The 2020 presidential race may be nearly three and a half years away, but we already have one announced candidate: Rep. John Delaney, a Democrat from Maryland, who announced his White House bid Friday.
If you’ve never heard of Delaney, you’ve got a lot of company. The Maryland congressman, now serving his third term, isn’t exactly a household name. But we here at Politics K-12 have made it our mission to bring you the edu-backgrounds of just about everyone running for president, no matter how obscure they are or how far off the election is.
So here goes:
- Delaney is the author of the “Early Learning Act”, which is designed to help states move towards universal pre-kindergarten.
- Delaney thinks having a college degree has become increasingly important, so he’s supported legislation he says would make student loans cheaper for borrowers. And he teamed up with a Republican, Rep. John Katko of New York, on legislation that would make it easier for borrowers to discharge student loans when they declare bankruptcy.
- Delaney has co-sponsored bills on school safety, student privacy, and to considerably ramp up the federal commitment to funding special education.
- He thinks teachers should be well-trained and held accountable for students results. And he likes magnet schools and charters.
- In this Washington Post editorial announcing his candidacy, Delaney calls for both investing in and “reforming” education, without offering any specifics.