Kathy Jennings

Kathy Jennings was born in Wilmington, Delaware. She earned a high school diploma from Mt. Pleasant High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware and a law degree from Villanova University Law School. Jennings' career experience includes working as the Delaware state prosecutor, chief administrative officer and public safety director of New Castle County, and with the Delaware Department of Justice.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I ran and became Delaware’s first female Democratic Attorney General for the same reason I began my career as one of only two women prosecutors in the Delaware Department of Justice: to fight for justice. Since I became AG we’ve made Delaware safer. We've protected voting and abortion rights. We've built the strongest anti-corruption and corporate accountability records in the DOJ’s history. We've stepped up as a critical defense against federal overreach. We’ve fought important battles—but today, we face new threats, including a violent anti-immigrant agenda and a lawless president. I’m running for a final term because we cannot afford to lose these fights, nor to teach on the job. We need experienced, proven leadership to continue this vital work.

The DOJ is Delaware's largest law firm and I am the only candidate who has worked there. The AG is Delaware's top law enforcement job and I am the only candidate who has ever prosecuted a crime. And as head of the state's only consumer protection agency nobody has held more corporations accountable than my administration. Over the last 8 years, we’ve secured record corporate settlements, brought violent crime to record lows, and passed landmark criminal justice reforms that reduced recidivism and the prison population. It’s easy to criticize problems. I solve them, and get real, tangible results for Delawareans.

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?

We've sued Trump more than 60 times now, protecting civil rights and protecting almost $1 billion in federal funds to Delaware in the process. Our actions against the federal government have protected our public schools, killed the tariffs, saved birthright citizenship, and rescued a domestic violence survivor from ICE custody. We've gone to Court to protect the right to abortion, both nationally and in our own state. And I've personally stood in Court to protect Delawareans' votes — we stopped right-wing extremists from throwing out 80,000 ballots and protected access to the ballot for 35,000 veterans, seniors and Delawareans with disabilities. We have to keep winning fights we can't afford to lose.This is a public safety job and I'm the only candidate who has any public safety experience. When I was State Prosecutor we brought violent crime down roughly 25% and each of the least violent years on record has happened under my administration. We've passed major criminal justice reforms and recidivism is down. And I've stood up to the NRA, passing landmark gun safety policies that are now the law of the land. This is a life-or-death job and it is critical that the AG knows what they're doing.The DOJ is Delaware's only consumer protection agency, and we've built the strongest corporate accountability record in our state's history. We sued Big Pharma, Big Oil, and Big Tech. We've taken on slumlords, pandemic price gougers, and industrial polluters. We've made housing justice part of this office's DNA, keeping people in their homes through foreclosure prevention and protecting the owners of manufactured homes from predatory landlords. We've recorded the largest financial settlements in State history and brought hundreds of millions of dollars back home to help Delawareans. We have to keep our consumer protection work strong.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The reality is that you don't get to choose in this office. Public safety, gun violence, victims' rights, election protection, civil rights, and corporate accountability are all daily parts of the job.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

We're proudly endorsed by all of Delaware's statewide elected officials, labor unions (the AFL-CIO, the Delaware State Education Association, the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFSCME, and the Delaware Building Trades), gun safety groups (Giffords, Brady, and Moms Demand Action), abortion rights and women's rights groups (EMILY's List, National Women's Political Caucus, Repro Freedom for All), progressive causes (Stonewall Democrats PAC, Sierra Club) and the Delaware Democratic Party.