Patricia "Patti" Blevins

Patricia M. Blevins was born on February 21, 1954, in Wilmington, Delaware, according to Vote Smart and Ballotpedia. She was widely known as Patti. She attended Mount Pleasant High School. Details about her parents and siblings have not been made public.

Blevins graduated from Mount Pleasant High School and went on to Temple University in Philadelphia, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1975.

Blevins began her public career on the Elsmere Town Council and served as mayor of Elsmere between 1985 and 1990. In 1990 she was elected to the Delaware Senate for the 7th District, succeeding Robert T. Still, and she held the seat for 26 years.

She served as Majority Whip from 2007 to 2009 and Majority Leader from 2009 to 2012. In November 2012 the Senate Democratic Caucus chose her as President Pro Tempore-elect, with Sen. David McBride replacing her as Majority Leader. The full Senate confirmed her at a special session at the start of the 147th General Assembly in 2013, and she held the post until her term ended in early 2017. Delaware Online described her as the second woman in the state to hold the chamber's highest leadership position.

Outside the legislature she worked in the nonprofit sector, as branch director at Girls Incorporated (1998 to 2001) and executive director of Delaware Helpline (2001 to 2010). She also sat on the board of the Riverfront Development Corporation and co-chaired the Kids Caucus and the Little Mill Flood Abatement Committee.

Blevins was best known for her work against domestic violence. She helped create and for years chaired the Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, and she sponsored legislation including the Address Confidentiality Program (operational in October 2011), which allows survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to use a substitute address, and Senate Bill 70 of 2013, which added a Court of Common Pleas seat to the council.

She spearheaded the creation of the Office of the Child Advocate and led efforts to pass the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, which requires children to have a blood lead test at or around 12 months of age. She authored the law that directed Delaware's tobacco Master Settlement Agreement money into the dedicated Delaware Health Fund. Delaware Public Media reported that she championed women's reproductive health rights, equal pay and marriage equality, and she was President Pro Tempore when Delaware passed marriage equality in 2013.

From 2012 she chaired the state Animal Welfare Task Force, whose recommendations led the General Assembly to create the Office of Animal Welfare in 2013.

Blevins lost her Senate seat in November 2016 by 282 votes to Republican newcomer Anthony Delcollo. On January 11, 2017, the Division of Public Health announced her as executive director of the Office of Animal Welfare, starting January 30, 2017. Republican leaders called the appointment cronyism, while health officials said they had conducted a national search. She retired at the end of June 2017, after about five months, to spend more time with her family, and deputy director Christina Motoyoshi became acting director.

Blevins lived in Elsmere, Delaware. She was married to Michael Blevins, and public biographies list two children, whose names have not been made public in obituary coverage. Vote Smart lists her religion as Catholic. She was a longtime animal advocate and appeared in a 2020 video for Faithful Friends Animal Society.

Blevins described her focus as protecting the vulnerable: survivors of domestic violence, children and animals. Colleagues said she led by trust and respect. Senate leaders recalled that she encouraged colleagues to lead in their own areas of expertise and often sought the counsel of her staff. On economic issues she spoke of the need to watch revenues, balance budgets and create jobs.

Blevins was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women in 2004. In February 2016 the harness racing program Post Time with Heather Vitale gave her a Special Appreciation Award, recalling her 1994 vote for the video lottery legislation that boosted purses for Delaware harness racing and her vote to reauthorize it four years later. In 2018 she was featured in the Red Clay Hall of Fame honours, according to a video published by EDtv. After her death Governor Matt Meyer ordered state flags lowered to half-staff in her honor.

Her January 2017 appointment as director of the Office of Animal Welfare, weeks after losing her Senate seat, drew criticism from Delaware Republicans, who called it political favoritism and an example of the Delaware Way. Reports noted the $84,000 salary was higher than her pay as President Pro Tempore. The Division of Public Health said it had contacted some 70 other candidates in a national search. She retired from the post after about five months.

Tributes credited Blevins with building lasting foundations in Delaware law on domestic violence, child protection, health and animal welfare. House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown and House Democratic leaders said her work created a strong foundation for protecting victims of domestic violence and abuse, honoring marriage and gender equality and fighting cancer. Senate leaders said she commanded respect because she showed it, and that her staff remained loyal to her long after her Senate service ended.

Blevins's death at age 72 was announced on October 7, 2026, by Delaware Online, Delaware Public Media and the Office of the Governor. The exact date, place and cause of death were not made public in those reports. Governor Matt Meyer ordered the Delaware state flag lowered to half-staff, and statements of condolence came from Senate and House Democratic leaders and U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester.