Christopher Andrew Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
United States senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
, a seat he has held 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
Hockessin () is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 13,478 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census.
History
Hockessin came into existence as a littl ...
, Coons graduated from
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...
in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, where he joined the
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest Fraternities and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...
fraternity. He received graduate degrees from
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
and
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...
. He went to work as a volunteer
relief worker in Kenya, where he had taken classes at the
University of Nairobi
The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...
, 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
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
resigned to become
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...
. 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
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
,
Judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, 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.
Coons co-chaired the 2017 and 2019
National Prayer Breakfasts and co-chairs the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called him an "effective" emissary of Joe Biden to former and current Republican lawmakers in Biden's
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
campaign for president.
Coons became Delaware's senior senator and the dean of the
Delaware's congressional delegation when
Tom Carper
Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States Senate, United States senator from Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...
retired from the Senate in January 2025.
Early life and education
Coons was born in
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...
, the son of Sarah Louise "Sally" (née Ives) and Kenelm Winslow "Ken" Coons. His ancestry includes English and Irish. Coons grew up in
Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin () is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 13,478 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census.
History
Hockessin came into existence as a littl ...
, where he attended the public Yorklyn Elementary School and later H.B. DuPont Middle School. His parents struggled financially and divorced in the mid-1970s. He and his two brothers lived with their mother for a few years until 1977, when his mother married
Robert W. Gore, the President of
W. L. Gore and Associates.
He graduated from the private
Tower Hill School and then Amherst College in 1985 with a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
. While in college, he was a member of
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest Fraternities and sororities, fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active Colony (fraternity or sorority), colonies across No ...
fraternity (Sigma chapter) and a U.S. Senate intern. In 1983, Coons was awarded a
Truman Scholarship. During his junior year of college, he studied abroad at the University of Nairobi in
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
through
St. Lawrence University's Kenya Semester Program. In 1992, he earned a master's degree in ethics from
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
and a
J.D. degree from
Yale Law School
Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...
. In 2018, Delaware State University named Coons as an Honorary Doctor in Humane Letters.
Professional career
After college, Coons worked in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, 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 National Coalition for the Homeless in New York. In 1992, he earned a J.D. degree from Yale Law School, and a master's degree in
ethics
Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...
from
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...
.
Coons clerked for
Judge
A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
Jane Richards Roth on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district courts for the following United Sta ...
, and then worked for the National "I Have a Dream" Foundation in New York.
After returning to Delaware in 1996, Coons began his eight-year career as in-house counsel for
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.,
Newark, Delaware
Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 31,454. The University of Delaware is ...
-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.
He has also worked for several nonprofits, including the Coalition for the Homeless, the education-oriented "I Have a Dream" Foundation, and the
South African Council of Churches. Coons has served on several boards including First State Innovation, the Bear/Glasgow
Boys & Girls Club, and the
Delaware College of Art & Design.
Coons is on the Board of Selectors of
Jefferson Awards for Public Service.
Early political career
Coons first became involved in politics working on behalf of Republican politicians. As a 17-year-old, in 1980, he independently campaigned for
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
's presidential run. He also worked on
Bill Roth's U.S. Senate campaign in 1982.
During college, he switched from being a Republican to a Democrat and in 1988, Coons became the issues director for the U.S. Senate campaign of Democratic Delaware Lt. Gov.
Shien Biau Woo.
He was a delegate from Wilmington to the
1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He also interned in the Senate office of Joe Biden, whose seat he would later hold in the Senate.
Coons was first elected to office in 2000, as president of the
New Castle County Council. He served four years before being elected county executive in 2004. He was the New Castle County Democratic Party's endorsed candidate in 2008 and re-nominated by the party on September 9, 2008. Coons was reelected on November 4, 2008, unopposed in the general election. 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. As New Castle county executive, Coons raised taxes despite having campaigned on a promise not to increase them. New Castle County maintained a
AAA bond rating throughout his tenure.
