MEET MADELEINE
Madeleine is a mother, grandmother, Professor, lawyer, and advocate representing Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District of Berks and Montgomery Counties.
Born and raised in Glenside, Pennsylvania, to Bob and Mary Dean, Madeleine got her start in politics around the dinner table with her five older brothers and one older sister. She graduated from Abington High School, and at age 18 won the election to serve as a local committee-person.
Madeleine was sworn into Congress in 2018 as a part of the most diverse freshman class in history – and brought female representation back to Pennsylvania. Having cosponsored over 400 pieces of legislation during her first term – she has used her voice in Congress to advocate for and champion forward-thinking priorities such as education, universal access to healthcare, gun safety, and ethical government to support the lives of her constituents.
Real LEADERSHIP
As a leader, Madeleine has sponsored several critical pieces of legislation – including the STOIC Act, a bipartisan bill signed into law that provides mental health and suicide prevention resources for first responders. She has voted on critical legislation to better the lives of Americans including H.R. 8 – The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, H.R. 5 – The Equality Act, and H.R. 9 – The Climate Action Now Act, among others.
Serving on the House Judiciary Committee and House Financial Services Committee, Madeleine is committed to oversight and accountability of all elected officials and government agencies – recognizing the importance of good governance and public trust.
In Congress, Madeleine serves on numerous caucuses. She was elected as Vice Chair of the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus – demonstrating her dedication to working with colleagues across the aisle to find solutions that benefit her constituents. She is a founding member of the Bipartisan PFAS Taskforce, which focuses on addressing toxic forever chemicals in our communities and across the country. She is also regional vice-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), working to elect more Democrats to Congress.
Commitment to service
Madeleine has been focused on serving her constituents since her time in the Pennsylvania State House. During her time as a State Legislator, Madeleine worked closely with her staff to service tens of thousands of constituent casework with problems big and small. Refusing to say no to those in need, this service has continued into her Congressional work. During her first 12 months in Congress, Madeleine closed 1,400 constituent service cases– among the highest number of closed constituent cases out of all the freshman House Democrats.
A lifelong parishioner of St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Glenside – Madeleine’s commitment to service comes as part of her Catholic faith in the social justice tradition of St. Vincent de Paul.
Community roots
Madeleine is a graduate of La Salle University and Delaware Law School of Widener University. She practiced law in a small Philadelphia firm and with the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, eventually serving as executive director. Madeleine returned to La Salle University, teaching composition, persuasive writing and rhetoric, business writing, legal writing, and ethics for 10 years before serving as Abington Township commissioner, and then in the Pennsylvania State House.
Madeleine and her husband PJ Cunnane live in Lower Merion Township, and have three grown sons – Patrick, Harry and Alex; two daughters-in-law – Stephanie and Juliet; and three granddaughters and one grandson – Aubrey, Ella, Scotland, and Sawyer.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget. Each represents one district and serves a two-year term. Tax bills must start in the House, only the House can impeach federal officials, and members oversee federal agencies through their committees.