Stephanie Hansen | |
|---|---|
| Member of theDelaware Senate from the10th district | |
| Assumed office February 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Bethany Hall-Long |
| President of theNew Castle County Council | |
| In office November 12, 1996 – January 1, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Theodore W. Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Chris Coons |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1961-07-24)July 24, 1961 (age 64) Limestone, Maine, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | David Marturana |
| Residence | Middletown, Delaware |
| Alma mater | University of Delaware University of New Orleans Widener University School of Law |
| Profession | Environmental lawyer |
| Website | Official website |
Stephanie Leigh Hansen (born July 24, 1961) is an American politician.[1] She is aDemocratic member of theDelaware Senate, representingDistrict 10.[2] She was elected in 2017 after winning aspecial election to fill the seat ofBethany Hall-Long, who had resigned to take office as thestate's lieutenant governor. Prior to being elected to the state senate, Hansen served as president of theNew Castle County Council.
Hansen was born atLoring Air Force Base in 1961 while her father was serving in theU.S. Air Force. In 1963, her family moved from theEastern Shore toSeaford when her father was employed by theDuPont company. She graduated fromSeaford Senior High School in 1979.[3] She later attended theUniversity of Delaware and earned aBS in geology. After graduating, she earned aMS in earth science from theUniversity of New Orleans.[4]
Starting in 1988, Hansen worked as an environmental scientist andhydrologist for the stateDepartment of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). She worked in the agency'sSuperfund andunderground storage tank branches.[4]
In 1996, she was elected president ofNew Castle County Council, the onlyat-large position on the council, after successfully challengingincumbent Theodore Ryan for theDemocratic nomination in the Septemberprimary election.[5] During her tenure she helped shape the county'sland use code.[4]
While on the county council, Hansen began to transition her career from science toenvironmental law by taking classes atWidener University School of Law, eventually graduatingcum laude. She decided to not seek reelection in 2000, and was succeeded byChris Coons. She remained politically active as the chair of her local Democratic committee. After her admission to the Delaware bar, she practicedenvironmental law at the firm of Richards, Layton & Finger for four years. Hansen left Richards Layton in 2005 forYoung Conaway Stargatt & Taylor inWilmington. At Young Conaway, she has specialized in legal matters concerning environmentally-degraded properties and has represented local governments on federalCivil Rights Act andFair Housing Act issues.[6][4]
AfterBethany Hall-Long was sworn in asLieutenant Governor on January 17, 2017, she resigned from her seat in the Senate. GovernorJohn Carney announced a special election to fill her vacancy to be held on February 25. In anticipation of Hall-Long's resignation, Democrats from the local 10th district committee had selected Hansen as their nominee in December.[7]
The election had more significance than the average state senate race and received national attention. At the time, the 21-memberDelaware Senate was split evenly between 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. While Democrats remained in control with the tie-breaking vote of Lieutenant Governor Hall-Long as senate president, a Republican victory would have given Republicans control of the chamber for the first time in over four decades, ending the complete Democratic control of theGeneral Assembly.[8]
On a national level, the race was one of the first sinceDonald Trump took office and was described as important in showing the strength of Democrats in "a traditional stronghold like Delaware."[9][10] The race received a large amount of national attention for an off-year state election race, and Democrats were poised to spend a "record-shattering" $1 million.[8] Hansen's campaign itself raised more than $300,000 over the course of three weeks—six times that of her opponent—with money from across the country, including over 14,000 donations under $100.[9][11]
FormerVice PresidentJoe Biden took a visible role in the campaign by fundraising, appearing in ads, and evengoing door-to-door with Hansen.[9] Other prominent volunteers included Carney and formerMaryland governor and2016 Democratic presidential candidateMartin O'Malley.[12] Hansen was also endorsed by the Delaware StateAFL–CIO, the Delaware Building Trades, Delaware United, the Delaware State Education Association, the District Council of Delaware Laborers, Mary Ann's List, and the Barbara Gittings Delaware Stonewall Democrats.[13][14] Her campaign focused on a multitude of issues including the cost of living for seniors, theopioid addiction epidemic, and affordable college education.[15] Her campaign manager, Erik Schramm, emphasized the effort to "highlight local issues while harnessing the national mood to excite volunteers."[11] As Hansen said that many of the voters she met while going door-to-door were watching television coverage of theprotests against the new administration when she came to their homes.[9]
While special elections usually see lower voter participation, the turnout on election day was over 35%, higher than the 2014 midterm election. Hansen won with 7,315 votes (58%) against Republican nominee John Marino andLibertarian nominee Joseph Lanzendorfer.[16] Democrats nationwide celebrated the victory as a big win for a new generation of activists after the election of Trump as president.[11][17]
Hansen is known for her work in energy and environmental policy. In 2021, she sponsored legislation to extend and expand Delaware's Renewable Portfolio Standards to increase the state's investment in renewable energy sources.[18] She has introduced legislation to conserve native species and prevent the importation of invasive species.[19][20]
2017: Hansen won the Special Election held on February 25, 2017, with 7,315 votes (58.14%), defeating Republican candidate John Marino and Libertarian candidate Joseph D. Lanzendorfer.[21]
2018: Hansen defeated Republican nominee Christine Metzing with 11,665 votes (62.06%) in the general election held on November 6, 2018.[22]
2022: Hansen was unopposed in the general election held on November 8, 2022.[23]
2024: Hansen was unopposed in the general election held on November 5, 2024.[24]