U.S. Senate
Elections
2010

Coons ran in the
2010 special election for the
U.S. Senate seat then held by Democrat Ted Kaufman, who was appointed after Joe Biden resigned to take office as vice president. Kaufman had been appointed as a placeholder, and did not run in the special election. Coons was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and expected to face Republican Congressman and former
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Mike Castle in the general election. Coons was considered a decided underdog due to Castle's moderate profile and longstanding popularity in the state, but the dynamics of the race significantly altered when
Christine O'Donnell, a
Tea Party Republican who had lost to Biden in 2008 and who was strongly opposed by the GOP establishment, upset Castle in the Republican primary.
In the first post-primary polls,
Rasmussen Reports showed Coons with a double-digit lead over O'Donnell, describing this as a "remarkable turnaround" given that the race had leaned Republican before O'Donnell's primary victory. In the first week of October,
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University () is a private university with its main campuses in New Jersey, located in Madison / Florham Park and in Teaneck / Hackensack. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers more than 100 degree prog ...
's PublicMind Poll showed Coons with a 17-point lead, 53%–36%, over O'Donnell, and that 85% of self-identified Democratic voters had united behind Coons, while only 68% of Republican voters endorsed O'Donnell. Days before the election, a second Fairleigh Dickinson poll showed Coons leading 57% to 36% among likely voters, and 72% to 20% among voters who described themselves as moderates. As polls closed at 8 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico.
* Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behind ...
, multiple news sources announced that Coons had defeated O'Donnell based on exit poll data. Final results gave Coons close to a 17-point margin over O'Donnell, with 56.6% of the vote to her 40%.
During the campaign, Coons became embroiled in controversy over an article he wrote in 1985 for his college newspaper: "Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist". In it, he described how, on a college trip to
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, hearing wealthy Africans disparaging their country's
poor while studying under a "bright and eloquent Marxist professor" at the University of Nairobi helped transform him from a Republican to what
Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
called a "Democrat suspicious of America's power and ideals".
Coons campaign spokesman Dave Hoffman said the article's title was a humorous takeoff 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
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
''.
According to Fox News, Coons was "targeted by Republicans" over the 25-year-old piece, and then-
Senate-Majority-Leader Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...
's attempt to defend Coons by calling him "my pet" might have done more harm than good. Coons downplayed the article, as well as controversial past statements by O'Donnell, saying that voters were interested in current issues such as job creation and the national debt and not "statements that either of us made 20 or 30 years ago".
Writing in ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
'',
David Weigel
David Weigel (born September 26, 1981) is an American journalist and columnist at the news website Semafor (website), ''Semafor''. Weigel previously covered politics for ''The Washington Post,'' ''Slate (magazine), Slate,'' and ''Bloomberg Poli ...
called Coons "boring" and noted that his campaign ads failed to identify him as a Democrat, but opined, "If the
Tea Party Express slings the 'bearded Marxist' nonsense, I doubt it will work."
O'Donnell also attracted significant controversy; she embellished her academic record on several occasions, and after comedian
Bill Maher
William MaherStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', January 12, 2016, PBS; on a series that lists "Jr." and "Sr." distinctions, Bill Maher's birth name was listed simply as William Maher, while his father was William Aloysius Maher Jr., and his pa ...
aired a video clip of her admitting that she had "dabbled in witchcraft" while in high school, her campaign aired a widely mocked television ad that began with her saying "I am not a witch."
2014
Coons was elected to his first full term by defeating Republican challenger Kevin Wade and
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice.
Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
candidate Andrew Groff on November 4, 2014. Wade, an engineer and businessman, also ran against U.S. Senator
Tom Carper
Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States Senate, United States senator from Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...
in
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
. Coons won 55.8% of the popular vote (130,655 to Wade's 98,823 and to Groff's 4,560).
2020
In the 2020 Democratic primary election, Coons easily defeated technology executive Jessica Scarane, a progressive challenger endorsed by groups like
Brand New Congress. In the general election, Coons faced Republican nominee
Lauren Witzke, a controversial conservative activist and conspiracy theorist calling for a ten-year
immigration moratorium. Coons and Witzke took part in a digital debate hosted by the Jewish Federation of Delaware, in which they debated the merits of late
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
Justice
In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; Bader; March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until Death and state funeral of Ruth Bader ...
and the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
movement, as well as Witzke's comments about the
QAnon
QAnon ( ) is a far-right conspiracy theories in United States politics, American political conspiracy theory and political movement that originated in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals kno ...
conspiracy theory. In the November general election, Coons defeated Witzke, 59% to 38%.
