Kenneth A. Simpler is an American politician. He was Delaware State Treasurer from 2015 to 2019. He is the most recent Republican to win a statewide race in Delaware.
Ken Simpler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Treasurer of Delaware | |
| In office January 6, 2015 – January 1, 2019 | |
| Governor | |
| Preceded by | Chip Flowers |
| Succeeded by | Colleen Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kenneth Alvin Simpler, Jr.[1] July 15, 1967 Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Russell[2] |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
Education
editSimpler attended high school at St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political economy at Princeton University.[3] While in college, he was charged in an incident where 45 students were sent to the Princeton infirmary or local hospital for alcohol-induced medical problems, including one student who was in a coma for 24 hours. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail for his role in hosting parties where alcohol was served to minors.[4]
Simpler earned a Master of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago. He was owner and chief financial officer of Seaboard Hotels and managing director at Citadel LLC. He worked as a corporate attorney at Kirkland & Ellis and has served on the board of directors of Draper Holdings, the parent company of WBOC and Fox 21.[3]
While serving as Delaware State Treasurer, Simpler enrolled at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware to pursue a Master of Public Administration. After leaving office, he completed the degree in February 2020.[5]
Political career
editSimpler was elected Delaware State Treasurer on November 4, 2014, and took office on January 6, 2015.[6] In the 2018 elections, he was defeated in his reelection campaign by Democrat Colleen Davis.[7] His defeat was one of several losses for prominent Republicans in Delaware in 2018[7][8] and as of 2023 establishes him as the most recent Republican to serve statewide.
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Simpler | 13,491 | 53.88 | |
| Republican | Sher Valenzuela | 11,549 | 46.12 | |
| Total votes | 25,040 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ken Simpler | 123,105 | 53.59 | |||
| Democratic | Sean Barney | 100,218 | 43.63 | |||
| Green | David Chandler | 6,373 | 2.77 | |||
| Total votes | 229,696 | 100.0 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Colleen Davis | 187,225 | 52.36% | |
| Republican | Ken Simpler (incumbent) | 163,999 | 45.87% | |
| Green | David Chandler | 6,300 | 1.77% | |
| Total votes | 357,524 | 100% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Kenneth Alvin Simpler Jr - Delaware - Public-sector labor union contributions". publicunionfacts.com.
- ^ "Ken Simpler, Esq".
- ^ a b "Ken's Background". Official campaign website. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (May 26, 1988). "2 at Princeton Get Jail Terms For Roles in Pledge Drinking". New York Times.
- ^ "Home". kensimpler.com.
- ^ "About Kenneth Simpler". State of Delaware. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ a b Smith, Jerry (November 6, 2018). "Democrat Colleen Davis takes state treasurer race over Ken Simpler". The News Journal.
- ^ Schmidt, Sophia (November 7, 2018). "State House and Senate Minority Whips ousted by Democratic challengers". Delaware Public Media.
- ^ "State of Delaware Primary Election (Official Results)". elections.delaware.gov. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)". State of Delaware Election Commissioner. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ "State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)". State of Delaware Election Commissioner. Retrieved November 6, 2018.