Stephanie Hansen

Stephanie Leigh Hansen (born July 24, 1961) is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the Delaware Senate, representing District 10. She was elected in 2017 after winning a special election to fill the seat of Bethany Hall-Long, who had resigned to take office as the state's lieutenant governor. Prior to being elected to the state senate, Hansen served as president of the New Castle County Council.

Early life

Hansen was born at Loring Air Force Base in 1961 while her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force. In 1963, her family moved from the Eastern Shore to Seaford when her father was employed by the DuPont company. She graduated from Seaford Senior High School in 1979. She later attended the University of Delaware and earned a BS in geology. After graduating, she earned a MS in earth science from the University of New Orleans.

Career Starting in 1988, Hansen worked as an environmental scientist and hydrologist for the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). She worked in the agency's Superfund and underground storage tank branches. During her tenure she helped shape the county's land use code.

The election had more significance than the average state senate race and received national attention. At the time, the 21-member Delaware 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 the General Assembly.

On a national level, the race was one of the first since Donald Trump took office and was described as important in showing the strength of Democrats in "a traditional stronghold like Delaware." 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.

Former Vice President Joe Biden took a visible role in the campaign by fundraising, appearing in ads, and even going door-to-door with Hansen. Hansen was also endorsed by the Delaware State AFL–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. Her campaign focused on a multitude of issues including the cost of living for seniors, the opioid addiction epidemic, and affordable college education. Her campaign manager, Erik Schramm, emphasized the effort to "highlight local issues while harnessing the national mood to excite volunteers." Democrats nationwide celebrated the victory as a big win for a new generation of activists after the election of Trump as president.

Legislation 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. She has introduced legislation to conserve native species and prevent the importation of invasive species.

Electoral history 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.

2018: Hansen defeated Republican nominee Christine Metzing with 11,665 votes (62.06%) in the general election held on November 6, 2018.

2022: Hansen was unopposed in the general election held on November 8, 2022.

2024: Hansen was unopposed in the general election held on November 5, 2024.