Tenure
2010s
On November 15, 2010, Coons was sworn in as Delaware's newest senator by Vice President Joe Biden, the former occupant of Coons's Senate seat.
Joe Manchin of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
was sworn in on the same day, though he took an advantage in seniority over Coons, as the former
governor of West Virginia
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
.
The
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
(commonly called Obamacare) had already been passed when Coons took office, but he has voted against repealing it, emphasizing that seniors in Delaware would have to pay higher prescription drug prices if it was repealed. In September 2017, Coons said the Graham-Cassidy bill, meant to replace the Affordable Care Act, would be playing "Russian roulette with the American health care system."
On abortion, Coons has received a 100% rating from the
Planned Parenthood Action Fund and a 0% rating from the
National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide.
Since the 1980s, NRLC has influenc ...
.
In June 2013, after the death of Democratic senator
Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Coons was appointed to his seat on the influential Appropriations Committee, becoming the first senator from Delaware to serve on the committee in 40 years. As a result, he gave up his seat on the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
In October 2013, Coons announced the formation of the inaugural Senate Chicken Caucus in the United States Senate. He stated, "I hope that the Senate Chicken Caucus will give America's chicken producers a platform to better inform legislators about the industry's vital contributions to our economy, and promote policy solutions that help their businesses grow and thrive."
On December 11, 2013, Coons introduced the
Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 1799; 113th Congress), a bill that would reauthorize the
Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990
Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to:
People
* Crime victim
* Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis
* Casualty (person), the victim of an event
Films and television
* ''The Vict ...
and would authorize funding through 2018 to help
child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...
victims.
Coons said that "we have a responsibility to protect our children from violence and abuse."
In March 2014, Coons voted against President Obama's nomination of civil rights lawyer
Debo Adegbile for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, even though he believed that Adegbile would have been "an asset to the Justice Department." He stated that voting for a nominee "who would face such visceral opposition from law enforcement on his first day on the job" was troubling and the vote was "one of the most difficult I have taken since joining the Senate". Obama described the Senate's vote against Adegbile as "a travesty based on wildly unfair character attacks against a good and qualified public servant." An open letter to Coons from students, faculty and alumni of the Yale Law and Divinity Schools, of which Coons is an alumnus, criticized his vote as "alarm
ng and "signal
nga lack of respect for the fundamental American legal principle that all parties have a right to zealous representation."
Coons was mentioned as a possible replacement for the late
Justice
In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual an ...
in February 2016.
In April 2017, after
President Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
...
tweeted that North Korea had "disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President" with a recent missile launch, Coons said Trump understood China was his sole "constructive path forward on North Korea" but that diplomacy would not work through tweeting.
In July 2017, Coons voted in favor of the
Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill was passed by the Senate on July 27, 2017, 98–2, after it passed the House 41 ...
that placed
sanctions on Iran
There have been a number of international sanctions against Iran imposed by a number of countries, especially the United States, and international entities. Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world until it was surpassed by Russia, follo ...
together with
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
.
In April 2018, following the FBI raid on the hotel room and offices of Trump's personal attorney,
Michael Cohen, Coons,
Cory Booker
Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...
,
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham (; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...
, and
Thom Tillis introduced new legislation to "limit President Trump's ability to fire special counsel
Robert Mueller
Robert Swan Mueller III (; born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as the sixth director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2001 to 2013.
A graduate of Princeton University and New York University, Mueller served a ...
". Termed the
Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, the legislation would allow any special counsel, in this case Mueller, receive an "expedited judicial review" in the 10 days following being dismissed to determine whether the dismissal was appropriate. If not, the special counsel would be reinstated. At the same time, according to ''
The Hill'', the bill would "codify regulations" that a special counsel could be fired only by a senior Justice Department official, while having to provide reasons in writing.
2020s

In November 2020, Coons was named a candidate for
Secretary of State in the
Biden administration
Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...
