Meet Chris Beardsley
A proud Delawarean, a former Federal employee, Peace Corps volunteer, and Americorps member running for U.S. Senate because you deserve leaders who understand how the decisions they make impact all of us.
Biography
I was born in Wilmington in 1993, and no matter where life has taken me, Delaware has always been home. I grew up here, shaped by communities where people looked out for each other regardless of background — from the state parks I ran through as a cross country athlete, to the beaches I brought my friends to. This state gave me a lot, and I've spent my life trying to give back.
That commitment is something I carried beyond Delaware and to the rest of the world. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda from 2016 to 2018, I lived in the community, learned the language, and built friendships that have lasted years. As a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa in 2020, I deepened my understanding of how historical injustice shapes the present. Both experiences left me with a profound sense of gratitude and accountability.
When COVID-19 hit, that accountability became urgent. As an AmeriCorps member and Safe Return to School Coordinator with Colonial School District, I connected students to learning pods, developed focus groups for Black and Brown teachers facing high attrition, and created a district-wide workgroup supporting LGBTQIA+ students.
From 2021 to 2023, I attended Syracuse University, earning a dual master's in Public Administration and International Relations. I also participated in the National Security Education Program in Tanzania, where I lived in Arusha and studied Swahili, reinforcing my belief in the power of community connection.
After graduating, I joined the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Homelessness has touched my own family, so this work was personal. But watching the Trump administration dismantle these institutions made one thing clear: we need leaders who actually care about working people.
Rising costs, growing homelessness, a fraying safety net — Delaware deserves leadership that refuses to leave people behind.
Why I’m Running
Growing up queer in a blended family split across state lines taught me early that community extends beyond your household. It's your neighbors, your chosen family, the people who show up when things get hard. That understanding has guided everything I've done since.
Over the past decade, I've witnessed our communities face unimaginable burdens. People are losing jobs at every stage of their careers and sliding toward chronic homelessness. Funding for bombs remains unabated. Politicians protect their personal ambitions rather than us. American democracy is crumbling, and no one at the wheel faces accountability.
Our leaders are too comfortable. They take our votes for granted while our situation worsens. We cannot trust the old guard who slow-walked us to this moment to resolve the crisis they created.
I've spent my life standing up for people forgotten by those in power: from protesting genocide abroad to working inside our own government. I know firsthand how systems fail people who are doing everything right.
I'm running for U.S. Senate because Delaware deserves a government that values people over profit, truth over convenience, and peace over war. I'm done waiting for someone else to fight for us.