April McClain Delaney | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's6th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | David Trone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April Lynn McClain (1964-05-28)May 28, 1964 (age 61) Buhl, Idaho, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Northwestern University (BS) Georgetown University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
McClain Delaney onactions against the federal government by the Department of Government Efficiency. Recorded February 5, 2025 | |
April Lynn McClain Delaney[1] (née McClain; born May 28, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician who is a member of theU.S. House of Representatives representingMaryland's 6th congressional district since 2025. She previously served as the deputy administrator of theNational Telecommunications and Information Administration from 2022 to 2023.
A member of theDemocratic Party, in 2024 McClain Delaney won theU.S. House of Representatives election inMaryland's 6th congressional district after prevailing in a crowded primary and defeating Republican former state delegateNeil Parrott in the general election. She is the wife of former CongressmanJohn Delaney, who represented the 6th district from 2013 to 2019.
April McClain was born inBuhl, Idaho,[2] on May 28, 1964,[3][4] to father Thomas McClain, a potato farmer,[2] and mother Laurel McClain.[5] She graduated fromBuhl High School in 1982. After accompanying her father on a business trip toChicago and visitingNorthwestern University, she would later attend the school on a scholarship, graduating in 1986 with aBachelor of Science degree in communications.[6][4] She is a member of theKappa Kappa Gamma sorority[7] and theNorthwestern Alumni Association and has returned to the university for volunteer work.[8] She later earned aJuris Doctor from theGeorgetown University Law Center in 1989.[4] She and her husband, whom she met at the university, founded the Delaney Post-Graduate Residency Program to help graduate students enter private practice.[9]
McClain Delaney practiced as amedia lawyer for much of her career. In 2006, she founded the Washington, D.C. division ofCommon Sense Media, a nonprofit advocacy group focusing on the effects of online and televised media on children, serving as the division director.[10][11] She was appointed by presidentJoe Biden in January 2022 to theDepartment of Commerce, serving as the deputy administrator of theNational Telecommunications and Information Administration until her resignation in September 2023.[12]
While John was a member of Congress, McClain Delaney served as the chair of theCongressional Club's First Lady Luncheon and was a co-chairwoman for theNational Prayer Breakfast. She also played an "abnormally active" role in her husband's2020 presidential campaign,[13] during which she criticized the role of social media in theDemocratic primaries, saying that the platforms' focus on the divisive political climate limited Delaney's centrist message.[2]
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In September 2023,MoCo360 reported that McClain Delaney would be resigning from the NTIA to run for Congress inMaryland's 6th congressional district, succeeding incumbentDavid Trone, who retired from his seat torun for the U.S. Senate.[14] She officially announced her candidacy on October 25, 2023. The 6th district was represented by her husband from 2013 to 2019, until he chose to retire to focus on his2020 presidential campaign.[11] McClain Delaney joined a primary field that would ultimately consist of 16 candidates, including other elected and appointed officials. She received support from formerSpeaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi during her primary campaign, as well as theUnited Auto Workers labor union andThe Washington Post.[15][16][10]
McClain Delaney significantly led her primary opponents in fundraising, accumulating over $2 million in campaign funds, with more than $1 million being self-funded from McClain Delaney's personal wealth.[17] Opposing primary candidateJoe Vogel, who was described byMaryland Matters as a frontrunner in the race alongside McClain Delaney,[18] criticized her use of private loans to fund the campaign, accusing her of "buy[ing] her way to victory." McClain Delaney's campaign responded by accusing Vogel of being funded by "dark money" and running an "old, tired, negative campaign."[19]
McClain Delaney prevailed in the May 14 primary election, earning 40.4 percent of the vote; Vogel followed in second with 26.3 percent. Her opponent for the November 5 general election was RepublicanNeil Parrott, a formerstate delegate who was making his third run for the seat.[20][21] The election for the 6th district was expected to be the most competitive in the state.[22] In the general election, McClain Delaney highlighted her experience in the U.S. Department of Commerce and criticized Parrott's stances on abortion, antisemitism, and LGBTQ issues.[23] She also continued to self-fund her campaign in the general election, loaning her campaign an additional $1.998 million and outspending Parrott 5-to-1.[24] On November 8, 2024,CNN declared McClain Delaney the winner of the 6th district election, narrowly defeating Parrott.[25] She andSarah Elfreth are the first women to represent Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2016, whenDonna Edwards retired to unsuccessfullyrun for the U.S. Senate.[26]
On October 30, 2025, McClain Delaney announced that she would run for re-election to a second term.[27]
McClain Delaney was sworn in on January 3, 2025.[28] Before the119th Congress, McClain Delaney unsuccessfully ran for freshman class president, losing to Arizona freshman U.S. RepresentativeYassamin Ansari, who was elected 23–10.[29]
