Gay civil rights lawyer launches insurgent challenge to Delaware attorney general

A prominent gay civil rights attorney is launching a primary challenge against Delaware’s sitting attorney general, setting up what could become one of the state’s most closely watched Democratic contests this year.

Dwayne Bensing, the legal director of the ACLU of Delaware and a longtime LGBTQ+ advocate, announced Sunday that he is running for Delaware attorney general, challenging incumbent Democrat Kathy Jennings, who is seeking a third term.

Bensing made the announcement during the Delaware Stonewall PAC Spring Fundraiser in Rehoboth Beach. His campaign is a challenge to entrenched political power and corporate influence at a moment when civil rights battles are increasingly unfolding through state attorneys general's offices nationwide.

“We cannot solve the challenges we face today with yesterday’s playbook,” Bensing said in a press release announcing his candidacy.

Bensing, 42, said his campaign will focus on tackling corporate greed, ensuring independent government oversight, and protecting civil rights.

“From the classroom to the courtroom, I have proven throughout my career that I will always stand up for what is right,” Bensing said.

The race is expected to test whether Delaware Democrats are looking for a more confrontational progressive approach at a time when LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive healthcare, public education, and government accountability have become increasingly central issues in Democratic politics.

Bensing joined the ACLU of Delaware in 2020 after serving in both the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Before becoming a lawyer, he taught middle school science and social studies in Philadelphia public schools as a Teach For America corps member, following his 2006 selection as a Truman Scholar.

His legal work in Delaware has included litigation and advocacy involving education equity, voting rights, free speech, prison conditions, and police accountability. In recent years, Bensing and the ACLU of Delaware have challenged alleged abuse inside state prisons and sued over policing practices in Wilmington.

Bensing also gained national attention during the Trump administration after raising concerns about how the Department of Education handled civil rights issues involving transgender students.

Now, he is presenting that background as a contrast to what he characterizes as political complacency.

“I’m running to be an attorney general who doesn’t owe the status quo any favors,” Bensing said.

Jennings has served as Delaware attorney general since 2019 and is running for reelection in 2026.

“I’m proud of Dwayne for running. He’s exactly the type of leader we need in this moment, when too often corporate special interests have a more influential voice than most citizens,” said Tara Sheldon, a board member of Delaware Stonewall PAC.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Dwayne over the last several years as he’s led Delaware Stonewall,” Sheldon added. “If there is anyone who can take on the status quo and win, it’s Dwayne Bensing.”