John Carney Jr.

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John C. Carney Jr.
Image of John C. Carney Jr.

Democratic Party

Governor of Delaware
Tenure

2017 - Present

Term ends

2025

Years in position

7

Predecessor
Prior offices
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
U.S. House Delaware At-large District
Predecessor: Michael N. Castle

Compensation

Base salary

$171,000

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 3, 2020

Education

High school

St. Mark's High School

Bachelor's

Dartmouth College

Graduate

University of Delaware

Personal
Religion
Christian: Catholic
Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Official YouTube

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

John C. Carney Jr. (Democratic Party) is the Governor of Delaware. He assumed office on January 17, 2017. His current term ends on January 21, 2025.

Carney (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Governor of Delaware. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Carney was not able to file for re-election as governor due to term limits. He ran for mayor of Wilmington, Delaware. Wilmington is not within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Carney was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1956. He graduated from St. Mark’s High School. Carney received a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1978 and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Delaware in 1987, where he coached football.[1][2]

Before his entry into elected politics, Carney served as the state's finance secretary and as chief administrative officer for New Castle County. He also served as an aide to then-Gov. Tom Carper (D) and then-Sen. Joe Biden (D).[2]

Carney served two terms as the state's lieutenant governor, winning election in 2000 and re-election in 2004. In 2010, Carney won election to the state's open U.S. House seat, serving three terms.[2] Carney won election to succeed term-limited Gov. Jack Markell (D) in the 2016 gubernatorial election, defeating state Sen. Colin Bonini (R) by a margin of 19 percentage points.

Carney said he "focused on making Delaware’s economy more competitive, preparing Delaware’s children to succeed, and building a long-term sustainable financial plan for the State of Delaware" and had "directed new resources to high-needs schools, partnered with the private sector to drive job creation, and taken steps to lower healthcare costs for Delaware families, businesses, and taxpayers."[1] In his final state of the state address, Carney listed increased school funding, housing programs, green energy initiatives, and gun control as among his achievements as governor.[3]

Biography

Carney grew up in Claymont, Delaware, as one of nine children.[2] He received an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1978 and a master's in public administration from the University of Delaware in 1987.[4]

Carney worked as a staffer for Sen. Biden from 1986 to 1989. He was chief administrative officer of New Castle County between 1989 and 1994. He then worked for Gov. Carper as the state finance secretary. Carney then served two terms as lieutenant governor. He ran for governor in 2008 and lost in the Democratic primary.[5] Carney served three terms as a U.S. representative before being elected governor in 2016.[4]

Political career

Governor of Delaware (2017-present)

Carney was elected governor of Delaware in 2016.

U.S. House of Representatives (2011-2017)

Carney was a U.S. representative from Delaware's At-Large Congressional District from 2011 to 2017.

Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (2001-2009)

Carney served as Delaware's lieutenant governor from 2001 to 2009.

Elections

2024

See also: Delaware gubernatorial election, 2024

John Carney Jr. was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.

2020

See also: Delaware gubernatorial election, 2020

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2020 (September 15 Republican primary)

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2020 (September 15 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for Governor of Delaware

Incumbent John C. Carney Jr. defeated Julianne Murray, Kathy DeMatteis, and John Machurek in the general election for Governor of Delaware on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John C. Carney Jr.
John C. Carney Jr. (D)
 
59.5
 
292,903
Image of Julianne Murray
Julianne Murray (R) Candidate Connection
 
38.6
 
190,312
Image of Kathy DeMatteis
Kathy DeMatteis (Independent Party) Candidate Connection
 
1.2
 
6,150
Image of John Machurek
John Machurek (L)
 
0.7
 
3,270

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 492,635
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Delaware

Incumbent John C. Carney Jr. defeated David Lamar Williams Jr. in the Democratic primary for Governor of Delaware on September 15, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John C. Carney Jr.
John C. Carney Jr.
 
84.8
 
101,142
Image of David Lamar Williams Jr.
David Lamar Williams Jr. Candidate Connection
 
15.2
 
18,169

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 119,311
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Delaware

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Delaware on September 15, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Julianne Murray
Julianne Murray Candidate Connection
 
41.2
 
22,819
Image of Colin Bonini
Colin Bonini Candidate Connection
 
34.6
 
19,161
Image of Bryant Richardson
Bryant Richardson
 
7.7
 
4,262
Image of Scott Walker
Scott Walker
 
7.2
 
3,998
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
David Bosco
 
6.6
 
3,660
Image of David Graham
David Graham
 
2.8
 
1,547

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 55,447
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

See also: Delaware gubernatorial election, 2016

Carney ran for governor of Delaware in the 2016 election. He was the only Democrat to file for the office.

