Chris Coons is a two-term U.S. Senator from Delaware first elected in 2010. Born in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1963, Coons earned degrees from Amherst College, Yale Divinity School, and Yale Law School. He worked as a nonprofit executive and attorney before serving as New Castle County Council President (2001-2005) and County Executive (2005-2010). As Senator, Coons has earned a reputation as a principled progressive and pragmatic lawmaker, ranking among the most productive senators in Congress. He was re-elected in 2020 with 59.4% of the vote.
Raised in Hockessin, Delaware, Coons graduated from Amherst College where he was a chemistry and political science major. He spent a semester studying at the University of Nairobi in Kenya and later returned to Africa to work with the South African Council of Churches in the anti-apartheid movement. After law school, he worked as a relief worker in Kenya and as in-house counsel for Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates for eight years. He is one of only three senators with a divinity degree and regularly participates in the Senate Prayer Breakfast. Coons is married to Annie Coons (née Lingenfelter) and they have three children. According to OpenSecrets, his net worth exceeded $10 million as of 2018.