He's been to every county in Iowa and has spent more than $4 million on his campaign to unseat President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, but John Delaney is still far less known than most of those in the growing field of Democrats who are candidates for president.
Delany, 55, was the first Democrat to announce his intention to run for president – he made the announcement in 2017. The three-term congressman from Maryland, whose business ventures netted him a $200 million fortune, has spent time in the state, establishing a base and repeating the message he hopes will resonate with Iowans in advance of the caucus that takes place in a year.
Delaney's message is simple – ending Trump's "divisive agenda" is a top priority, and that he feels he can put together a coalition of "progressives, moderates, independents, and disaffected Republicans who care deeply about their country" to win the White House.
Delaney said he is prepared to spend $20 million to $30 million of his own money on the campaign, according to a Washington Post profile.
Here is what you may not know about Delaney:
- He was born on Aug. 16, 1963, in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey.
- He graduated from Columbia University and Georgetown Law Center.
- He started two companies – Health Care Financial Partners in 1993 and CapitalSource in 2000. Health Care Financial Partners made loans available to smaller-sized health care service providers, and CapitalSource provided loans to small and mid-sized companies.
- With Health Care Financial Partners, Delaney was the youngest CEO on the New York Stock Exchange.
- In 2004 he was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
- He is a fan of Bruce Springsteen and has seen him in concert more than 30 times, according to his website.
- In 2012, he was elected to Congress representing Maryland's 6th Congressional District. He was re-elected in 2014 and 2016.
- He co-sponsored Open Our Democracy Act, a bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday, make all congressional primary elections open elections so all eligible voters can vote in them, and require independent commissions to draw any new state congressional districts.
- On July 28, 2017, Delaney announced his run for president in 2020 in a Washington Post op-ed.
- He left Congress in January 2019.
- He is married, and he and his wife, April, have four daughters.
- He is Catholic.
According to his website, Delaney is campaigning on promises to:
- Overturn Citizens United
- Have the president debate the Congress every quarter in the U.S. Capitol
- Create a universal health care system
- Provide universal pre-K, free community college/career and technical training
- Raise the federal minimum wage to $15.00
- Create a new supplemental retirement savings program
- Launch a national AI strategy
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