John Carney defeated Colin Bonini, Andrew Groff, Sean Goward, and Benjamin Hollinger in the Delaware governor election.

Delaware Governor, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png John Carney 58.34% 248,404
     Republican Colin Bonini 39.19% 166,852
     Green Andrew Groff 1.40% 5,951
     Libertarian Sean Goward 1.07% 4,577
     Write-in Benjamin Hollinger 0.00% 0
Total Votes 425,784
Source: Delaware Secretary of State

2014

See also: Delaware's At-Large Congressional District elections, 2014

Carney won re-election to the U.S. House in 2014. He won the Democratic nomination unopposed in the primary election. He then defeated Rose Izzo (R), Bernard August (G) and Scott Gesty (L) in the general election on November 4, 2014.

U.S. House, Delaware's At-Large District General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn C. Carney Jr. Incumbent 59.3% 137,251
     Republican Rose Izzo 36.8% 85,146
     Green Bernard August 2.1% 4,801
     Libertarian Scott Gesty 1.9% 4,419
Total Votes 231,617
Source: Delaware Department of Elections

2012

See also: Delaware's At-Large Congressional District elections, 2012

Carney won re-election in 2012. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Tom Kovach (R), Scott Gesty (L) and Bernard August (G) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[7]

U.S. House, Delaware At-Large District General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn C. Carney, Jr. Incumbent 64.7% 238,081
     Republican Thomas Kovach 33.2% 122,062
     Green Bernard August 1.1% 4,085
     Libertarian Scott Gesty 1.1% 3,926
Total Votes 368,154
Source: Delaware Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010

On November 2, 2010, John C. Carney, Jr. won election to the United States House. He defeated Glen Urquhart (R), Earl R. Lofland (I), Brent A. Wangen (L) and Jeffrey Brown (I) in the general election.[8]

U.S. House, Delaware At-Large District General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn C. Carney, Jr 56.8% 173,543
     Republican Glen Urquhart 41% 125,442
     Independent Party of Delaware Earl R. Lofland 1.2% 3,704
     Libertarian Brent A. Wangen 0.6% 1,986
     Blue Enigma Jeffrey Brown 0.3% 961
Total Votes 305,636

2004

Carney won election to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Delaware on November 2, 2004. He defeated James Ursomarso (R), Michael Dore (Independent Party of Delaware) and John Reda (Libertarian).[9]

Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, General Election, 2004
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn C. Carney Jr. 62.1% 218,272
     Republican James Ursomarso 36.3% 127,425
     Independent Party of Delaware Michael Dore 1.2% 4,130
     Libertarian John Reda 0.5% 1,646
Total Votes 351,473

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John C. Carney Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Campaign website

Carney's 2016 campaign website stated the following:

“

Jobs/Economy

The security of every Delaware family depends on good-paying jobs. Delaware’s economic landscape has changed drastically over the last decade, with key manufacturers leaving our state and the DuPont merger with Dow shaking the very identity of Delaware’s economy. Delawareans are right to worry about our economy in transition. But that transition also makes us focus on our strengths, and where we need to improve, as we build the Delaware economy of the future.

That future is an innovation economy, where Delaware is not only the First State when it comes to incorporating a company but also the First State when it comes to growing a company. It means having a thriving financial services sector that creates jobs in technology. It means improving data security. And it means changing how we use banking services. It requires a robust entrepreneurial economy housed at sites like coIN Loft, the Mill, and 1313 Innovation, where Delawareans are developing new products to bring to the market place. It means small businesses up and down Delaware are expanding with new hires. It’s the next generation of biotech, pharma, and agricultural sciences, creating thousands of additional high-paying jobs. And it’s a state that pursues every opportunity to create new manufacturing and blue collar jobs, like at the port of Wilmington, to make sure all Delawareans can earn a livable wage.

