Madeleine Dean seeks fifth term in PA 4th District

Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat in her fourth term representing Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District, is running for re-election on Nov. 3, 2026. She faces Republican Aurora Stuski, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania 4th Congressional District
Hometown: Born and raised in Glenside, Pennsylvania, according to her campaign website. She and her husband, PJ Cunnane, live in Lower Merion Township, Dean said on her campaign site.
Education: Abington High School; bachelor's degree from La Salle University; law degree from Widener University Delaware; politics and public service studies at the University of Pennsylvania Fels School of Government, according to her congressional biography
Family: Dean said she and PJ Cunnane raised three sons: Patrick, Harry and Alex.
Faith: Dean said her commitment to service is rooted in her Catholic faith.

Experience and public service

Dean said on her campaign website that she first ran for office at age 18, winning election as a local committee-person. She served as an Abington Township commissioner from 2011 to 2012, according to her congressional biography.

In 2012, Dean won a special election to serve in the Pennsylvania State House seat previously held by Governor Josh Shapiro, Dean said on her campaign site. She represented District 153 from 2013 to 2019, according to BallotReady.

During her time in the state House, Dean founded and co-chaired the PA-SAFE Caucus, a coalition of legislators and advocates focused on ending gun violence, according to her congressional biography. In 2015, Governor Tom Wolf appointed her to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women.

Dean said she first won election to Congress in 2018. She serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Dean said. She also serves as vice chair of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus and chair of the Bipartisan Fentanyl Prevention Caucus, according to her campaign site.

Before entering politics, Dean worked as an assistant professor at La Salle University from 2001 to 2012 and as a lawyer and executive director at Philadelphia Trial Lawyers, according to BallotReady.

On the issues

The following positions are stated by Dean on her campaign website. They represent the candidate's own claims.

Gun violence prevention: Dean said she will continue working to pass legislation preventing weapons of war from being used against civilians and to increase background checks. She also supports repealing federal laws that bar funding for research on gun violence as a public health issue, she said.

Healthcare: Dean said she believes healthcare is a right and wants to support universal healthcare that is economically balanced. She said she will work to protect and expand Social Security and Medicare and defend those programs against cuts.

Economy and trade: Dean said she will fight for trade regulations and tariffs that grow the U.S. economy and support American workers. She said she wants to crack down on countries and businesses that circumvent the system.

Dean supports a $15 minimum wage and guaranteeing unions the right to organize, according to her campaign site.

Education: Dean said she supports adequate funding for universal pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, special education, college and technical training. She said students should not be burdened by lifelong debt and called for capping interest rates on student loans.

Opioid epidemic: Dean said the opioid crisis must be treated with robust funding for programs, research and education. She called for punishment for those who profit from addiction and compassion for those it afflicts.