Bethany A. Hall-Long (born November 12, 1963) is an American politician 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]
Bethany Hall-Long | |
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26th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware | |
Assumed office January 17, 2017 | |
Governor | John Carney |
Preceded by | Matt Denn |
Member of the Delaware Senate from the 10th district | |
In office November 5, 2008 – November 9, 2016 | |
Preceded by | Steven H. Amick |
Succeeded by | Stephanie Hansen |
Member of the Delaware House of Representatives from the 8th district | |
In office November 6, 2002 – November 5, 2008 | |
Preceded by | David Brady |
Succeeded by | Quinn Johnson |
Personal details | |
Born | Sussex County, Delaware, U.S. | November 12, 1963
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Thomas Jefferson University (BSN) Medical University of South Carolina (MSN) George Mason University (PhD) |
Website | Official website |
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]
Hall-Long met her husband Dana 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.[15]