John understands that the role of government in promoting a strong economy is to create an environment where businesses can thrive and invest in Delaware. That means moving faster than any other state when it comes to helping locate or grow a business that will create good jobs. It includes a regulatory environment that is fair, thoughtful and timely. Delaware’s current regulatory structure rests on a 40-year-old patchwork of incoEconomynsistent and often inefficient mechanisms to resolve regulatory matters. John wants to modernize this antiquated framework by streamlining redundant and inefficient processes and utilizing technology to increase efficiency and transparency. He knows how. In Congress, John fought hard to successfully change a regulatory burden under the Affordable Care Act that threatened to shift 500 Delaware jobs overseas.

Of course, the real key to our economic future is our people. As businesses compete for the best employees, they will go and grow where the talent is. We need a workforce second to none — one that can compete not only nationally, but globally. John knows that today’s economy evolves at a rapid pace and so do the workforce needs of growing companies. We need to invest more in our people to give every Delawarean who wants to compete for the best jobs the chance to do so. John wants companies to look at Delaware first for their expansion needs, knowing that we will deliver a highly trained workforce ready to hit the ground running.

Education

EducationJohn believes that for too long, students, teachers, and parents have been shuffled from one education reform to another — from standardized test to standardized test. He thinks the best thing we can do to improve Delaware’s education system is to pick a strategy, and stick with it. Our education system, especially in the city, is not serving our kids the way it needs to.

John’s education policy will focus on the following key elements:

Making Sure All Children Get to Kindergarten Ready to Learn

  • Create a Cabinet-level Council to better deliver early childhood education programming.
  • Build stronger connections between early learning and K-12 schools.
  • Maintain support for high quality STARS rated programs.
  • Provide at-risk parents and families with early intervention and coaching from birth through early childhood.

Giving Educators the Tools and Students the Resources They Need

  • Refocus the role of DOE from a regulatory agency to a support agency.
  • Take advantage of the flexibility in Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to set goals and accountability measures that make sense for Delaware.
  • Offer useful and effective professional development to Delaware educators.
  • Develop leadership opportunities to keep high quality teachers in the classroom and supporting other teachers.
  • Create flexibility with state resources so teachers and schools can more effectively address the needs of their students.
  • Break down silos to get social services in schools for students and families.

Ensuring that all students graduate high school and are career and college ready

  • Expand career pathways programs to get more students professional certifications before graduation.
  • Create measures for school and student success based on outcomes, including career readiness.

State Budget/Government Efficiency

One of the most difficult challenges facing our next governor will be balancing the state’s budget. With some of our revenues in decline and the cost of government continuing to grow, John believes it is time to take a fresh look at state spending and how we pay for government.

As a former Secretary of Finance, John knows we can’t continue with business as usual. Increased spending in areas like health care are outpacing our ability to afford it, and crowding out other priorities like improving education and creating jobs. John believes it is time for a “reset” that takes a hard look at spending and revenue. If Delaware state government is going to continue to offer the services it provides to a growing population, and expand in areas where it’s weak, it will need to be more efficient and better able to eliminate unnecessary spending. A sustained focus on efficiency needs to be a permanent fixture of state government and embraced at the highest levels of all three branches of government. And, if we need to raise more revenue, we need an approach that promotes a growing economy, that’s fair to all taxpayers, and that minimizes the burdens on those least able to pay.

A reset for budget spending and revenue won’t be easy, but John is no stranger to tough assignments. As a member of Congress, John was one of only 38 representatives to vote for the Simpson-Bowles plan — a budget proposal that could have reined in our nation’s spending and raised revenue in a balanced way. And he cofounded a bipartisan working group with Republican colleagues to seek out common sense solutions on the federal budget and other tough issues facing Congress.

As governor, John will bring that same leadership to a bipartisan effort, working with business and other community leaders, to get our budget back on track without sacrificing the quality services that so many Delawareans depend on.

The Environment

John knows that the health of our environment has to do with more than our state’s natural resources. It impacts the health of our economy and our physical health as well.

Address climate change and sea level rise: John believes one of the most serious threats facing Delaware is that of climate change and sea level rise. As a coastal state, adapting to and mitigating against sea level rise and global warming is critical, not only for our coastal communities but also for those in low-lying flood-prone areas. This affects our entire state, from residents of Southbridge in Wilmington to farmers in Prime Hook to small business owners in Rehoboth to the roads and bridges in Seaford.

