Matt Meyer Bio
Matthew Stephen Meyer, known as Matt Meyer, is an American politician and attorney serving as the 76th governor of Delaware since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the New Castle County executive from 2017 to 2025, where he became known for his police accountability measures and innovative use of federal COVID-19 relief funds. Before entering elective office, Meyer built a career in private legal practice, advised a sitting Delaware governor, and served as a U.S. State Department economic advisor in Iraq. He is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Michigan Law School, and he is married to Dr. Lauren Cooksey Meyer.
Early Life and Background
Matthew Stephen Meyer was born on September 29, 1971, in Bay City, Michigan, and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. He is Jewish and was a member of the Aleph Zadik Aleph as a teenager. Meyer attended Wilmington Friends School, where he first became involved in politics by working on then-U.S. senator Joe Biden’s first presidential campaign in 1988.
He continued his studies at Brown University, where he graduated cum laude with degrees in political science and computer science. While at Brown, he also gained early political experience working on the successful 1990 gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Sundlun in Delaware. He later earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a member of the Michigan Law Review.
Path to US Politics
After college, Matt Meyer joined Teach for America and taught public school in Washington, D.C., for three years. He also taught at Prestige Academy in Wilmington, reflecting his early commitment to public service and education. He then won a Skadden Fellowship upon graduating from law school and used it to work for Community Legal Aid in Wilmington, providing legal services to low-income residents.
Meyer later joined the mergers and acquisitions practice at the firm Simpson Thacher and Bartlett. He was then selected to serve as a U.S. State Department diplomat in Iraq, working in Mosul as a senior economic adviser alongside military and economic aid leaders. Following that assignment, he returned to Delaware to serve as an economic advisor to Governor Jack Markell, and later became a partner at Potomac Law Group. In 2003, he received the Sam Beard Jefferson Award for the Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years and Under, an honor presented at the Kennedy Center.
Matt Meyer Career
Early Career (2017–2020)
Matt Meyer entered elective office in 2016 when he upset three-term incumbent Tom Gordon in the Democratic primary for New Castle County executive, winning 52 percent of the vote. He then defeated Republican Mark Blake in the general election with 67 percent of the vote and was sworn in on January 3, 2017. His early tenure was marked by an executive order designating New Castle County as a sanctuary county and limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
In 2020, Meyer faced a primary challenge from more centrist candidate Maggie Jones. He faced allegations that he made heated phone calls to two mayors supporting his opponent, though he did not specifically address the accusations. Meyer secured the Democratic nomination with 57 percent of the vote and won the general election unopposed.
Governor of Delaware (2025–Present)
After being term-limited as county executive, Matt Meyer announced his campaign for governor of Delaware on June 6, 2023. In the Democratic primary, he faced Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long and led the field in fundraising before winning the nomination on September 10, 2024. He went on to defeat Republican Mike Ramone in the general election, continuing Delaware’s long streak of Democratic governors that dates back to 1988.
Since taking office, Meyer has moved quickly on key priorities. On January 24, 2025, he signed an executive order aimed at streamlining the construction of affordable housing. In May 2025, he signed a bill to legalize assisted dying for patients with terminal illnesses, a measure he had long championed. In July 2025, he signed legislation preventing local and state authorities from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Notable Events and Milestones
During his tenure as New Castle County executive, Matt Meyer selected the first African-American police chief and chief administrative officer in the 106-year history of the New Castle County Police Department. In October 2020, the county purchased the former Sheraton South Hotel at auction for $19.5 million using federal CARES Act funds and converted it into The Hope Center, a shelter for homeless residents that opened in December 2020. His work on inclusive economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic earned recognition from the National Association of Counties and the National Academy of Public Administration.
Matt Meyer Career Wins
Matt Meyer has built a record of electoral victories spanning county and statewide office, anchored by his consistent appeal with Delaware Democratic voters. He has won two terms as New Castle County executive and one gubernatorial election, all on a progressive platform emphasizing economic opportunity, police accountability, and social services.
New Castle County Executive Highlights
Meyer first won the New Castle County executive seat in 2016 by defeating incumbent Tom Gordon in the primary and Republican Mark Blake in the general election. He won re-election in 2020, securing the Democratic nomination against Maggie Jones and running unopposed in the general election. His tenure drew attention for the use of CARES Act funds to support vulnerable populations and for major investments in housing and public safety reform.
Other Wins and Achievements
In 2024, Matt Meyer won the Democratic primary for governor of Delaware and went on to defeat Republican challenger Mike Ramone in the general election. In 2022, he was awarded a regional Mid-Atlantic Emmy in the Societal Concerns, Long-Form category as an executive producer of the short film “The Pathway Home,” which chronicled the opening of The Hope Center. Earlier in his career, he received the Sam Beard Jefferson Award in 2003 for public service.
Matt Meyer Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
Matt Meyer was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, after being born in Bay City, Michigan, and has built much of his professional and personal life in his adopted home state. He is Jewish, and he was active in the Aleph Zadik Aleph as a teenager, an organization associated with Jewish youth leadership and community service. His early involvement in political campaigns, including those of Joe Biden and Bruce Sundlun, helped shape his lifelong commitment to public service.
Personal Life
Matt Meyer met his future wife, Dr. Lauren Cooksey, through a mutual friend in 2021, and the couple married on May 7, 2023. They live in Wilmington, Delaware, with their son. Meyer and his family have remained based in Delaware throughout his career in public office.