Chris Coons

A U.S. senator for more than a decade, Chris Coons has worked hard to find bipartisan solutions to the issues facing Delaware, the country and the world. 

As the senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Defense, and co-chair and co-founder of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, Coons is committed to promoting and protecting fundamental American values around the globe. As a member of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Coons is focused on fostering American innovation and encouraging investment in research and development. He is also vice chairman of the bipartisan Senate Select Committee on Ethics.  

Coons earned his law degree from Yale Law School and has a master’s degree in ethics from Yale Divinity School. Prior to entering public service, he worked as in-house counsel for Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates, a global materials science company. Coons served as president of the New Castle County Council from 2001 to 2005 and as New Castle County executive from 2005 to 2010. In 2010, he won a special election to represent Delaware in the U.S. Senate.