Matthew Denn

Matt Denn
45th Attorney General of Delaware
Incumbent
Assumed office January 6, 2015
Governor	Jack Markell John Carney (Elect)
Preceded by	Beau Biden
25th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
In office January 20, 2009 – January 6, 2015
Governor	Jack Markell
Preceded by	John Carney
Succeeded by	Bethany Hall-Long (elect, 2017)
Insurance Commissioner of Delaware
In office January 4, 2005 – January 4, 2009
Governor	Ruth Ann Minner
Preceded by	Donna Williams
Succeeded by	Karen Stewart
Personal details
Born	February 9, 1966 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Michele Denn
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley (BA) Yale University (JD)

Matthew P. "Matt" Denn (born February 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician from New Castle County, Delaware. He became Attorney General of Delaware in January 2015. Denn previously served as the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2015. He was the Insurance Commissioner of Delaware from 2005 to 2009.

Early life and family

Denn was born in Wilmington to Morton Denn, a Distinguished Professor of chemical engineering at the City College of New York, and Marilyn Denn. He grew up in suburban Hockessin and moved to Berkeley, California during high school. A graduate with honors and student body president at the University of California, Berkeley, he received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1991. He now lives with his wife, Michele, and twin children, Zachary and Adam.

Professional career

Returning to Delaware in 1991, Denn worked for two years with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, providing pro bono legal services to the underserved and underrepresented.^[1] Entering private practice, Denn became a partner with the law firm of Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor in 2000. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Young Lawyers Section of the Delaware State Bar Association.

In 1998, Denn was appointed by Governor Tom Carper to serve as chairman of the Child Protection Accountability Commission,^[1] formed following the death of a four year old whose abuse and neglect went undetected by a state investigation.^[2] Under Denn's leadership, the commission lobbied to for caseload standards and career ladders for child protection workers, working to prevent inexperience and high turnover from compromising child safety.^[3]

Political career

Denn served as Governor Ruth Ann Minner's legal counsel from 2001 through 2003, writing legislation including the Patient's Bill of Rights and the Emergency Health Powers Act.^[1][4]

In 1998, Denn ran for a seat in the Delaware State Senate against Republican^[5] incumbent Bob Connor. He lost that race but was elected State Insurance Commissioner in 2004, defeating Karen Weldin Stewart in the Democratic primary race, and later defeating Republican Party candidate, Dave Ennis, a member of Delaware General Assembly, in the general election. Denn served as Insurance Commissioner from January 4, 2005 until January 4, 2009.

Lieutenant governor

Denn was elected Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 2008, winning 61 percent of the vote to defeat Republican opponent State Senator Charlie Copeland. Another Democratic candidate, Wilmington City Council President Ted Blunt, ended his campaign in spring 2008, allowing Denn to avoid a primary contest.^[6] He took office in a ceremony just after midnight on January 20, 2009.^[7] As Lieutenant Governor, Denn focused on issues affecting children.^[8]

Attorney General

In 2014 Denn was the successful nominee for Attorney General. In the November general election he defeated Republican nominee Ted Kittila.^[9]

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. The Lieutenant Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four-year term.^[10] The Insurance Commissioner takes office the first Tuesday in January and has a four-year term.^[11]

Public Offices
Office	Type	Location	Took Office	Left Office	notes
Insurance Commissioner	Executive	Dover	January 4, 2005	January 6, 2009
Lieutenant Governor	Executive	Dover	January 20, 2009	January 6, 2015
Attorney General	Executive	Dover	January 6, 2015	Present

Election results
Year	Office	Election		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1996	State Senate	General		Matthew P. Denn	Democratic	6,632	45.7%		Robert T. Connor	Republican	7,860	54.2%
2004	Insurance Commissioner	Primary		Matthew P. Denn	Democratic	18,436	58%		Karen Weldin Stewart	Democratic	13,363	42%
2004	Insurance Commissioner	General		Matthew P. Denn	Democratic	182,619	53%		David H. Ennis	Republican	163,027	47%
2008	Lieutenant Governor	General		Matthew P. Denn	Democratic	236,741	61%		Charles L. Copeland	Republican	149,222	39%		Peter Cullen	Blue Enigma	1,681	0.5%
2012	Lieutenant Governor	General		Matthew P. Denn	Democratic	238,957	61.6%		Cheryl "Sher" Valenzuela	Republican	143,978	37.1%		Margaret McKeown	Libertarian	5,206	1.3%
2014	Attorney General	General		Matthew P. Denn	Democratic	121,410	52.8%		Theodore A. Kittila	Republican	90,257	39.2%		Catherine Damavandi	Green	10,599	4.6%

References

1. "Matt Denn for Delaware Attorney General". Matt Denn for Delaware Attorney General. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
2. "MARTIN V. STATE, 99C-01-275-CHT (DEL.SUPR. 1-17-2001)". Superior Court of Delaware, New Castle County. 17 January 2001. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
3. "Office of the Child Advocate of the State of Delaware". courts.delaware.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
4. "Official biography".
5. "Delaware Grapevine". www.delawaregrapevine.com. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
6. Cohen, Celia (7 June 2008). "MATT DENN MOWS ON". Delaware Grapevine. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
7. "YouTube video".
8. "Official website".
9. Parra, Esteban (November 5, 2014). "Denn takes race for Attorney General". The News Journal. Wilmington, DE.
10. "Delaware Constitution".
11. "Delaware Code".

External links

• Campaign Web Site

Places with more information

• Delaware Historical Society; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; [phone]
• University of Delaware; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; [phone]