Jonathan Starkey

The News Journal

Republicans have found a candidate for attorney general. Ted Kittila, a Wilmington corporate lawyer, said Tuesday he will challenge Lt. Gov. Matt Denn this November to fill the vacancy created by outgoing Attorney General Beau Biden.

Kittila, who, like Denn, has no experience as a prosecutor, made the rounds at Legislative Hall on Tuesday, meeting with Republicans in the state House and Senate to announce his candidacy. He has not yet formally filed paperwork with the state elections commissioner.

In an interview on Tuesday, Kittila said an attorney general race "has been in the back of my mind for a very long time."

"An attorney general for the state of Delaware needs to be a really good attorney," Kittila said. "I do have a passion for making sure that streets are safe. I want to make sure that my children are protected, and I want a sense of fair play to dominate throughout the state of Delaware."

Kittila called Denn a "very fine individual. He's a very fine politician. I think he is focused on politics, and I think that's terrific. I'm focused on practicing law. That's what I do on a daily basis."

UPDATE: Denn responded Tuesday, defending his own experience and saying he welcomes Kittila's candidacy.

"I have practiced law in every court in the State of Delaware, representing both businesses and people with few resources or who couldn't afford an attorney," Denn said. "I have worked to improve the public safety system as chair of the Criminal Justice Council. I have experience protecting consumers as Insurance Commissioner, protecting children as Chair of the Child Protection Accountability Commission and getting laws passed as Insurance Commissioner and Lieutenant Governor to help families, businesses, schools and kids. I look forward to talking about my experience and ideas."

RELATED: Markell helps bankroll Denn's attorney general bid

Kittila, a Seaford native, is managing member of the Wilmington-based Greenhill Law Group and has represented a range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to Delaware homeowners facing foreclosures, he said Tuesday. He's a former chair of the International Section of the Delaware State Bar Association, and in 2009, the Judicial Nominating Commission sent Kittila's name to Gov. Jack Markell to be considered for a Chancery Court judgeship.

Kittila was not the Republicans' first pick to run for attorney general.

Party leaders pursued former U.S. Attorney Colm Connolly after Biden announced he would not seek a third term to focus on a race for governor in 2016. Connolly decided against running, saying last month that "ultimately, I decided that it was not in the best interests of my family and four kids to be a political candidate at this point in time."

Kittila will face a dramatic registration disadvantage in November against Denn, a proven politician who has won statewide races three times. Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 125,000 voters across Delaware.

John Fluharty, executive director of the Delaware GOP, accompanied Kittila to Legislative Hall on Tuesday. But the party will not endorse in a primary should another candidate materialize, Fluharty said.

Contact Jonathan Starkey at 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.