| Bethany Hall-Long | |
| Office: | Governor of Delaware |
| Status: | Designate |
| Term Start: | January 7, 2025 |
| Succeeding: | John Carney |
| Predecessor: | John Carney |
| Office1: | 26th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware |
| Governor1: | John Carney |
| Term Start1: | January 17, 2017 |
| Predecessor1: | Matthew Denn |
| State Senate2: | Delaware |
| District2: | 10th |
| Term Start2: | November 5, 2008 |
| Term End2: | November 9, 2016 |
| Predecessor2: | Steven H. Amick |
| Successor2: | Stephanie Hansen |
| State House3: | Delaware |
| District3: | 8th |
| Term Start3: | November 6, 2002 |
| Term End3: | November 5, 2008 |
| Predecessor3: | David Brady |
| Successor3: | S. Quinton Johnson |
| Birth Date: | 12 November 1963 |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | Thomas Jefferson University (BSN) Medical University of South Carolina (MSN) George Mason University (PhD) |
Bethany A. Hall-Long (born November 12, 1963) is an American politician who has served as the 26th lieutenant governor of Delaware since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Hall-Long previously served in the Delaware Senate from 2008 to 2016 and in the Delaware House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008.[1]
In April 2024, she announced her candidacy for governor of Delaware in 2024 but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Matt Meyer. She is expected to assume the governorship when John Carney resigns to become mayor of Wilmington and complete the remaining two weeks of Carney's term.
Hall-Long was born on November 12, 1963, in Sussex County. She is a descendant of David Hall, the 15th governor of Delaware. She was raised on a farm with her two older brothers and attended Indian River High School. She earned a BSN from Thomas Jefferson University, an MSN from the Medical University of South Carolina, and a PhD in health policy and nursing administration from George Mason University.[2]
Hall-Long began a teaching career at George Mason University before moving to the University of Delaware, where she is a professor of nursing.[3]
Hall-Long was elected Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 2016, taking office on January 17, 2017. She helped create a Behavioral Health Consortium in June 2017, which she now chairs.[4] The consortium's role is to develop short-term and long-term plans to address addiction and mental health issues in Delaware.[5] In 2018, Pew Charitable Trusts partnered with the Consortium to help increase access to opioid treatment.[6] In June 2022 Hall-Long worked with state senator Sarah McBride and state representative Melissa Minor-Brown to secure $3.2 million in funding from the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services for the first in-patient addiction treatment facility for pregnant and parenting women in Delaware.[7] She was reelected in 2020 over Republican Donyale Hall.
She served as Chair of the National Lieutenant Governor's Association from 2020 to 2021.[8]
See also: 2024 Delaware gubernatorial election. In April 2024, Hall-Long announced her candidacy for governor of Delaware, joining New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and former Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara in the Democratic primary race.[9] She faced controversy when her campaign team discovered that she has provided more than $200,000 in undisclosed payments to her husband, Dana Long.[10] She eventually amended seven years of campaign finance reports in response to the scandal. Meyer ultimately won the primary and went on to win the general election.
Despite losing her gubernatorial bid, Hall-Long is expected to become the 75th governor of Delaware in January 2025 when incumbent Governor John Carney resigns early to become mayor of Wilmington. She is expected to serve the remaining two weeks of Carney's term before being succeeded by Meyer.[11]
Hall-Long met her husband, Dana Long, while in high school, and they married in 1987. Dana served in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1991 as a data systems technician. On October 30, 2014, he was arrested after being caught on video taking down political signs erected by Republicans.[12]
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