Colin Bonini
{{short description|American politician (born 1965)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Colin Bonini
| image = Colin Bonini.jpg
| state_senate = Delaware
| district = 16th
| term_start = November 9, 1994
| term_end = November 9, 2022
| predecessor = William Torbert
| successor = Eric Buckson
| birth_name = Colin Rafferty Marie Jude Bonini
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|4|14}}
| birth_place = Stanford, California, U.S.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023|reason=}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Republican
| spouse = {{marriage|Melissa Harrington|2001}}
| education = Wesley College (BA)
University of Delaware (MPA)
}}
Colin Rafferty Marie Jude Bonini (born April 14, 1965) is an American politician and a Republican former member of the Delaware Senate, where he represented the 16th District from 1994 to 2022.
Education
Bonini received his Bachelor of Arts from Wesley College in 1991. He received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Delaware in 1999.{{cite web |url=https://legis.delaware.gov/AssemblyMember/151/Bonini |title = Senator Colin Bonini (R) - Delaware General Assembly}}{{cite web |url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/5728/colin-bonini |title = The Voter's Self Defense System - Vote Smart}} While in college, he worked for United States Senator Bill Roth and the United States Department of State in New Delhi, India.{{cite news |last1=Staff |title=Colin Bonini For Delaware Governor |url=https://firststateupdate.com/2020/08/meet-the-candidate-series-colin-bonini-for-delaware-governor/ |work=First State Update |date=3 August 2020}}
Political career
He was elected in 1994 to represent the 16th District in the Delaware Senate.{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Colin_Bonini |title=Colin Bonini |website=Ballotpedia |accessdate=February 16, 2019}} The district covers part of southern and eastern Kent County along with a small portion of adjacent Sussex County. It includes the southern portions of Dover around the Dover Air Force Base and the towns of Frederica and Harrington.{{Cite web |title=Senate Districts |url=https://legis.delaware.gov/Senate/District |access-date=June 16, 2020 |publisher=Delaware General Assembly}}{{Cite web |title=Kent County 16th Senatorial District |url=https://elections.delaware.gov/maps/sd/2012/kent/16th_Sen_EDs.pdf |access-date=June 19, 2020 |publisher=Delaware General Assembly}}
File:Colin and Rocky Bluewinkle.jpg
In 2010, Bonini unsuccessfully ran for state treasurer, losing to Democrat Chip Flowers. Flowers received 51 percent of the vote to defeat Bonini by 6,121 votes.{{cite web |url=http://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect10/elect10_General/html/election.shtml |title=State of Delaware General Election Results |date=November 5, 2010 |publisher=Delaware Department of Elections |department=Office of the State Election Commissioner |accessdate=February 16, 2019 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175242/http://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect10/elect10_General/html/election.shtml |url-status=dead }}
Shortly after the 2014 elections, Bonini announced he would run for governor in the 2016 election to fix "significant systemic and fundamental problems" in the state.{{cite web |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/story/firststatepolitics/2014/11/06/bonini-governor-2016-delaware-politics/18575637/ |title=Colin Bonini: 'I'm running for governor' |first=Jonathan |last=Starkey |newspaper=The News Journal |date=November 6, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/23/sen-colin-bonini-recommits-delaware-governor-campaign/76264080/ |title=Sen. Colin Bonini recommits to Delaware governor campaign |first=Jonathan |last=Starkey |newspaper=The News Journal |date=November 23, 2015}} Bonini competed with former state trooper Lacey Lafferty in the Republican primary election, which he won with 70% of the vote.{{cite web |url=https://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect16/elect16_primary/html/election.shtml|title= State of Delaware Primary Election Results |date= September 14, 2016 |publisher=Delaware Department of Elections |department=Office of the State Election Commissioner |accessdate= February 16, 2019}} He lost to U.S. Congressman John Carney in the general election, garnering less than 40% of the vote.{{cite web |url= https://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect16/elect16_general/html/election.shtml |title= State of Delaware General Election Results |date= November 8, 2016 |publisher= Delaware Department of Elections |department= Office of the State Election Commissioner |accessdate= February 16, 2019 |archive-date= October 28, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028141145/https://elections.delaware.gov/archive/elect16/elect16_general/html/election.shtml |url-status= dead }} In 2020, Bonini again tried to run for governor but lost in the Republican primary to Julianne Murray, earning less than 35% of the vote.{{Cite web|url=https://delawarestatenews.net/government/state-sen-bonini-running-for-governor-again/|title=Home - Bay to Bay News | Bay to Bay News}}{{Cite web|url=https://elections.delaware.gov/results/html/index.shtml?electionId=PR2020#electionReport4|title = Delaware Election Results}} On September 13, 2022, Bonini was defeated in the Republican primary, finishing last place in a 3-way race.{{Cite news |date=2022-09-13 |title=Delaware Primary Election Results |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/13/us/elections/results-delaware.html |access-date=2022-09-14 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |date=2022-09-14 |title=Buckson defeats incumbent Colin Bonini in District 16 race |url=https://www.wmdt.com/2022/09/buckson-defeats-incumbent-colin-bonini-in-district-16-race/ |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=47abc |language=en-US}}