John thinks Delaware’s next Governor needs to lead the fight to coordinate our resources and expertise so that we are as ready as we can be to cope with the effects of sea level rise. Improving our resilience by adopting common-sense practices and investing in natural defenses, like wetlands, dunes, and living shorelines, will reduce risks to communities and businesses, improve wildlife habitat, and ultimately save taxpayers money by reducing expensive cleanup costs. If elected, John would work to spur investments in energy efficiency and clean energy and continue our state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. These efforts will support well-paying manufacturing and construction jobs, lower energy bills, and reduce climate-disrupting air pollution.

Clean up Delaware’s waterways: From the Brandywine and Christina to the Nanticoke and the Inland Bays, our state has some of the most picturesque waterways in America. Yet, more than 90% of them are not safe for drinking, swimming, or fishing. The quality of Delaware’s rivers and bays is of great concern to John. In Congress, he worked hard to advance the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act, and as Governor, John would continue his focus on cleaning up our waterways. By prioritizing investments in water infrastructure and restoration projects, John would help create new tourism and recreational opportunities, spur job creation and urban redevelopment, and increase fish and wildlife populations.

Preserve open space: Because of our beaches and bayshore, cultural heritage sites and state parks, millions of tourists visit Delaware every year. They support tens of thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars of economic activity. John believes we can create more jobs and catalyze private sector investment by prioritizing our tourism economy, including continuing to improve recreational spaces, supporting Open Space and Farmland Preservation funding, advancing the Bayshore Initiative, and completing innovative projects like Fort DuPont.

Clean up old industrial sites: Abandoned facilities and decades-old pollution in our soil pose a danger to our groundwater and overall health. Cleaning up these brownfield sites will remove threats to our drinking water, prepare sites for redevelopment and new job creation, and reduce pressure to develop greenfields.

John wants our children and our children’s children to inherit a Delaware whose natural beauty is preserved and whose environmental resources are protected. As Governor, assuring this type of future for Delaware will be one of John’s priorities.

Healthcare

The cost of healthcare is hitting household pocketbooks hard. Significant increases in premiums plus higher co-pays and deductibles are eating away at the paychecks of hard-working Delawareans. Increasing healthcare costs are now the biggest driver of our growing state budget. John Carney knows that while the Affordable Care Act has made important changes to our nation’s healthcare system, we need to do more to make healthcare more affordable and accessible, while embracing reforms in how we deliver healthcare to bring greater value, quality, and transparency to the system.

As former chairman of Delaware’s Healthcare Commission, and a long-time board member of Delaware’s Cancer Consortium, John has spent years studying our state’s healthcare system and finding ways to improve it. He wants to rein in our state’s runaway health costs by creating policies to encourage healthier lifestyles and better management of chronic diseases among Delawareans. This will require that we continue to make changes to the way the incentives in our current system are aligned, but the result will be healthier individuals who spend less money on healthcare.

For the past decade and a half, John has been a leader in the state’s fight against cancer. As governor, John would continue the work he’s done on Delaware’s Cancer Consortium, increasing cancer screening, reducing disparities among different demographic groups, and lowering cancer mortality rates. We’ve made a lot of progress, but we all have friends and family who have suffered from this terrible disease and there’s much more work to do. John wants our state to embrace the Vice President’s “moonshot” initiative, in response to Beau’s passing, to eradicate cancer deaths by fostering greater collaboration and innovation in research. John agrees with the Vice President — this is the responsibility of the living.

John is also deeply concerned about the opioid and heroin addiction epidemics that are devastating communities across our country, and throughout Delaware. In Congress, John supported important reforms to make government services for combating addiction more effective and better funded. As governor, John will focus on improving access to treatment options to help individuals struggling with addiction, and on innovative strategies to help prevent individuals from becoming addicted in the first place.

Criminal Justice

As a 30-year resident of Wilmington’s Triangle neighborhood, a past chairman of the state’s Criminal Justice Council, and a former member of the Board of Pardons, John Carney has seen our criminal justice system from many perspectives.

And he knows it is a system in need of reform.

Like everyone, John wants to make sure we are keeping dangerous criminals off our streets. But he also knows that rehabilitating offenders and helping them become employed and productive members of society are the keys to safer communities. Even more important is preventing our young people from turning to a life of crime in the first place.

