Madeleine Dean

Madeleine Dean Cunnane (born June 6, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district since 2019. The district includes almost all of Montgomery County, a suburban county north of Philadelphia, as well as a northeastern portion of Berks County. Before being elected to Congress, Dean was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, representing the 153rd district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Early life and education Dean was born on June 6, 1959, in Glenside, Pennsylvania She also studied politics and public service at the Fels Institute of Government of the University of Pennsylvania.

Career 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 in Glenside, and served as in-house counsel for her husband's growing bicycle business.

While raising three young sons, Dean turned to teaching. She served 10 years as an assistant professor of English at her alma mater, La Salle University, in Philadelphia, where she taught writing and ethics.

Early political career Dean got her start in politics soon after graduating from high school, when she was elected to an Abington Township committee seat.

She volunteered on her first campaign, for Joe 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.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Having worked and volunteered in politics for decades, and her children grown, Dean was asked to become a public servant herself, serving as Abington Township commissioner, and ran for state representative in 2012. In the State House, she prioritized social issues such as addiction, equal rights, access to healthcare, ethics, criminal justice reform, and gun violence.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Dean and Dan 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.

In 2015, Dean was appointed to the Governor's Commission for Women, a commission designed to advise the governor on policies and legislation that promote equality issues ranging from sexual assault to business initiatives.

She served on several committees, including Appropriations, Judiciary, Policy, Urban Affairs, State Government, and Finance, of which she was vice-chair.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

In February 2018, after a significant change in Pennsylvania's congressional districts mandated by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Dean announced she would end her campaign for lieutenant governor and instead run for Congress in the 4th district. The district had previously been the 13th, represented by two-term fellow Democrat Brendan Boyle. But the 13th's share of Philadelphia, including Boyle's home, was drawn into the 2nd district, and Boyle opted to run for reelection there.

On May 15, Dean defeated two challengers, Shira Goodman and former Congressman Joe Hoeffel, in the Democratic primary. In the general election she defeated Republican money manager Dan David with 63.45% of the vote to his 36.55%. She was one of four Democratic women elected to Congress from Pennsylvania in 2018. The others were Mary Gay Scanlon, Chrissy Houlahan and Susan Wild. The state's delegation had previously been all male.

2020

Dean ran for reelection and defeated the Republican nominee, military veteran and political commentator Kathy Barnette, with 59.5% of the vote to Barnette's 40.5%.

2022

Dean stood for re-election in 2022, but her district was mostly unchanged by redistricting. Dean faced Republican nominee Christian Nascimento, a vice president of product at Comcast and former Methacton School Board president, and won 61.3% of the vote.

Tenure

On January 12, 2021, Dean was named an impeachment manager (prosecutor) for the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump.

On July 29, 2024, Dean was announced as one of six Democratic members of a bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

Committee, subcommittee and task force assignments Source: Bipartisan Fentanyl Prevention Caucus - Chair Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus - Vice Chair Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Bipartisan Women's Caucus New Democrat Coalition Congressional Progressive Caucus Congressional Equality Caucus Congressional Ukraine Caucus

Political positions A delegation of U.S. House Democrats tour the West Bank village of Khirbet Zanutah, 2024 Dean voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Her position shifted in July 2026, when she voted for an amendment to end military aid to Israel, stating that "ot another dime [should go] to the Netanyahu government." She is also a cosponsor of the Block the Bombs Act, which would end offensive military aid to Israel.

Since February 28, 2024, Dean has called for a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza, stating "we must all rally behind an end to the violence and heartbreak

Dean voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.

Electoral history

Other political campaigns Lieutenant governor

In November 2017, Dean announced her candidacy for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, facing, among others, incumbent Mike Stack in the Democratic primary. She dropped out to run for Congress.

Personal life

Dean lives in Lower Merion Township, with her husband, Patrick "P.J." Cunnane. Cunnane is an entrepreneur in the bicycle industry and managed Advanced Sports International. They have three grown sons and three grandchildren. Her son Pat was senior writer and deputy director of messaging in the Obama administration. Dean is Roman Catholic.