Cape Gazette, January 30, 2008

Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn filed a finance committee report on Tuesday, Jan. 22, a move indicating he will run for lieutenant governor this year.

“Technically, the way you start raising money is by changing the purpose of your fundraising committee. I did that in January,” said Denn. Although Denn has not yet made his bid official, he said he has more than $375,000 cash in hand. “I am running and we had a great year,” said Denn, who has served as the state’s insurance commissioner since 2005.

Denn said he has a proven record as insurance commissioner.

“I’ve kept the promises I made when I ran for insurance commissioner. I do what I say I’m going to do when I run,” he said. “No. 1, I promised to try to control the cost of insurance. Auto rates were in the double digits before I took office. They’ve remained flat or been down over the last three years.

“The other thing I said I want to do is keep patient insurance rates down.

“We have one of the nation’s toughest use of laws of credit when it comes to setting insurance rates. We’ve put in place much stricter laws that treat how people make claims,” he said.

Denn said as lieutenant governor, he would pay special attention to children in Delaware.

He will officially announce his candidacy in the spring when he will kick off a three county tour.

Wilmington City Council President Ted Blunt announced nearly a year ago – in February, 2007 – that he’s in the running for lieutenant governor. Blunt has worked as an administrator in the Red Clay school district and since 1984 has served on Wilmington City Council, becoming president in 2001.

Delaware Democratic Party Communications Director Joe Sheeran said, so far, the party has endorsed no candidates for lieutenant governor. Candidates for statewide office have until Friday, July 25, to file. The Democratic primary will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9.