In 2024, Bonini announced he was running for the Kent County Register of Wills in 2024.{{cite web | url=https://www.delawarepublic.org/politics-government/2023-10-24/former-state-senator-colin-bonini-run-for-kent-county-register-of-wills | title=Former State Senator Colin Bonini to run for Kent County Register of Wills | date=24 October 2023 }}{{cite web | url=https://baytobaynews.com/daily-state-news/stories/longtime-state-sen-colin-bonini-running-for-kent-county-register-of-wills,121555 | title=Longtime state senator running for Kent County register of wills }}{{cite web | url=https://www.wgmd.com/colin-bonini-files-for-kent-county-register-of-wills/#:~:text=Former%20State%20Senator%20Colin%20Bonini,the%20people%20of%20Kent%20County | title=Colin Bonini Files for Kent County Register of Wills | date=12 July 2024 }} He won in the Republican primary elections for Kent County register of wills, defeating Susanne Whitney of Magnolia with 59.26% of the vote, 4,210 to 2,894. He received 3,431 machine votes, 523 early votes and 256 absentee votes.{{cite news |last1=Mace |first1=Ben |title=Kent County primary results: 2 incumbents fend off challengers |url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/09/10/kent-county-delaware-primary-results-two-incumbents-fend-off-challengers/75091204007/ |work=The News Journal |date=September 11, 2024}}
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change
|title= 2010 Delaware State Treasurer election{{cite web | url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=643841 | title=Our Campaigns - DE State Treasurer Race - Nov 02, 2010 }}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Chip Flowers
|votes = 153,203
|percentage = 51.03
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Colin Bonini
|votes = 147,031
|percentage = 48.97
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no swing
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title = 2016 Delaware gubernatorial election, Republican primary{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/governor/delaware/|publisher=Politico|access-date=September 14, 2016|title=Delaware Election Results 2016: Governor Live Map by County, Real-Time Voting Updates}}
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Colin Bonini
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 21,150
| percentage = 69.88
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Lacey Lafferty
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 9,115
| percentage = 30.12
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 30,265
| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = John Carney
|votes = 248,404
|percentage = 58.34
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Colin Bonini
|votes = 166,852
|percentage = 39.18
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Green Party (United States)
|candidate = Andrew Groff
|votes = 5,951
|percentage = 1.39
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Libertarian Party (United States)
|candidate = Sean Louis Goward
|votes = 4,577
|percentage = 1.09
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 425,784
| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no swing
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title = 2020 Delaware gubernatorial election, Republican primary
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Julianne Murray
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 22,819
| percentage = 41.15
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Colin Bonini
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 19,161
| percentage = 34.56
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Bryant Richardson
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 4,262
| percentage = 7.69
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Scott Walker
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 3,998
| percentage = 7.21
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = David Bosco
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 3,660
| percentage = 6.60
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = David Graham
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 1,547
| percentage = 2.79
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 55,447
| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}{{Election box begin no change|title=2022 Delaware Senate 16th district election, Republican primary}}{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Eric Buckson|votes=1,915|percentage=51.11%}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Kim Petters|votes=1,017|percentage=27.14%}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Colin Bonini (incumbent)|votes=815|percentage=21.75%}}{{Election box total no change|votes=3,747|percentage=100%}}{{Election box end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web|url=http://legis.delaware.gov/legislature.nsf/7f4f680c99e8e0d1852569c10055e9d4/dd6f40db63c8522b852569d8005369fa|title=Senator Colin R. J. Bonini|publisher=Delaware General Assembly}}
- {{cite web|url=https://boninifordelaware.com/|title=Colin Bonini|publisher=Official Campaign Website|access-date=2020-08-13|archive-date=2020-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812033832/https://boninifordelaware.com/|url-status=dead}}
- [https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/5728/colin-bonini Project Vote Smart – Senator Colin Bonini (DE)] profile
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-de-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=William Torbert}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the Delaware Senate
from the 16th district|years=1994–2022}}
{{s-aft|after=Eric Buckson}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonini, Colin R.J.}}
Category:Candidates in the 2016 United States elections
Category:Republican Party Delaware state senators
Category:American identical twins
Category:People from Dover, Delaware
Category:People from Stanford, California
Category:Wesley College (Delaware) alumni
Category:Candidates in the 2020 United States elections
Category:21st-century members of the Delaware General Assembly