Ken Simpler

Ken Simpler
Treasurer of Delaware
In office
January 6, 2015 – January 1, 2019
Governor
Preceded byChip Flowers
Succeeded byColleen Davis
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Alvin Simpler, Jr.[1]

(1967-07-15) July 15, 1967 (age 57)
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseElizabeth Russell[2]
Children3
Education

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.

Education

Simpler 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

Simpler 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

Republican primary election results[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ken Simpler 13,491 53.88
Republican Sher Valenzuela 11,549 46.12
Total votes 25,040 100.0
Delaware State Treasurer election, 2014[10]
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
Delaware State Treasurer election, 2018[11]
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

  1. ^ "Kenneth Alvin Simpler Jr - Delaware - Public-sector labor union contributions". publicunionfacts.com.
  2. ^ "Ken Simpler, Esq".
  3. ^ a b "Ken's Background". Official campaign website. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  4. ^ Hevesi, Dennis (May 26, 1988). "2 at Princeton Get Jail Terms For Roles in Pledge Drinking". New York Times.
  5. ^ "Home". kensimpler.com.
  6. ^ "About Kenneth Simpler". State of Delaware. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Jerry (November 6, 2018). "Democrat Colleen Davis takes state treasurer race over Ken Simpler". The News Journal.
  8. ^ Schmidt, Sophia (November 7, 2018). "State House and Senate Minority Whips ousted by Democratic challengers". Delaware Public Media.
  9. ^ "State of Delaware Primary Election (Official Results)". elections.delaware.gov. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  10. ^ "State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)". State of Delaware Election Commissioner. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  11. ^ "State of Delaware General Election (Official Results)". State of Delaware Election Commissioner. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by Treasurer of Delaware
2015–2019 		Succeeded by