Kathleen Jennings (born April 4, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Attorney General of Delaware. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Kathy Jennings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 46th Attorney General of Delaware | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
| Governor | John Carney |
| Preceded by | Matthew Denn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 4, 1953 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Delaware (BA) Villanova University (JD) |
Early life and education
editJennings was born on April 4, 1953 in Wilmington, Delaware.[1] She was raised by a single mother and two grandparents.[2] Jennings graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1971 and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Delaware and Juris Doctor from the Villanova University School of Law.[1][3]
Career
editShe worked for the Delaware Department of Justice for twenty years as a state prosecutor and chief deputy attorney general. Among other cases, she successfully tried serial killer Steven Brian Pennell.[4] In 1995, she and Charles Oberly opened their own law firm.[5]
Jennings served as Chief Administrative Officer for New Castle County for one year. She resigned in January 2018 to run for Attorney General of Delaware.[6][7] She won the Democratic Party nomination.[8] She defeated Republican Bernard Pepukayi in the general election,[9] and was sworn into office on January 1, 2019.[10][11]
In the 2022 election, Jennings won a second term in a closer election, defeating Republican Julianne Murray with 53 percent of the vote.[12]
Personal life
editJennings was married to Tom Molyneaux, a University of Delaware English professor, until his death in 1977. She subsequently married Wilmington police detective Bill Jennings in 1983 and has a son, Billy, and a daughter.[1][2]
Electoral history
edit| Election results | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||
| 2018 | Attorney General | General | Kathy Jennings | Democratic | 218,351 | 61.31% | Bernard Pepukayi | Republican | 137,730 | 38.68% | ||
| 2022 | Attorney General | General | Kathy Jennings | Democratic | 171,837 | 53.83% | Julianne Murray | Republican | 147,369 | 46.17% | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c "The Prosecutor Never Rests". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. December 1, 1989. p. D1,D12. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Meet Kathy". Meet Kathy - Kathy Jennings. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Biden names Jennings as State Prosecutor | News". newarkpostonline.com. November 7, 2011. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Candidate Conversations: State Attorney General candidate Kathy Jennings | Delaware First Media". Delawarepublic.org. August 24, 2018. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Former state prosecutor to run for attorney general". Delaware State News. January 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Jennings resigns county post, expected to run for Delaware attorney general". Delawareonline.com. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Kathy Jennings running for attorney general". Cape Gazette. February 14, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Kathy Jennings wins Democratic nod for Delaware attorney general". Delawareonline.com. September 6, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Delaware's next attorney general: Kathy Jennings". Delawareonline.com. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ Gerace, Frank (January 1, 2019). "Jennings, McGuiness, Davis sworn in to new elected positions". wdel.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "3 new state officials sworn in on New Year's Day". Delaware State News. January 2, 2019. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ "(D) Kathy Jennings wins Delaware Attorney General Race".
External links
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