Chris Coons: podcast appearances and interviews

Christopher Andrew Coons, born on September 9, 1963, is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Delaware since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Coons previously served as the county executive of New Castle County from 2005 to 2010 and as president of the New Castle County Council from 2001 to 2005. Raised in Hockessin, Delaware, he graduated from Amherst College and obtained graduate degrees from Yale Divinity School and Yale Law School. His early career included work as a volunteer relief worker in Kenya, employment with the Coalition for the Homeless in New York, and positions as a legal clerk and in-house counsel for a materials manufacturing company, along with work for several nonprofit organizations. During his tenure as county executive, he balanced the county budget with a surplus in 2010 through measures including spending cuts and tax increases, achieving and maintaining a AAA bond rating. Coons contested and won the 2010 Delaware Senate special election, succeeding Ted Kaufman who was appointed to fill Joe Biden's Senate seat when he became Vice President. He was re-elected in 2014 and has served on the Senate Ethics Committee, which he has chaired from 2021 to 2025. His committee assignments also include Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Coons has also been involved in co-chairing the National Prayer Breakfasts in 2017 and 2019 and regularly participates in the Senate Prayer Breakfast. As of January 2025, he is the dean of Delaware's congressional delegation, following Tom Carper's retirement.