Matt Meyer

Matthew S. Meyer (born September 29, 1971) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the 76th governor of Delaware since 2025. He was previously the New Castle County executive from 2017 to 2025. Prior to this, Meyer worked as an attorney in private practice, and was an economic advisor to former governor Jack Markell and an advisor within the U.S. State Department.

Early life and education

Meyer was born in Bay City, Michigan, and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. He graduated from Wilmington Friends School, Brown University (''cum laude'' in political science and computer science), and the University of Michigan Law School (member, ''Michigan Law Review'').

Meyer worked on then-U.S. senator Joe Biden’s first presidential campaign in 1988 while in high school at the Wilmington Friends School. He then worked on the upstart, successful, 1990 gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Sundlun while attending Brown University.

Educational and legal career

Meyer joined Teach for America, and taught public school in Washington, D.C. for three years. He also taught at Prestige Academy in Wilmington. He won a Skadden Fellowship upon graduation from law school and used it to work for Community Legal Aid in Wilmington. He then became an attorney working in mergers and acquisitions with Simpson Thatcher and Bartlett. He served in Iraq as a diplomat for the U.S. State Department, as a senior economic adviser on the ground in Mosul, Iraq, working with military and economic aid leaders to assist the Iraqi people.

Later, he worked as an economic advisor to Delaware governor Jack Markell and was a partner at Potomac Law Group. In 2003 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Meyer was awarded the Sam Beard Jefferson Award for the Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years and Under; at that same ceremony Condoleezza Rice received a Jefferson Award.

New Castle County Executive

Elections

In the 2016 Democratic primary for New Castle County executive, Meyer's campaign focused on integrity and economic policy. On September 13, Meyer upset three-term incumbent Tom Gordon, winning 52% of the vote. Meyer defeated Republican Mark Blake in the general election in November with 67% of the vote. He took office on January 3, 2017.

In 2020, Meyer faced a primary challenge from more centrist Maggie Jones. In July, Meyer faced allegations he made "belligerent" calls to two mayors who were supporting his opponent in the Democratic primary. Elsmere mayor Eric Scott Thompson and Newark mayor Jerry Clifton said Meyer's phone conversations with them were heated, and they felt the county executive made threats toward their communities by telling them that he "will remember this". Meyer refused to specifically address the accusations. On September 15, Meyer won the Democratic nomination, defeating Jones with 57% of the vote. Meyer won the general election unopposed.

Tenure

Meyer selected the first African-American police chief and chief administrative officer in the 106-year history of the New Castle County Police Department.

A joint report by National Association of Counties and National Academy of Public Administration on the use of federal CARES Act funds recognized New Castle County for using “innovative strategies in deploying Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars, with special attention to programs focusing on inclusive economic recovery and on assisting vulnerable and underserved populations.” In a July 2020 editorial for ''The News Journal'', Meyer advocated for sending all teachers and students back to school in the fall during the coronavirus pandemic.

In October 2020, New Castle County purchased the former Sheraton South Hotel at auction with a winning bid of $19.5 million, also using CARES funds. The hotel can house more than 350 residents. The facility officially opened its doors in December 2020.

Meyer was awarded a regional Emmy in the Societal Concerns, Long-Form category at the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards as an executive producer on the short film "The Pathway Home" which chronicles the origins and first year of The Hope Center, a hotel-turn-homeless shelter New Castle County opened to house the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor of Delaware

2024 gubernatorial election

Meyer, as a second-term county executive, was limited to serving two consecutive terms in office. In 2020, prior to his entrance into the race, he was characterized as a likely a front-runner for the Democratic Party's nomination for governor of Delaware in 2024. He officially announced his campaign on June 6, 2023. In the Democratic primary, he faced Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long. During the primary, he led Hall-Long in fundraising. He became the party's nominee after winning the primary on September 10, 2024.

In the general election, he faced Republican challenger Mike Ramone, a former state legislator. Meyer's campaign focused on a progressive platform, with stated goals such as universal pre-K, universal free school meals, the cancellation of medical debt, police accountability, and a state constitutional amendment enshrining the right to abortion. Meyer defeated Ramone, continuing the state's long streak of Democratic governors; no Republican had been elected since 1988.

Tenure

Following reports that Facebook parent company Meta Platforms was considering leaving Delaware to reincorporate elsewhere, Meyer reportedly convened with attorneys whose firms represented Meta, as well as Elon Musk and Tesla. ''CNBC'' reported that these meetings were scheduled in an effort to avoid a "DExit" of companies incorporated in Delaware; some 20% of state revenue derives from corporate franchise fees.

On January 24, 2025, just days into his tenure, Meyer signed an executive order aimed at streamlining the construction of affordable housing.

Political views

In May 2017, Meyer issued an executive order forbidding New Castle County law enforcement from stopping, questioning, searching, or arresting an individual because of their immigration status, and forbidding county officials from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement operations, effectively making New Castle County a sanctuary county. Speaking on the executive order, Meyer stated, "Our county police, their job is to keep us all safe. Their job is not to execute and implement the immigration laws of the United States. Nor is the job of librarians or other people working for county government."

Meyer is an advocate for the legalization of marijuana, and wrote an opinion piece in 2022 criticizing Governor John Carney's decision vetoing the bill to legalize marijuana in Delaware and encouraged the state legislature to override Carney's veto.

Meyer supports a $15 an hour minimum wage, and raised the minimum wage for county workers to $15 an hour.

Following Governor John Carney's veto of the legalization of assisted suicide for patients with a terminal illness, Meyer criticized the veto, and stated that he would push for the bill to be passed again and would sign it into law if he is elected Governor.

Meyer faced protests from police unions in 2017 and 2019 due to disagreement over contract negotiations. Meyer responded, "I'm not going to give double or triple the salary increases to senior union leadership over the union membership. That's the line I'm drawing on behalf of the taxpayers of the county." Meyer supports the Black Lives Matter movement, and spoke of his support for the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a police officer who murdered an unarmed black man, George Floyd. Following the 2021 police killing of 30-year old Lymond Moses, Meyer ordered the release of body camera footage of the incident against the request of police unions, saying that New Castle County residents have a "right to transparency". Moses's family supported Meyer's decision.

Personal life

Meyer lives in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife Lauren and their son. He is Jewish.

Electoral history

2016

2020

2024

References

External links

Campaign websiteNew Castle County Executive website

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Matt
1971 births
American Zionists
Brown University alumni
Delaware Democrats
Democratic Party governors of Delaware
Jewish state governors of the United States
Living people
New Castle County executives
Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett people
University of Michigan Law School alumni