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Chris Coons
| Chris Coons | ||
 | ||
| U.S. Senate, Delaware | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| November 15, 2010-present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 3 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Edward Kaufman (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 2, 2010 | |
| First elected | 2010 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $3,852,049 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| New Castle County Executive | ||
| 2000-2004 | ||
| New Castle Council President | ||
| 2004-2010 | ||
| Education | ||
| High school | Tower Hill School | |
| Bachelor's | Amherst (1985) | |
| Master's | Yale Divinity School (1992) | |
| J.D. | Yale Law School (1992) | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | September 9, 1963 | |
| Place of birth | Greenwich, Connecticut | |
| Net worth | $4,893,080 | |
| Religion | Presbyterian[1] | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Coons is a "moderate Democratic follower".[2]
Biography
Coons grew up in Hockessin, Delaware. He graduated from the Tower Hill School and then Amherst College in 1985 with a B.A. in chemistry and political science. In 1983, Chris Coons was awarded the Truman Scholarship. During his junior year of college, Coons studied abroad at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He earned a M.A.R. from Yale Divinity School and a J.D. from Yale Law School. [3]
Career
- 2000-2004:New Castle, Delaware Council President
- 2004-2010:New Castle, Delaware County Executive
- 2010-Present:U.S. Senate
Committee assignments
U.S. Senate
2013-2014
Coons serves on the following Senate committees[4]:
- United States Senate Committee on Budget
- United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining
- Subcommittee on National Parks
- Subcommittee on Energy
- United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
- The Subcommittee on African Affairs Chair
- The Subcommittee on European Affairs
- The Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection, and Peace Corps
- The Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs
- United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law
- Subcommittee on The Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
- Bankruptcy and the Courts subcommittee Chair
- Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights subcommittee
2011-2012
- United States Senate Committee on Budget
- United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
- Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
- Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
- Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
- United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts
- Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
- Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
- United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
Source: U.S. Senate[5]
Issues
Fiscal Cliff
Coons voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[6]
Elections
2010
On November 2, 2010, Coons won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Christine O'Donnell (R), Glenn A. Miller (I), James W. Rash, Jr. (L), Maurice F. Bourgeois (I), and Samtra Devard (I) in the general election.[7]
| U.S. Senate, Delaware General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Chris A. Coons Incumbent |
56.6% | 174,012 | |
| Republican | Christine O'Donnell | 40% | 123,053 | |
| Independent Party of Delaware | Glenn A. Miller | 2.7% | 8,201 | |
| Libertarian | James W. Rash, Jr. | 0.7% | 2,101 | |
| Independent | Maurice F. Bourgeois | 0% | 25 | |
| Independent | Samtra Devard | 0% | 10 | |
| Total Votes | 307,402 | |||
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Coons is available dating back to 2010. Based on available campaign finance records, Coons raised a total of $3,852,049 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 3, 2013.[8]
| Chris Coons's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2010 | U.S. Senate (Delaware) |  |
$3,852,049 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $3,852,049 | |||
Individual breakdown
2010
Coons won election to the U.S. Senate in 2010. During that election cycle, Coons's campaign committee raised a total of $3,852,049 and spent $3,505,975 .[9]
| U.S. Senate, Delaware, 2010 - Chris Coons Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $3,852,049 |
| Total Spent | $3,505,975 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $7,539,252 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $7,115,156 |
| Top contributors to Chris Coons's campaign committee | |
| Young, Conaway et al | $60,600 |
| Skadden, Arps et al | $38,700 |
| Comcast Corp | $34,700 |
| Morris, Nichols et al | $33,150 |
| Grant & Eisenhofer | $29,400 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $631,647 |
| Leadership PACs | $272,900 |
| Retired | $155,115 |
| Securities & Investment | $123,900 |
| Lobbyists | $113,400 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Coons missed 2 of 629 roll call votes from Nov 2010 to Mar 2013. This amounts to 0.03%, which is better than the median of 1.7% among currently serving senators as of March 2013.[10]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Coons paid his congressional staff a total of $2,065,764 in 2011. He ranks fourth on the list of the lowest paid Democratic Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 16th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Delaware ranks 39th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[11]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Coons' net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $2,781,063 and $7,095,576. That averages to $4,893,080, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2011 of $20,795,450. His average net worth decreased by 7.35% from 2010.[12]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Coons' net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $3,021,182 and $7,541,174. That averages to $5,281,178, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2010 of $19,383,524.[13]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Coons ranked 11th in the liberal rankings in 2012.[14]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Coons ranked 21st in the liberal rankings among U.S. Senators.[15]
Political Positions
Percentage voting with party
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Chris Coons voted with the Democratic Party 97 of the time, which ranked 6 among the 51 Senate Democratic members in November 2011.[16]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Chris + Coons + Delaware + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Chris Coons News Feed
- Coons among lawmakers proposing bill to crackdown on military sex assaults - The News Journal
- Senator Chris Coons: Take Prosecution Out of Military Chain of Command - Delmarva Public Radio
- WEST TRENTON: US Senate OKs legislation directing restoration of federal ... - Packet Online
- Senate Panel, Getting Punchy on Immigration, Quits for the Night - New York Times (blog)
- Coons visits child advocacy center facing federal cuts - The News Journal
- Delaware Senate to Vote on Marriage Equality Tomorrow - Human Rights Campaign Backstory (blog)
- Senator hosts UD representatives at sessions on environment, rural communities - University of Delaware
- Alleged sex abuse detailed against Sussex councilman - Delmarva Daily Times
- Statement from Senator Coons on Delaware Senate's passage of marriage ... - PoliticalNews.me (press release)
- Slain New Castle County officer receives first bravery award - The News Journal
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Personal
A longtime New Castle County resident, Chris grew up in the Pike Creek and Hockessin areas and lives in Wilmington with his wife, Annie, and their three children, Michael, Jack, and Maggie.[17]
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
- Column archive at The Huffington Post
References
- ↑ Politics Daily "What Is Christopher Coons' Religion?" Accessed October 12, 2011
- ↑ Gov Track "Chris Coons," Accessed March 3, 2012
- ↑ Chris Coons, U.S. Senator for Delaware "Meet Chris Coons" Accessed October 12, 2011
- ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
- ↑ Erickson, Nancy, ed (2011). Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the One Hundred Twelfth Congress. United States Government Printing Office. Accessed October 12, 2011
- ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Chris Coons" Accessed April 3, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Chris Coons 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 7, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Chris Coons," Accessed March 29, 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm "Chris Coons"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Chris Coons, (D-CT), 2011"
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Coons, (D-Del), 2010"
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
- ↑ Chris Coons, U.S. Senator for Delaware "Meet Chris Coons" Accessed October 12, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ted Kaufman |
U.S. Senate-Delaware 2010–present |
Succeeded by - |
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