. Biden ultimately chose
Antony Blinken
Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor, deputy national security advisor ...
to lead the State Department, telling Coons, "I need you in the Senate." Coons is seen as among President Biden's closest allies in the Senate, and is a co-chair of his 2024 reelection campaign.
During the
2021 attack on the United States Capitol, Coons was evacuated from the Senate chambers, along with other senators and staff. He said there were "some scary and chaotic moments" during the attack. When the Senate reconvened to certify the
Electoral College vote count, Coons called for Trump's removal, saying he "poses a real and present threat to the future of our democracy". He called for the invocation of the
Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-fifth Amendment (Amendment XXV) to the United States Constitution addresses issues related to presidential succession and disability.
It clarifies that the Vice President of the United States, vice president becomes President of th ...
the day after the event on ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
''. That same day, January 7, he called for Republicans
Josh Hawley
Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri, a seat he has held since 2019. A member ...
and
Ted Cruz
Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...
, who both challenged the election results, to resign from the Senate.
Committee assignments
Source:
*
Select Committee on Ethics (Ranking Member)
*
Committee on Appropriations
**
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
**
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
**
Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
**
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
**
Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (chair)
**
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
*
Committee on Foreign Relations
**
Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy
**
Subcommittee on East Asia, The Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
**
Subcommittee on United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy and Environmental Policy
**
Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development
*
Committee on the Judiciary
**
Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights
**
Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism
**
Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety
**
Subcommittee on Intellectual Property (chair)
**
Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
*
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
;Previous (2010–2015)
*
Committee on the Budget
*
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Caucus memberships
*Senate Law Enforcement Caucus (co-chair)
*Senate Climate Solutions Caucus (co-chair)
*Senate Competitiveness Caucus (co-chair)
*Senate Chicken Caucus (co-chair)
*Senate Human Rights Caucus (co-chair)
*Congressional Trademark Caucus (co-chair)
*Senate Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Caucus (co-chair)
*Senate Caucus on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (co-chair)
*Senate Oceans Caucus
*Senate Manufacturing Caucus
*
Rare Disease Caucus
*Senate Renewables and Energy Efficiency Caucus
*Congressional International Creativity and Theft-Prevention Caucus
*Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus
*Senate National Guard Caucus
*Senate Small Brewers Caucus
*Congressional Bicameral High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus
*Senate Diabetes Caucus
*Senate Global Internet Freedom Caucus
*Senate India Caucus
*Congressional French Caucus
*Cloud Task Force, Congressional High Tech Caucus
*Bicameral Congressional AIDS Caucus
*Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus
*Senate Air Force Caucus
*Senate Recycling Caucus
*National Service Congressional Caucus
*Congressional Inventions Caucus
*
Afterschool Caucuses
*
Congressional Coalition on Adoption
*
Rare Disease Caucus
Political positions
The
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for Conservatism in the United States, conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Poli ...
gave him a 3% lifetime conservative rating in 2020
Abortion
Coons supported ''
Roe v. Wade
''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...
'' and believes abortion should remain legal throughout the country. In 2015, he signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in ''
Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt'' that urged the Court to step in to prevent states from enacting laws that restrict access to abortion. Coons described the June 2022
overturning of ''Roe v. Wade'' as taking away "the fundamental freedom for women to make their own choices about their body and their future."
Agriculture
In June 2019, Coons and 18 other Democratic senators sent USDA Inspector General
Phyllis K. Fong a letter requesting that she investigate USDA instances of retaliation and political decision-making and asserting that not to conduct an investigation would mean these "actions could be perceived as a part of this administration's broader pattern of not only discounting the value of federal employees, but suppressing, undermining, discounting, and wholesale ignoring scientific data produced by their own qualified scientists."
Child care
In 2019, Coons and 34 other senators introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act. The bill would create 770,000 new child-care jobs and ensure families with less than 75% of the state median income do not pay for child care, with higher-earning families having to pay "their fair share for care on a sliding scale, regardless of the number of children they have." The legislation also supports universal access to high-quality preschool programs for all 3- and 4-year-olds and changes the child care workforce's compensation and training to aid both teachers and caregivers. The bill has not made it out of committee as of August 2020.