There are no quick or easy solutions. During his campaign for governor, John has met with community members, law enforcement officials, ex-offenders, and school leaders to gather ideas for making our criminal justice system work as it should. As governor, he will work to:

✓ Target our resources on high-risk offenders, so police are keeping a closer eye on those individuals with a history of serious and violent crimes.
✓ End the school-to-prison pipeline by giving young people employment and educational options that keep them off the streets.
✓ Give educators tools to deal with disruptive behavior in the classroom without sending students into the system for minor offenses.
✓ Provide better access to mental health care and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
✓ Allocate police resources with the needs of the community in mind.
✓ Improve education and training programs to prepare inmates for reentry into society.
✓ Work with law enforcement to develop trust within the communities they serve.
✓ And, reexamine our existing gun laws to ensure they give law enforcement the tools they need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.

Agriculture

In Delaware, agriculture accounts for more than $8 billion in economic activity each year. We’ve got 500,000 acres of farmland, 2,500 family farms, and more than 240 million chickens raised per year. Our proximity to population centers along the East Coast helps our agriculture industry thrive. In order to continue to grow our economy, John believes we need to support our farmers and look for new opportunities to expand the agricultural sector in our state.

Improving nutrient management regulations: As Governor, John will work to harmonize our state’s efforts to protect the environment with the need to support our long tradition of being an agricultural engine for the country. Delaware’s farmers are the backbone of our state, particularly in southern Delaware. They are stewards of the land, and they more than anyone understand the importance of robust environmental protections. However, the cost of complying with certain regulations can impose a difficult burden for Delaware’s farmers to meet. That’s why John thinks we need to work with farmers to develop policies that are both practical, and effective. We also need to give farmers the resources they need to be environmentally responsible.

Reducing permitting barriers: In Delaware, poultry is king, with almost all of the grain grown in our state supporting our chicken industry. Yet, the poultry industry has its challenges. We have more than 60 pending farm construction loans totaling $60 million on hold due to permitting and regulatory issues. While we have seen growth in poultry houses, these delays can cause family farmers great hardship when their livelihood depends on being able to grow chickens. John believes we need to work to ensure that regulations and permitting don’t delay families from supporting their small businesses.

Preserving farmland: Delaware first began the farmland preservation program in 1996 and in the ensuing 20 years has seen more than 120,000 acres permanently preserved. As we see decreasing farmland due to development, we need to continue to support the preservation of our farms. Almost our entire grain crop goes toward feeding our chicken industry and, with fewer farms, we will be forced to truck in grain while transportation costs are soaring, leading to increased chicken prices. With the average age of a farm owner in Delaware at 55, John believes we need to ensure that future generations who want to join their family farm are able to continue running these small businesses without huge tax burdens.

Promoting agribusiness: In the past decade, Delaware has seen huge growth in farmers’ markets providing fresh products directly to consumers and has become an economic engine providing more than $3 million in sales in 2015. We have farmers shipping apples to be used at McDonald’s and watermelons for sale in grocery stores across the region, value-added products such as lavender soap, wine, and an assortment of jams and jelly, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. We have growing agribusiness opportunities in Delaware where farms are realizing new funding sources, like value added products. These new ventures promote Delaware products while sustaining farms through the dull months of the winter. Farms in Delaware are even contributing to our tourism economy, like at Lavender Fields in Milton. John believes we need to continue to foster agribusiness in this ever-changing economy to realize the full potential of our agriculture markets.[10]

”
—John Carney's 2016 campaign website[11]

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by John C. Carney Jr.
EndorseeElectionStageOutcome
Bethany Hall-Long  source  (D) Governor of Delaware (2024) PrimaryLost Primary
Kamala D. Harris  source  (D, Working Families Party) President of the United States (2024) PrimaryLost General
Joe Biden  source President of the United States (2024) PrimaryWithdrew in Convention
Eugene Young  source U.S. House Delaware At-large District (2024) PrimaryWithdrew in Primary
Joe Biden  source  (D, Working Families Party) President of the United States (2020) Won General
Hillary Clinton  source  (D) President of the United States (2016) PrimaryLost General

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

John C. Carney Jr. campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2014U.S. House (Delaware)Won $1,165,083 N/A**
2012U.S. House (Delaware)Won $1,526,892 N/A**
2010U.S. House (Delaware)Won $2,138,565 N/A**
Grand total$4,830,540 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2015-2016

Carney served on the following committees:[12]

2013-2014

Carney served on the following committees:[13]

2011-2012

Carney served on the following committees:[14]

Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

114th Congress

113th Congress

Personal Gain Index

Congressional Personal Gain Index graphic.png
See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives
Net Worth Metric graphic.png

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Carney's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $211,029 and $890,000. That averages to $550,514, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Carney ranked as the 260th most wealthy representative in 2012.[82] Between 2009 and 2012, Carney's calculated net worth[83] increased by an average of 13 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[84]

John C. Carney Jr. Yearly Net Worth
YearAverage Net Worth
2009$397,053
2012$550,514
Growth from 2009 to 2012:39%
Average annual growth:13%[85]
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[86]
The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). Carney received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 2009-2014, 35.67 percent of Carney's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.[87]

Donation Concentration Metric graphic.png
John Carney Jr. Campaign Contributions
Total Raised $4,573,235
Total Spent $3,706,268
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms$658,062
Securities & Investment$299,720
Insurance$289,045
Real Estate$200,394
Commercial Banks$183,950
% total in top industry14.39%
% total in top two industries20.94%
% total in top five industries35.67%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Carney was a centrist Democrat as of July 2014. In June 2013, Carney was rated as a "centrist Democratic follower."[88]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Carney voted with the Democratic Party 93.3 percent of the time, which ranked 98th among the 204 House Democratic members as of July 2014.[89]

2013

Carney voted with the Democratic Party 91.3 percent of the time, which ranked 163rd among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[90]

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.[91]

Carney most often votes with:

Carney least often votes with:


Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, John C. Carney Jr. missed 98 of 3,315 roll call votes from January 2011 to September 2015. This amounted to 3 percent, which was higher than the median of 2.2 percent among representatives as of September 2015.[92]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Carney paid his congressional staff a total of $849,981 in 2011. He ranked 15th on the list of the lowest paid Democratic representative staff salaries and ranked 97th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Delaware ranked 43rd in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[93]

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Carney ranked 157th in the liberal rankings in 2013.[94]

2012

Carney ranked 152nd in the liberal rankings in 2012.[95]

2011

Carney ranked 156th in the liberal rankings in 2011.[96]

Ballot measure activity

Ballotpedia is not aware of any personal political advocacy by this officeholder related to ballot measures we track. If you are aware of any, please email us.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Carney lives in Wilmington with his wife, Tracey. They have two children.[2]

