Matt Meyer

Matt Meyer

Democratic Party

Governor of Delaware

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Bethany Hall-Long

Compensation

Base salary

$171,000

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Brown University

Law

University of Michigan

Contact

Official website

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Matt Meyer (Democratic Party) is the Governor of Delaware. He assumed office on January 21, 2025. His current term ends on January 16, 2029.

Meyer was born in 1971 in Michigan. In high school and college, he worked on political campaigns, including Joe Biden's (D) 1988 presidential bid and Bruce Sundlun's (D) 1990 campaign for governor of Rhode Island. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer science and political science from Brown University in 1994.

After graduating college, Meyer moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he started Ecosandals, a company that made footwear out of recycled materials. He later moved back to the U.S. to earn a law degree from the University of Michigan in 2002. After graduating, Meyer worked in private practice and as a private equity manager. He also worked as an economic advisor for the Department of State in Mosul, Iraq. After returning to America, he worked as an economic advisor for Gov. Jack Markell (D-Del.) and as a public school math teacher.

In 2016, Meyer ran for executive of New Castle County, the state's most populous county. In the Democratic primary, he defeated three-term incumbent Tom Gordon (D) and defeated Mark Blake (R) in the general election. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Meyer established a partnership with Delaware State University to expand the county's testing capabilities. Additionally, Meyer used federal funds from the CARES Act to buy an abandoned hotel, which was converted into a temporary shelter for homeless individuals.

Meyer ran for governor in the 2024 election. Delaware Public Media's Abigail Lee wrote Meyer "ran on a generally progressive message, highlighting his support for universal pre-K education and a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to abortion in Delaware." In his response to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection, Meyer said one of his priorities was "to fix our state’s broken and underfunded education system so every student can get a world-class education and every teacher can thrive." Ballotpedia considered the Democratic primary between Meyer, Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and Treasurer Collin O'Mara to be a battleground primary. Meyer defeated Hall-Long and O'Mara and defeated Michael Ramone (R) in the general election.

Meyer was sworn in on January 21, 2025. In his inaugural address, Meyer said, "We cannot afford to shy away from speaking the truth, from taking a stand, from taking a bold step in a new direction. That, I think, is what this moment demands." On his first day, Meyer signed an executive order ordering state agencies to prioritize the development of apprenticeship programs. He also signed an executive order ordering government agencies to conduct internal audits and recommend internal improvements to how they run.

Biography

Matt Meyer earned a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a law degree from the University of Michigan. Meyer has experience working as a public school math teacher, small business owner, U.S. Diplomat, and County Executive of New Castle County.

Elections

2024

See also: Delaware gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Governor of Delaware

Matt Meyer defeated Michael Ramone in the general election for Governor of Delaware on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Meyer (D)	56.1	279,585
		Michael Ramone (R)	43.9	219,050

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 498,635
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Danny Ace Valentine (Nonpartisan)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Delaware

Matt Meyer defeated Bethany Hall-Long and Collin O'Mara in the Democratic primary for Governor of Delaware on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Meyer	47.0	40,518
		Bethany Hall-Long	36.6	31,588
		Collin O'Mara	16.4	14,142

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 86,248
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Delaware

Michael Ramone defeated Jerrold Price and Bobby Williamson in the Republican primary for Governor of Delaware on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Ramone	72.3	26,414
		Jerrold Price	16.3	5,971
		Bobby Williamson	11.4	4,153

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 36,538
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Julianne Murray (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Meyer in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released June 6, 2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Matt Meyer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Meyer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a former 6th and 7th grade math teacher and small business owner who has served as New Castle County Executive since 2017. As the leader of Delaware’s largest local government, I have worked to deliver real results for Delaware’s working families. My administration has made historic investments in education, expanded access to affordable housing, tackled gun violence, and led on criminal justice reform. In my 8 years leading our state’s largest county, we created over 13,000 jobs, improved accountability, transparency and ethics in government, created the state’s largest and most comprehensive emergency shelter, cut taxes for the first time in over 50 years, improved public health, and strengthened emergency services. I am running for Governor to bring that same result-driven leadership across our state by creating an effective government that reflects our values and priorities. I am also a proud husband and father. My wife Lauren is an emergency room physician. Our son, Levi, is 6 months old and loves story time but hates car seats.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am running to fix our state’s broken and underfunded education system so every student can get a world-class education and every teacher can thrive.
• I am running to expand access to affordable housing and lower the cost of living so working families can finally get ahead.
• I am running to improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of our healthcare system by reducing wait times and limiting costs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, Housing, Economic Development, Healthcare, Environment, Criminal Justice Reform.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, accountability, effectiveness and innovation.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