In July 2025,The Baltimore Sun described McClain Delaney as the wealthiest member of Maryland's congressional delegation, with her disclosure forms including three joint investments worth $5 million to $25 million and bank stock in Forbright, Inc., a holding company founded by her husband valued at $25 million to $50 million. She does not buy or sell stocks, instead assigning a third party discretion to make trades on her behalf.[30]
During the 119th Congress, McClain Delaney serves on the following committees:[31][32]
Shannon Bream ofFox News described her as acentrist Democrat.[37]
McClain Delaney supports providing additional funding to "effective and accountable policing policies" and officer training, and encouraging community policing. She said she wished to "address some of the root causes of crime by tackling the mental health crisis, investing in prevention solutions, and keeping dangerous weapons off our streets and out of the wrong hands".[4]
In July 2025, after PresidentDonald Trump said that he wanted the newFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters to be theRonald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., overturning a 2023General Services Administration decision selectingGreenbelt, Maryland, as the location for the FBI's new headquarters, McClain Delaney signed onto a letter saying that she and other Maryland lawmakers would "be fighting back against this proposal with every tool we have".[38]
McClain Delaney supports theBlueprint for Maryland's Future,[39]universal pre-kindergarten, freecommunity college, and expanding skills training programs in schools.[4] She also supports having the federal government work with state colleges to establish workforce development to bring down the cost of higher education, and working with students to fight against predatory student loans.[40]
McClain Delaney supports increasing funding for theEnvironmental Protection Agency[39] and climate science research, as well as providing tax incentives for investments in decarbonization technologies.[4] She also supports efforts to transition the United States to agreen economy andelectric vehicles.[41]
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McClain Delaney supportsderegulation for small businesses.[42] She also supports cutting regulations foraffordable housing construction,[43] and usingantitrust laws to foster competition between grocery companies.[44] McClain Delaney has blamed both Democrats and Republicans for increases to thenational debt of the United States and expressed support for deficit reduction through strategic budget cuts, waste elimination, and reforms toSocial Security,Medicare, andMedicaid.[41]
McClain Delaney opposed efforts by theTrump administration and theDepartment of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut federal spending andfire tens of thousands of federal workers, describing the actions taken by Trump and DOGE administratorElon Musk as "lawless" and encouraging federal workers affected by layoffs to contact her office for resources.[45] In August 2025, she wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of AgricultureBrooke Rollins calling for an investigation into "DOGE's interference" at theFarm Service Agency, citing anNPR report that DOGE representatives accessed a sensitive agency-run database that controls government loans and payments to farmers and ranchers.[46]
In October 2025, McClain Delaney opposed the2025 United States federal government shutdown, expressing concerns about its impacts on federal workers and calling on Trump to end the shutdown.[47] During the shutdown, she donated her congressional pay to local nonprofits affected by cuts to theSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).[48] In November 2025, McClain Delaney said she would vote against the bipartisan Senate agreement to end the shutdown.[49]
McClain Delaney supports strengtheningNATO, promoting U.S. economic interests abroad, and leading on issues likeclimate change to counter foreign policy challenges fromChina,Russia, and theMiddle East.[50]
In June 2025, after theAmerican strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, McClain Delaney said that she was thankful that the strikes were successful as she believed a "nuclear-enabled Iran" would pose a "grave risk to American and global security", but expressed concerns with presidents' use of theAuthorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 to conduct military strikes without congressional approval.[51][52]
In October 2023, amid theHamas-led attack on Israel earlier that month, McClain Delaney expressed support for Israel and its right to defend itself, supported a letter calling on Egypt to create humanitarian zones in theGaza Strip, and urged Congress to pass legislation providing additional humanitarian aid and assistance toIsraeli missile defense systems. She also condemned anti-Israel rhetorics on college campuses and supported calls by New York Attorney GeneralLetitia James for increased moderation on social media platforms to remove hate speech and propaganda associated with the Hamas attacks.[53] McClain Delaney said she was sympathetic to the loss of civilian lives in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon,[43] but opposes calls for an immediate ceasefire in theGaza war and conditioningU.S. military aid to Israel.[54] She also condemnedpro-Palestinian protests on university campuses and called on university presidents, law enforcement, and political leaders to protect Jewish students attending schools with ongoing protests.[55]
In January 2025, McClain Delaney was one of 45 Democrats to vote for a bill to place sanctions on theInternational Criminal Court forissuing arrest warrants againstBenjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense MinisterYoav Gallant. Following the vote, she signed onto a letter to the president of the ICC calling on the court to rescind its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.[56]
