also introduced a 2025 proposal to bring more landlords into the federal Housing Choice Voucher program.5
His current priorities include affordable housing, healthcare access and reducing living costs.6 He advocates ending the war in Iran and reducing tariffs affecting trade with Canada.6 He faces Republican Michael Katz on November 3, with voters deciding whether to retain the Democratic incumbent or change the state's Senate representation.6
Record and controversies
Palantir and contractor donations
Spotlight Delaware reported that Coons's campaign and leadership PAC received $27,500 from Palantir executives and employees over two years.7 After criticism from a local advocacy group, he pledged to stop soliciting or accepting contributions from Palantir's PAC and its senior executives; his office declined to say whether earlier donations would be returned or donated.7
Separately, WHYY documented contributions from defense contractor Martin Kao and his wife, and reported that Coons's campaign redirected the money to charities after learning of Kao's guilty pleas.8 Kao's contribution crimes involved another senator's campaign; Coons said the company had never requested policy help from him or his staff.8