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Colin Rafferty Marie Jude Bonini (born April 14, 1965) is an American politician. He is a member of the Republican Party and serves in the Delaware Senate representing the 16th district.
Early life and career
Born April 14, 1965, Bonini is the son of Charles Bonini and Cissie Bonini Rafferty, who were both professors at Stanford University. He has six siblings, including an identical twin brother, Griffin Bonini, who is a Superior Court judge in Santa Clara County, California.
Bonini received his B.A. from Wesley College in 1991. While in school, he worked for Bill Roth and the U.S. State Department in New Delhi, India. In 2001, he married Melissa Harrington, a biology professor at Delaware State University. They live together near Dover.
Political career
Bonini was elected in 1994 to represent the 16th District in the Delaware Senate. 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.
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.
2016 gubernatorial campaign
Bonini announced he would run for governor shortly after the 2014 elections. He stated that his campaign would focus on fixing the state's "significant systemic and fundamental problems." Although facing a significant obstacle as a Republican running statewide in the heavily Democratic state, Bonini said, "I am in it to win it. Delawareans deserve an election, not a coronation."
Bonini competed with former state trooper Lacey Lafferty in the Republican primary election, which he won with 70% of the vote. He lost to U.S. Congressman John Carney in the general election, garnering less than 40% of the vote.