Environment

In April 2019, Coons was one of 12 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to top senators on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development advocating that the Energy Department be granted maximum funding for carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS), arguing that investment in viable options to capture carbon emissions could stimulate American job growth and expressing disagreement with Trump's 2020 budget request to combine the two federal programs that include carbon capture research. Coons was revealed in a sting operation by
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
to be a target for
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...
in efforts to weaken the climate regulations in President Biden's INVEST in America Act. In June 2023, Coons was the primary sponsor of the
PROVE IT Act, which would direct the
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear w ...
to collect data on the
greenhouse gas intensity of certain goods made in the United States and other countries, data that could enable climate-focused trade policy addressing international disparities in environmental standards. He was joined by lead Republican sponsor
Kevin Cramer.
Gun law
As of 2010, Coons had a "F" rating from the
National Rifle Association of America due to his stance on
gun control
Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians.
Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
. In 2015, he and 23 other Democratic senators signed a letter to Obama asking him to take executive action on gun control in the wake of the
Umpqua Community College shooting. Coons supported the Feinstein Amendment, which sought to ban known and suspected terrorists from buying firearms. The next year, he participated in the
Chris Murphy gun control filibuster.
Foreign policy
In December 2010, Coons voted for the ratification of
New START
New START (Russian language, Russian abbrev.: СНВ-III, ''SNV-III'' from ''сокращение стратегических наступательных вооружений'' "reduction of strategic offensive arms") is a Nuclear disarmament, ...
, a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n Federation obliging both countries to have no more than 1,550 strategic warheads as well as 700 launchers deployed during the next seven years along with providing a continuation of on-site inspections that halted when
START I
START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 De ...
expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years.
Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee and is a staunch supporter of
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. He has also been a guest speaker at
AIPAC events. Coons is also a co-sponsor of a Senate resolution expressing objection to the
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 because it undermines direct talks between the parties.
Coons condemned the
genocide
Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
of the
Rohingya Muslim minority in
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
and called for a stronger response to the crisis.
In October 2018, Coons was one of seven senators to sign a letter to
United States Secretary of State
The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State.
The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...
Mike Pompeo
Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American retired politician who served in the First presidency of Donald Trump#Administration, first administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fr ...
expressing that they found it "difficult to reconcile known facts with at least two" of the Trump administration's certifications that
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
were attempting to protect
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
i civilians and were in compliance with US laws on arms sales, citing their lack of understanding for "a certification that the Saudi and Emirati governments are complying with applicable agreements and laws regulating defense articles when the
emoexplicitly states that, in certain instances, they have not done so."
In November 2018, Coons joined Senator
Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...
and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in sending the Trump administration a letter raising concerns about
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
's undue influence over
media outlets and
academic institutions in the United States. They wrote, "In American news outlets, Beijing has used financial ties to suppress negative information about the CCP. In the past four years, multiple media outlets with direct or indirect financial ties to China allegedly decided not to publish stories on wealth and corruption in the CCP...Beijing has also sought to use relationships with American academic institutions and student groups to shape public discourse."
In April 2019, Coons was one of 34 senators to sign a letter to Trump encouraging him "to listen to members of your own Administration and reverse a decision that will damage our national security and aggravate conditions inside Central America", asserting that Trump had "consistently expressed a flawed understanding of U.S. foreign assistance" since becoming president and that he was "personally undermining efforts to promote U.S. national security and economic prosperity" by preventing the use of Fiscal Year 2018 national security funding. The senators argued that foreign assistance to Central American countries created less migration to the U.S., arguing that the funding improved conditions in those countries.
On June 6, 2021, Coons and Senators
Tammy Duckworth
Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel serving since 2017 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States ...
and
Dan Sullivan visited
Taipei
, nickname = The City of Azaleas
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country ...
in an
U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III
The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...
transport
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
to meet
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...
and
Minister Joseph Wu during the
pandemic outbreak of
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
to announce President Joe Biden's donation plan of 750,000
COVID-19 vaccine
A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19).
Knowledge about the structure and fun ...
s included in the global
COVAX
COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX, is a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World He ...
program.