It is the responsibility of the Governor to lead our state forward, to deliver real results for real people, and make real progress in Delaware. We need an effective government that reflects Delaware’s values and priorities.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My wife Lauren and I have a 6 month old son, Levi. Lately, our biggest struggles have been diaper changes and sleeping more than two hours uninterrupted.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

We don't just make promises. We make plans. And we turn those plans into progress.

Leadership matters. And it starts with listening, building an inclusive government that works every day to deliver real progress to real people.

Being governor means being a steward of our state's values, resources, and aspirations. We will embrace this responsibility and deliver for all Delawareans.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

The President is the Commander in Chief of our armed forces. Delaware's Governor is the Commander in Chief of our state's education system. There is nothing more important to our economy, to our public safety, to our shared sense of community and to our collective future than meaningful high quality education for every Delaware child.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

Budgets represent our values. As Governor, I plan to be deeply involved in this process to ensure that our state budget represents the values and priorities of Delawareans.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

As Governor, I am elected to serve every Delaware family. When a legislative initiative passes through both the House and the Senate, and I believe it is not in the best interest of Delawareans, I will use my veto power.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The Governor and state legislature must have a collaborative, communicative working relationship. I understand that on most initiatives, priorities, bills and proposals there will be a wide variety of passions, positions, arguments and beliefs. In a vibrant democracy, that is how it should be. I will work tirelessly to preserve a Delaware Way that enables the discussion and resolution of our most challenging issues with respect, honesty and decorum, and I will work tirelessly to disrupt a Delaware Way that favors closed door deals for the well connected that leaves out you and me.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Transparency and accountability are essential. When I became New Castle County Executive, I promised to bring accountability and transparency to the County government. Within my first six months in office, I put the county's checkbook online so every resident could see how their tax dollars were being spent. In the two years prior to my leading Delaware's largest local government, there were 35 ethics complaints against the over 2000 County employees. Last year there was one complaint. We need that same level of transparency and accountability in state government. Delawareans deserve leaders they can trust.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Meyer’s campaign website stated the following:

“	VISION FOR DELAWARE As the only candidate in this race who has managed a government, Matt is uniquely qualified to move our state forward, lead Delaware with the urgency to get big things done and provide effective leadership in the Governor’s office. As Governor, Matt will fight to: Fix our state’s broken and underfunded education system so every student can get a world-class education and every teacher can thrive. Check out Matt’s comprehensive education plan here. Expand access to affordable housing and lower the cost of living so working families can finally get ahead. Check out Matt’s affordable housing plan here. Improve the quality, affordability, and accessibility of our healthcare system by reducing wait times and limiting costs. Check out Matt’s healthcare plan here. Enshrine reproductive care in the state’s constitution. Ensure an inclusive state and governance for the LGBTQ+ community. Fight for a cleaner, greener Delaware through green jobs and infrastructure. Make sure Kent and Sussex Counties have equitable seats at the table.Check out Matt’s plan for Sussex county here Fight to end the gun violence epidemic, reduce crime, and keep the public safe. Check out Matt’s plan here Create a fair criminal justice system and ensure police accountability Check out Matt’s plan here Return faith to Delawareans through a transparent and ethical government. Check out Matt’s plan here Delaware needs a leader with a proven track record of accomplishing big things. As a teacher, small-business owner, and current leader of Delaware’s largest local government, Matt has tackled our state’s biggest challenges head-on. He has continuously delivered results for working families.	”
—Matt Meyer’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Matt Meyer campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Governor of Delaware	Won general	$3,816,050	$2,731,464
Grand total			$3,816,050	$2,731,464
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.

External links

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Bethany Hall-Long (D)	Governor of Delaware 2025-Present	Succeeded by -