See also

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Office of the Governor, "About Governor John Carney," accessed July 10, 2024
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "CARNEY, John C., Jr.," accessed July 10, 2024 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content
    3. ↑ Associated Press, "Gov. Carney reflects on time as Delaware governor during his final State of the State address," March 5, 2024
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "CARNEY, John C., Jr., (1956 - )," accessed May 12, 2021
    5. ↑ WBOC, "Congressman John Carney Says he Intends to Run for Del. Governor," September 16, 2015
    6. ↑ The News Journal, "Sen. Colin Bonini recommits to Delaware governor campaign," November 23, 2015
    7. ↑ Delaware Division of Elections, "Election Results," accessed June 7, 2013
    8. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
    9. ↑ Delaware Commissioner of Elections, "2004 Election Results," accessed February 12, 2012
    10. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    11. ↑ John Carney's 2016 campaign website, "Vision for Delaware," archived April 1, 2017
    12. ↑ U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, "Committee Information," accessed February 18, 2015
    13. ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed March 3, 2013
    14. ↑ United States Congressman John Carney, Representing Delaware, the First State, "Full Biography," archived November 6, 2012
    15. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 113th Congress," accessed April 29, 2015
    16. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 114th Congress," accessed January 5, 2017
    17. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress," April 13, 2015
    18. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 361," June 12, 2015
    19. ↑ Roll Call, "Deadline for TAA Do-Over Vote Extended to July 30 (Updated)," June 15, 2015
    20. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 362," June 12, 2015
    21. ↑ Roll Call, "Deadline for TAA Do-Over Vote Extended to July 30 (Updated)," June 15, 2015
    22. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 374," June 18, 2015
    23. ↑ Politico, "Trade turnaround: House backs new power for Obama," June 18, 2015
    24. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 388," June 24, 2015
    25. ↑ The Hill, "Obama signs trade bills," June 29, 2015
    26. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 239," accessed May 27, 2015
    27. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R. 1735," accessed May 27, 2015
    28. ↑ The Hill, "Redone defense policy bill sails through House," accessed November 12, 2015
    29. ↑ Congress.gov, "S. 1356," accessed November 12, 2015
    30. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 618," accessed November 12, 2015
    31. ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1356)," accessed November 12, 2015
    32. ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Con.Res.11," accessed May 5, 2015
    33. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 183," accessed May 5, 2015
    34. ↑ The Hill, "Republicans pass a budget, flexing power of majority," accessed May 5, 2015
    35. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015," accessed November 1, 2015
    36. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 579," accessed November 1, 2015
    37. ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1314)," accessed November 1, 2015
    38. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.1191 - Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015," accessed May 16, 2015
    39. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 226," accessed May 16, 2015
    40. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 3461," accessed September 11, 2015
    41. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 493," accessed September 11, 2015
    42. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 3460," accessed September 10, 2015
    43. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 494," accessed September 11, 2015
    44. ↑ Congress.gov, "H Res 411," accessed September 10, 2015
    45. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 492," accessed September 10, 2015
    46. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 597," accessed November 2, 2015
    47. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 576," accessed November 2, 2015
    48. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2048," accessed May 26, 2015
    49. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 224," accessed May 26, 2015
    50. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 36 - the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," accessed May 16, 2015
    51. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "HR 36," accessed May 16, 2015
    52. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1731," accessed November 2, 2015
    53. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 173," accessed November 2, 2015
    54. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1560 - Protecting Cyber Networks Act," accessed November 1, 2015
    55. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 170," accessed November 1, 2015
    56. ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 4038 - the American SAFE Act of 2015," accessed November 20, 2015
    57. ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 643," accessed November 20, 2015
    58. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, First Session of the 112th Congress," accessed September 5, 2013
    59. ↑ Congressional Record, "Resume of Congressional Activity, Second Session of the 113th Congress," accessed March 4, 2014
    60. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "HR 2217 - DHS Appropriations Act of 2014 - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    61. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Amendment - Amendment Rejected (House) (176-239) - May 22, 2013(Key vote)," accessed September 18, 2013
    62. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.624 - Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act," accessed May 13, 2021
    63. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "HR 624 - CISPA (2013) - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    64. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "HR 1960 - Authorizes Military Sexual Assault Victims to Decide who Determines Their Case - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    65. ↑ Clerk of U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 31: H.R. 2642," accessed February 12, 2014
    66. ↑ Politico, "House clears farm bill," accessed February 12, 2014
    67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 NY Times, "Senate Passes Long-Stalled Farm Bill, With Clear Winners and Losers," accessed February 12, 2014
    68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 CNN.com, "House passes compromise $1.1 trillion budget for 2014," accessed January 20, 2014
    69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 69.2 U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 21," accessed January 20, 2014
    70. ↑ Roll Call, "Omnibus Sails Through the Senate," January 16, 2014
    71. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
    72. ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
    73. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
    74. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
    75. ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
    76. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "HR 273 - Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    77. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "H Amdt 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    78. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "H Amdt 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    79. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013 - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    80. ↑ Project Vote Smart, "H Amdt 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act - Key Vote," accessed September 18, 2013
    81. ↑ U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013
    82. ↑ OpenSecrets, "John Carney (D-Del), 2012," accessed February 18, 2014
    83. ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth from either 2004 (if the member entered office in 2004 or earlier) or the member's first year in office (as noted in the chart below).
    84. ↑ This number was found by dividing each member's total net worth growth percentage by the number of years included in the calculation.
    85. ↑ This figure represents the total percentage growth divided by the number of years for which there are net worth figures for each member.
    86. ↑ This figure was calculated using median asset data from the Census Bureau. Please see the Congressional Net Worth data for Ballotpedia spreadsheet for more information on this calculation.
    87. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Rep. John Carney," accessed September 22, 2014
    88. ↑ GovTrack, "Carney," accessed July 21, 2014
    89. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
    90. ↑ OpenCongress, "Voting With Party," accessed July 2014
    91. ↑ OpenCongress, "Rep. John Carney," archived February 25, 2016
    92. ↑ GovTrack, "John C. Carney Jr.," accessed September 23, 2015
    93. ↑ LegiStorm, "John Carney," accessed August 21, 2012
    94. ↑ National Journal, "2013 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed July 18, 2014
    95. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," accessed February 27, 2013
    96. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," accessed February 23, 2012

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