In January 2024, Coons opposed a resolution proposed by Senator
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
that would have applied the
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
provisions of the
Foreign Assistance Act to
U.S. military aid to Israel. The proposal was defeated, 72 to 11. In March 2024, Coons urged the Biden administration to
recognize a "nonmilitarized"
Palestinian state
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as th ...
after the end of the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
.
Fiscal position
Coons supports free-trade agreements. He opposed the Obama-era government bailouts. He is against
right-to-work laws, and supports internet sales tax.
Housing
In April 2019, Coons was one of 41 senators to sign a bipartisan letter to the housing subcommittee praising the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...
's Section 4 Capacity Building program for authorizing "HUD to partner with national nonprofit community development organizations to provide education, training, and financial support to local community development corporations (CDCs) across the country" and expressing disappointment that Trump's budget "has slated this program for elimination after decades of successful economic and community development." The senators wrote of their hope that the subcommittee would support continued funding for Section 4 in Fiscal Year 2020.
Labor
In May 2018, Coons was one of 12 senators to sign a letter to Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority
Colleen Kiko urging the FLRA to end efforts to close its Boston regional office until Congress debated the matter, adding that closing the FLRA's seven regional offices would cause staff to be placed farther away from the federal employees whose rights they protect.
On March 5, 2021, Coons voted against
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
's amendment to include a $15/hour minimum wage in the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
In March 2023, Coons co-sponsored the introduction of the
PRO Act in the
118th Congress.
LGBT rights
In September 2014, Coons was one of 69 members of the US House and Senate to sign a letter to then-HHS Secretary
Sylvia Burwell requesting that the FDA revise its policy banning donation of
corneas and other tissues by men who have had sex with another man in the preceding 5 years.
In October 2018, Coons was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo
Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American retired politician who served in the First presidency of Donald Trump#Administration, first administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fr ...
urging him to reverse the rollback of a policy that granted visas to same-sex partners of LGBTQIA+ diplomats who had unions that are not recognized by their home countries, writing that too many places around the world have seen LGBTQIA+ individuals "subjected to discrimination and unspeakable violence, and receive little or no protection from the law or local authorities" and that refusing to let LGBTQIA+ diplomats bring their partners to the US would be equivalent to upholding "the discriminatory policies of many countries around the world." Coons supports transgender rights.
Patents
Coons proposed the Stronger Patents Act, which would make it more expensive to challenge patents and thus easier to enforce them.
Publications
Articles
* "A Bipartisan Foreign Policy Is Still Possible", ''
Foreign Affairs
''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...
'', October 7, 2020
Electoral history
Personal life

Coons is married to Annie Coons, née Lingenfelter. They have three children, twins Mike and Jack, and daughter Maggie, and they live in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
. Coons is
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
, his wife is
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, and they attend
St. Ann Catholic Church in the city. Coons describes himself as "someone who is, privately, fairly religious," though he has never thought "that needs to be a big part of
ampaigning"
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
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...
of Delaware.
As of 2018, according to OpenSecrets.org, Coons's net worth was more than $10 million.
Coons bears a striking resemblance to German Chancellor
Olaf Scholz
Olaf Scholz (; born 14 June 1958) is a German politician who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Ge ...
, which the two referenced when posing for a
selfie
A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph or a short video, typically taken with an electronic camera or smartphone.
The camera would be usually held at arm's length or supported by a selfie stick instead of being controlled with a self-timer ...
together in February 2024 with the caption "Wer ist wer" (German for "who is who").
References
External links
Senator Chris Coonsofficial U.S. Senate website
Chris Coons for Senate
*
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coons, Chris
1963 births
21st-century United States senators
Amherst College alumni
American people of English descent
American people of Irish descent
American Presbyterians
County council members and commissioners in Delaware
Delaware Democrats
Democratic Party United States senators from Delaware
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Living people
Lawyers from Greenwich, Connecticut
Lawyers from Wilmington, Delaware
New Castle County executives
Politicians from Greenwich, Connecticut
People from Hockessin, Delaware
Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware
Recipients of the Order of the Republic (Sudan)
Tower Hill School alumni
Yale Divinity School alumni
Yale Law School alumni