Matthew Denn

Matthew Denn
45th Attorney General of Delaware
In office January 6, 2015 – January 1, 2019
Governor	Jack Markell John Carney
Preceded by	Beau Biden
Succeeded by	Kathy Jennings
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
Insurance Commissioner of Delaware
In office January 4, 2005 – January 4, 2009
Governor	Ruth Ann Minner
Preceded by	Donna Lee Williams
Succeeded by	Karen Stewart
Personal details
Born	(1966-02-09) February 9, 1966 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Michele
Children	2
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA) Yale University (JD)

Matthew P. Denn (born February 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician from New Castle County, Delaware. He served as the 45th attorney general of Delaware from 2015 until 2019. Denn previously served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Delaware from 2009 to 2015, and was the Insurance Commissioner of Delaware from 2005 to 2009.

Early life and education

Denn was born in Wilmington, Delaware to Morton Denn, a professor of chemical engineering at the City College of New York, and Marilyn Denn. He grew up in suburban Hockessin and attended H.B. du Pont Middle School. He later moved to California with his family during high school. He graduated with a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and he received his JD from Yale Law School in 1991.

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. 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, formed following the death of a four year old whose abuse and neglect went undetected by a state investigation. 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.

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.

In 1998, Denn ran for a seat in the Delaware State Senate against incumbent Republican 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.

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. He took office in a ceremony just after midnight on January 20, 2009. As Lieutenant Governor, Denn focused on issues affecting children.

In 2014, Denn was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, and he defeated Republican nominee Ted Kittila in the November general election. He served until 2019 and did not seek reelection.

Personal life

Denn lives in Newark, Delaware with his wife, Michele, and their two twin boys. He is Jewish.

Electoral history

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%

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN