John Delaney is the former Representative of Maryland’s 6th District and founder of two finance companies. He chose not to run for re-election in 2018 in order to focus on his presidential campaign.
Previous Work Around Poverty and Opportunity
- Introduced the Open Our Democracy Act to end gerrymandering and establish Election Day as a federal holiday.
- Has been a proponent of Social Impact Bonds.
- Co-sponsored the GAIN Act, which sought to increase the value of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
On the Issues
Jobs: Wants to address job loss caused by artificial intelligence and automation and advocates for Opportunity Zones and investing in infrastructure. Stated that a top priority of his campaign would be to propose a national service program in which people just graduating from high school can apply to work on a national project.
Affordable Housing: Helped introduce the bipartisan “Housing Finance Reform” bill during his time as a representative, which aimed to provide sustainable, dedicated and transparent funding for low-income households.
Health Care/Insurance: Wants to create a universal health care system in which people can still buy into the private market, add a public option to the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicare to people older than 55.
Education: Supports universal pre-K and free community college, career and technical training.
Criminal Justice: Has voiced strong support for criminal justice reform and providing resources to people released from prison as well as reforming marijuana laws.
Minimum Wage: Supports raising the minimum wage to $15.
Safety Net: In 2014, introduced a bill that would create a bipartisan commission to improve Social Security. Previously stated that he opposes cuts to the program as well as any attempt to privatize the system.
Children/Families: Stated it is imperative that programs like SNAP are properly funded and efficiently delivered.
Taxes/Tax Credits: Believes the corporate tax rate should increase to fund infrastructure, is in favor of a carbon tax, and wants to double the Earned Income Tax Credit and expand eligibility requirements to lift people out of poverty.
News Articles
“John Delaney: Everything You Need to Know About the 2020 Candidate” (Axios: 2/27/19)
“What Does John Delaney Believe? Where the Candidate Stands on 6 Issues” (PBS: 2/4/19)
“John Delaney’s 2020 Agenda: National Service for Young People; Prepare for Artificial Intelligence; Carbon Tax to Reduce Emissions” (The Washington Post: 2/21/19)