Madeleine Dean | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's4th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Perry (redistricted) |
| Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives from the153rd district | |
| In office April 24, 2012 – November 30, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Josh Shapiro |
| Succeeded by | Ben Sanchez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1959-06-06)June 6, 1959 (age 66) Glenside, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Patrick Cunnane |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Montgomery County Community College La Salle University (BA) Widener University (JD) University of Pennsylvania |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Madeleine Dean Cunnane (born June 6, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative[1] forPennsylvania's 4th congressional district since 2019.[2] The district includes almost all ofMontgomery County, a suburban county north ofPhiladelphia, as well as a northeastern portion ofBerks County. Before being elected to Congress, Dean was aDemocratic member of thePennsylvania General Assembly, representing the153rd district[3][4] in thePennsylvania House of Representatives.
The youngest of seven children, Madeleine Dean was born to Bob and Mary Dean inGlenside, Pennsylvania. She graduated fromAbington Senior High School.[4] She graduated fromMontgomery County Community College, wasmagna cum laude atLa Salle University, and earned herJuris Doctor at theWidener University Delaware Law School.[5] She also studied politics and public service at theFels Institute of Government of theUniversity of Pennsylvania.[6]
After law school, Dean returned to the Philadelphia area and practiced law with the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers, going on to serve as executive director. She then opened a small, three-woman law practice inGlenside, and served asin-house counsel for her husband's growing bicycle business.[7]
While raising three young sons, Dean turned to teaching. She served 10 years as an assistant professor ofEnglish at her alma mater, La Salle University, in Philadelphia, where she taught writing and ethics.[7][8]
Dean got her start in politics soon after graduating from high school, when she was elected to an Abington Township committee seat.[9]
She volunteered on her first campaign, forJoe Hoeffel's reelection to the state legislature, in the same district seat she later held. On that campaign she met her future husband,Patrick Cunnane, then a 19-year-old elected committeeman.[when?]
Having worked and volunteered in politics for decades, and her children grown, Dean was asked to become a public servant herself, serving asAbington Township commissioner, and ran for state representative in 2012.[10] In the State House, she prioritized social issues such as addiction, equal rights, access to healthcare, ethics, criminal justice reform, and gun violence.[citation needed]
After theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Dean andDan Frankel co-founded the gun violence prevention caucus, PA SAFE Caucus. The caucus is a self-described coalition of legislators and advocates dedicated to curbing the sale of illegal guns.[11]
In 2015, Dean was appointed to the Governor's Commission for Women,[12] a commission designed to advise the governor on policies and legislation that promote equality issues ranging from sexual assault to business initiatives.[12] In 2017, she was elected chair of the Southeast Delegation of the Pennsylvania House Democrats, composed of 22 House Democrats representing nine counties.[13]
She served on several committees, including Appropriations, Judiciary, Policy, Urban Affairs, State Government, and Finance, of which she was vice-chair.[4]
Dean stated in 2014: "We know that the number one issue with voters is education and how we fund our public schools". Regarding the Pennsylvania education budget for 2013, the then-state Representative said: "How we educate our kids tells us how our economy will be." In that same instance, she highlighted the issue of public school funding.[14]
In February 2018, after a significant change inPennsylvania's congressional districts mandated by theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania, Dean announced she would end her campaign for lieutenant governor and instead run for Congress in the 4th district.[15] The district had previously been the13th, represented by two-term fellow DemocratBrendan Boyle. But the 13th's share of Philadelphia, including Boyle's home, was drawn into the2nd district, and Boyle opted to run for reelection there.[16]
On May 15, Dean defeated two challengers, Shira Goodman and former CongressmanJoe Hoeffel, in the Democratic primary.[17] In the general election she defeated Republican money managerDan David with 63.45% of the vote to his 36.55%.[18] She was one of four Democratic women elected to Congress from Pennsylvania in 2018. The others wereMary Gay Scanlon,Chrissy Houlahan andSusan Wild. The state's delegation had previously been all male.
Dean ran for reelection and defeated the Republican nominee, military veteran and political commentatorKathy Barnette,[19] with 59.5% of the vote to Barnette's 40.5%.[20]
Dean stood for re-election in 2022, but her district was mostly unchanged byredistricting. Dean faced Republican nominee Christian Nascimento, a vice president of product atComcast and formerMethacton School Board president, and won 61.3% of the vote.[21][22]
On January 12, 2021, Dean was named animpeachment manager (prosecutor) for thesecond impeachment trial of Donald Trump.[23]
On July 29, 2024, Dean was announced as one of six Democratic members of a bipartisan task force investigating theattempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.[24]
Source:[25]
Source:[25]
Dean voted to provideIsrael with support following2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[28][29]
On February 28, 2024, Dean called for a bilateral ceasefire inGaza, stating "we must all rally behind an end to the violence and heartbreak[30]
Dean voted with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the117th Congress, according to aFiveThirtyEight analysis.[31]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean | 5,206 | 56.49 | |
| Republican | Nicholas Mattiacci | 4,009 | 43.51 | |
| Total votes | 9,215 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean (incumbent) | 20,934 | 64.17 | |
| Republican | Nicholas Mattiacci | 11,369 | 34.85 | |
| Libertarian | Kenneth Krawchuk | 320 | 0.98 | |
| Total votes | 32,623 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Total votes | 16,984 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean (incumbent) | 24,496 | 66.25 | |
| Republican | Anthony Scalfaro III | 12,478 | 33.75 | |
| Total votes | 36,974 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean | 42,625 | 72.6 | |
| Democratic | Shira Goodman | 9,645 | 16.4 | |
| Democratic | Joe Hoeffel | 6,431 | 11.0 | |
| Total votes | 58,701 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean | 211,524 | 63.5 | |
| Republican | Dan David | 121,467 | 36.5 | |
| Total votes | 332,991 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean (incumbent) | 264,637 | 59.5 | |
| Republican | Kathy Barnette | 179,926 | 40.5 | |
| Total votes | 444,563 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean (incumbent) | 224,799 | 61.3 | |
| Republican | Christian Nascimento | 141,986 | 38.7 | |
| Total votes | 366,785 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Madeleine Dean (incumbent) | 269,066 | 59.1 | |
| Republican | David Winkler | 186,457 | 40.9 | |
| Total votes | 455,523 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
In November 2017, Dean announced her candidacy forlieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, facing, among others, incumbentMike Stack in the Democratic primary.[34] She dropped out to run for Congress.
Dean lives inLower Merion Township, with her husband, Patrick "P.J." Cunnane. Cunnane is an entrepreneur in the bicycle industry and managedAdvanced Sports International. They have three grown sons and three grandchildren. Her son Pat was senior writer and deputy director of messaging in theObama administration.[35] Dean isRoman Catholic.[36][37]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 4th congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theCongressional Women's Caucus 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 200th | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