During the Congressional summer recess of 2025, McClain Delaney was supposed to attend anAIPAC-sponsored trip to Israel, but decided not to go because she would've arrived after other attending lawmakers.[57]
McClain Delaney supports providingaid to Ukraine in theRusso-Ukrainian War.[43] In February 2025, she criticized comments made by PresidentDonald Trump blaming Ukraine forRussia's invasion and calling Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator, saying that his comments were insulting to soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in the war.[58]
During her 2024 congressional campaign, McClain Delaney supported "common sense gun legislation" such asuniversal background checks,assault weapon bans, andred flag laws.[59]
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During her 2024 congressional campaign, McClain Delaney signed onto a Maryland Healthcare for All pledge to support legislation to extendInflation Reduction Act-provided healthcare benefits beyond 2025[60] and supported providing additional assistance to people with healthcare subsidies.[43] She also supports allowingMedicare to negotiate prescription drug prices[44] and establishing a federaluniversal healthcare coverage program, but stopped short of calling forMedicare for All.[61] In July 2025, McClain Delaney opposed provisions in theOne Big Beautiful Bill Act to reduce spending forMedicaid and theSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), saying that an estimated 32,000 people in her district would lose health coverage and predicting that the bill would hit rural communities across the nation the hardest.[62]
During her 2024 congressional campaign, McClain Delaney supported the Bipartisan Border Security Bill negotiated by SenatorsJames Lankford andKyrsten Sinema and blamed former PresidentDonald Trump for its failure to pass the Senate. She also supports streamlining the process to grant asylum and to supporting immigrants already living in the United States, and using new technologies to help secure theMexico–United States border.[43]
In January 2025, McClain Delaney was one of 48 Democrats to vote for theLaken Riley Act, which requiresU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants charged with theft.[63][64] She later became one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for a Senate-amended version of the bill.[65] In June 2025, McClain Delaney voted for a resolution condemning the2025 Boulder fire attack, which contained language expressing support for ICE personnel. When criticized for supporting this resolution during aNo Kings protest inFrederick, Maryland, McClain Delaney said that she would "stand up to ICE" but said that she supported deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally and have shown terrorist intent.[66]
During John Delaney's 2020 presidential campaign, McClain Delaney said that she would support updating communication legislation to protect kids' privacy.[2]
During her 2024 congressional campaign, McClain Delaney supported efforts to codify theRoe v. Wade decision, including theWomen's Health Protection Act.[4][67] She also supported theEquality Act and opposed efforts to bangender-affirming care.[68]
In October 2024, McClain Delaney said she supported requiring states to useindependent redistricting commissions to draw their congressional districts.[40] In November 2025, she supported the Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission, a commission established by GovernorWes Moore to explore mid-decade redistricting in Maryland in response toRepublican mid-decade redistricting efforts in various red states, saying that Democrats "can't have one hand tied behind our back when the GOP across the board is trying to play dirty and undermine our democracy".[69]
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McClain Delaney supports the expansion ofInterstate 270 andInterstate 81,[44] increasing public transportation, as well as improving safety onU.S. Route 15.[59]
McClain Delaney is the wife ofJohn Delaney, a former U.S. Representative from Maryland and candidate for president in2020. They met while studying atGeorgetown University and married inSun Valley, Idaho, shortly after graduating.[2] They have four daughters–Summer, Brooke, Lily, and Grace–and live inPotomac, Maryland.[14][5] The Delaneys attend the Little Flower Catholic Church inBethesda, Maryland.[70]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | April McClain Delaney | 22,985 | 40.4 | |
| Democratic | Joe Vogel | 14,940 | 26.3 | |
| Democratic | Ashwani Jain | 4,750 | 8.3 | |
| Democratic | Tekesha Martinez | 3,992 | 7.0 | |
| Democratic | Lesley Lopez | 2,600 | 4.6 | |
| Democratic | Laurie-Anne Sayles | 1,845 | 3.2 | |
| Democratic | Destiny Drake West | 1,086 | 1.9 | |
| Democratic | Mohammad Mozumder | 1,005 | 1.7 | |
| Democratic | Joel Martin Rubin(withdrawn) | 820 | 1.4 | |
| Democratic | Peter Choharis(withdrawn) | 818 | 1.4 | |
| Democratic | Geoffrey Grammer(withdrawn) | 651 | 1.1 | |
| Democratic | George Gluck | 437 | 0.8 | |
| Democratic | Kiambo White | 401 | 0.7 | |
| Democratic | Stephen McDow(withdrawn) | 246 | 0.4 | |
| Democratic | Altimont Wilks | 179 | 0.3 | |
| Democratic | Adrian Petrus | 166 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 56,921 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | April McClain Delaney | 199,788 | 53.05% | −1.67% | |
| Republican | Neil Parrott | 175,974 | 46.72% | +1.57% | |
| Write-in | 862 | 0.23% | +0.10% | ||
| Total votes | 376,624 | 100.00% | |||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 6th congressional district 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 407th | Succeeded by |
