Dwayne Bensing

Dwayne Bensing earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012. His career experience includes working as a civil rights attorney.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dwayne Bensing is a civil rights attorney and public advocate who serves as the Legal Director of the ACLU of Delaware. With deep experience spanning constitutional law and public administration, Bensing brings a career dedicated to protecting equal rights, expanding educational equity, and defending fundamental liberties to his bid for Attorney General. Bensing’s legal career includes federal service in Washington, D.C., where he worked within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. In these roles, he addressed complex federal enforcement, anti-discrimination policy, and constitutional compliance. He initially honed his litigation skills at the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP after earning his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In addition to leading legal strategy for the ACLU of Delaware, Bensing serves as Vice Chair of the Delaware Human and Civil Rights Commission and President of Delaware Stonewall PAC. His commitment to public service began well before his legal career as a 2006 Truman Scholar and middle-school teacher in Philadelphia through Teach for America. Bensing’s record positions him as a seasoned litigator with executive state and federal policy experience, dedicated to institutional transparency, public safety, and equal protection under the law.

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?

Leading a "New Guard" to Ensure Government Transparency: Dwayne Bensing emphasizes bringing fresh leadership to the Delaware Department of Justice, positioning himself as part of a "New Guard" unburdened by the status quo. His campaign highlights a commitment to passing the torch to a new generation of leadership focused on institutional transparency, government integrity, and open oversight. Bensing wants voters to remember him as an independent advocate dedicated to ensuring that state government operates openly and remains directly accountable to all Delawareans.Tackling Corporate Greed and Protecting Delawareans: A central pillar of Bensing’s candidacy is confronting corporate greed and standing up for everyday consumers, workers, and taxpayers. He views the Attorney General’s office as a critical tool to hold powerful interests accountable, challenge unfair economic practices, and protect working families. Bensing wants voters to remember that his platform prioritizes economic fairness and aggressive consumer protection against corporate misconduct across Delaware.Defending Civil Rights and Expanding Equal Access to Justice: Building on his extensive career in constitutional and civil rights law, Bensing centers his platform on protecting fundamental liberties and ensuring equal protection under the law for all communities. He frames justice as an ongoing relay race requiring renewed energy to safeguard essential rights. Bensing wants voters to know that his campaign is rooted in a proven track record of defending free speech, educational equity, and the rights of vulnerable populations.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Dwayne Bensing’s public policy passion centers on advancing education equity and civil rights. Drawing from his background as a public school teacher, he has spearheaded legal efforts to reform Delaware’s public education funding to support disadvantaged students. As Legal Director for the ACLU of Delaware, President of Delaware Stonewall PAC, and Vice Chair of the Delaware Human and Civil Rights Commission, Bensing is deeply committed to protecting LGBTQ+ rights, expanding voting access, defending the rights of incarcerated individuals, and strengthening government transparency. He also advocates using state legal authority to protect consumers, stand up to corporate greed, and enforce economic fairness for working families.

A state's attorney general has many responsibilities. Which of those do you personally consider the most important?

Representing the people's interests.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

McDonald's from age 14 through college.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

DA Larry Krasner (Philadelphia); LGBTQ+ Victory Fund PAC; Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Certification; Delaware Democratic Party Pride Caucus Public Support; Delaware Stonewall PAC; Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

Accountability and Independence.

Campaign websiteBensing's campaign website stated the following:Tackling Corporate GreedDelaware's laws should protect consumers and workers, not shield those who exploit them.In a state with more corporations than people, it’s imperative that the Attorney General ensure that entities taking advantage of Delaware’s corporate franchise do not engage in fraud, waste, and abuse. Instead of bending over backwards to protect the “broligarchy” class of billionaires, Dwayne will embolden the Department of Justice’s fraud section to rigorously prosecute corporate fraud that illegally targets Delaware consumers. A one-sided system that only incentivizes incorporation in Delaware without any accountability to the public fails us all. Delaware’s shareholders, consumers, and small business owners cannot afford to be drug to the bottom by corporate abuse by the billionaire class.Independent Government OversightNo one is above the law, not even the institutions meant to uphold it.The Attorney General is an independent legal officer whose duty is to ensure that the State upholds its obligations to the people. When elected officials swear to uphold the Constitutions of the United States and Delaware, it is the Attorney General’s role to ensure that those officials adhere to that oath. This means that when a state agency engages in abuse of power, the Attorney General represents the people, not the agency. Dwayne has fought to ensure that agency officials adhere to their constitutional duties while the State has paid millions of taxpayer dollars to defend indefensible abuse and corruption. Too often, elected officials forget that they serve those who elected them instead of the institutions that keep them in power. Dwayne is not beholden to any political party or incumbent class. Delaware deserves an Attorney General who’s not afraid of holding other elected officials accountable to the people.Unwavering Civil RightsProtections on paper mean nothing without leaders willing to enforce them.Dwayne’s entire legal career has been dedicated to enforcing civil rights, including advancing voting rights, protecting free speech and privacy, and fighting cruel and unusual punishment. He has served as Vice Chair on Delaware’s Human and Civil Rights Commission, enforcing the state’s civil rights statutes prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations and housing. Unfortunately, too often the Department of Justice has failed to prosecute claims of discrimination, either burdening the Division for Human and Civil Rights and its Commissioners, making them incapable of enforcing the laws, or leaving complainants with no remedy whatsoever. Dwayne will empower Delaware’s Human and Civil Rights agencies, including the Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, to ensure that there is no place for discrimination in Delaware. — Dwayne Bensing's campaign website (September 11, 2026)Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.