Madeleine Dean

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. However, Boyle had his home in Philadelphia, along with all of the 13th's share of the city, drawn into the 2nd District, and opted to run for reelection there.

On May 15, 2018, Dean defeated two challengers - Shira Goodman and former Congressman Joe Hoeffel - in the Democratic Primary. She went on to defeat Republican 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.

In 2017, Dean was elected to serve as chair of the Southeast Delegation of the Pennsylvania House Democrats, composed of 22 House Democrats representing nine counties.

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.

Prior to being elected to Congress, Dean was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, representing the 153rd district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

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.

The youngest of seven children — five brothers and one sister — Madeleine Dean was born to Bob and Mary Dean in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Dean attended and was graduated from Abington Public School. She graduated magna cum laude from La Salle University, and earned her J.D. degree at Widener University and previously was a student at the Fels Institute of Government of the University of Pennsylvania.

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.

A Pennsylvania native, Dean was first elected to serve in the General Assembly in 2012 in a special election. Dean served on several committees, including Appropriations, Judiciary, Policy, Urban Affairs, State Government, and Finance, of which she was vice-chair.

Having worked and volunteered in the political world for decades, and her children grown, Dean was asked to become a public servant herself, serving as Abington Township commissioner and soon thereafter ran for state representative in 2012.

Madeleine Cunnane Dean (born June 6, 1959) is an American politician and the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district. The district includes almost all of Montgomery County, an affluent suburban county north of Philadelphia.