John Delaney is a Democrat who served as the U.S. representative representing Maryland's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He announced his 2020 campaign for President of the United States on July 28, 2017. He suspended his campaign on January 31, 2020.

Delaney is often considered a centrist, and has touted his own bipartisan credentials as evidence of his ability to transcend the partisan divide. He has stated that he regards bipartisan cooperation as being of greater importance than progressive goals. Nevertheless, Delaney has also proclaimed himself to be a "progressive" interested in creating "real–not political–progress." Delaney has also dubbed himself a "pragmatic progressive" and a "pragmatic idealist".

In his 2018 book Right Answer, Delaney wrote,

In the House of Representatives, Delaney was a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a moderate and "pro-growth" Congressional Member Organization.

Despite being frequently referred to as a "moderate", Delaney has not entirely identified as such. Delaney has remarked,

However, as a 2020 presidential candidate, Delaney has proclaimed himself to be the "most moderate" individual running for the Democratic nomination.

Social issues Abortion and contraception

Despite his Catholic background, Delaney is pro-choice. He agrees with the Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Delaney supports public abortion funding and supports requiring religious groups to cover birth control and abortion in employee insurance. Delaney supports the contraceptive mandate and funding Planned Parenthood.

Delaney has stated his support for repealing the Hyde Amendment, a provision that bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortions.

Delaney intends to repeal the Mexico City policy (also known as the "Global Gag Rule"), which prevents the United States from providing federal funding to non-governmental organizations which provide abortion counseling or referrals, advocate to decriminalize abortion, or expand abortion services

In 2017, Delaney voted against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions on fetuses that over 20-weeks post-fertilization (with exceptions for saving the life of the mother and for cases of rape and incest).

He has received 100% ratings from pro-choice groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice America, Planned Parenthood, and Population Connection.

He has received 0% ratings from anti-abortion (pro-life) groups such as National Right to Life Committee, Campaign for Working Families, and Family Policy Alliance.

He also received a 20% rating from the Democratic anti-abortion (pro-life) organization Democrats for Life of America.

Civil rights

LGBTQ rights

Delaney has supported same-sex marriage. He has voted for enforcement against anti-gay discrimination in public schools. He has voted for numerous other bills that aim to curtail LGBT discrimination. He has received the top score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign for his support of equality-related legislation, In noting this recognition, Delaney reasserted that he believes, "No one should be discriminated against because of who they are or who they love". He was a member of the LGBT Equality Caucus beginning in 2017.

Delaney supports the Equality Act.

Delaney supports the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision.Delaney Applauds Supreme Court Decision Establishing National Marriage Equality

Delaney supports the inclusion of transgender personnel in the United States military.

Women's rights

On his congressional web portal, Delaney noted, "It is time to acknowledge the simple fact that women's rights are human rights, and we must use this approach as we address the pressing issues facing women today."

Delaney has been endorsed as "preferred" by Feminist Majority Foundation, indicating a "pro-women's rights" stance.

Delaney released a Women's Rights Plan as a presidential candidate.

Delaney supports protecting the "fundamental rights" of women and ensuring that women are treated equally in American society. He also champions working to support women in the developing world. He believes that critical elements needed to accomplish this include healthcare, reproductive justice, workplace fairness, working to end domestic violence, and supporting international aid programs.

He argues that sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking should not be treated as partisan issues. In 2013, he co-sponsored the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. Delaney proposes closing the so-called "boyfriend loophole" by updating the Violence Against Women Act to extend the ban on convicted domestic abusers buying firearms to also cover non-spousal partners.

Delaney supports strong and extensive protections for victims of college campus sexual assault, and intends to reverse actions taken under the Trump administration which Delaney credits with weakening Title IX protections.

Delaney supports the Equal Rights Amendment. In June 2013 Delaney sponsored legislation which would remove the deadline for ratification of the ERA.

Delaney has voted for enforcement against wage discrimination based on gender. He was also an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act. He continues to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

In tackling workplace protection against sexual harassment and gender discrimination, Delaney supports whistleblower protections and adequate funding of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Delaney believes that the United States has a role in promoting women's rights abroad.

Crime Delaney is rated 92% by the National Association of Police Organizations, which indicates that the organization regards him to be "tough-on-crime".

Delaney supports increasing funding for programs that would ensure police departments and first responders are well funded, especially in areas with high crime rates.

Capital punishment

Delaney is in favor of abolishing the death penalty in the United States.

Criminal justice reform

Delaney believes that the United States criminal justice system has demonstrated a clear bias against people of color.

Delaney supports ending the use of for-profit prisons.

Delaney supports ending or limiting the use of money bail in the federal criminal system. He also supports urging states to pursue similar reforms. He believes that money bail is, "excessive, discriminatory, and costly for taxpayers and communities".

Delaney supports increasing funding for public defenders and recidivism reduction programs and ending mandatory minimum sentencing.

Delaney supports increasing funding for police body cameras and federal funding for de-escalation training and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to increase community policing.

Delaney has come out in favor of Ban the Box, a campaign to remove the check box that asks job applicants if they have a criminal record on hiring applications. This seeks to enable ex-offenders to display their qualifications in the hiring process before being asked about their criminal records.

Drug policy

Delaney has received a 100% rating from Americans for Safe Access, an organization advocating for the legalization of cannabis. In his time in congress, Delaney co-sponsored seven cannabis-related pieces of legislation. These included three bills to remove cannabidiol (CBD) from the Controlled Substances Act, a bill to protect individuals participating in state-legal marijuana activities from federal interference, a bill to protect patients in medical cannabis states, and two bills to protect banks working with marijuana businesses from federal penalties. Delaney constantly voted in support of decreasing federal enforcement against marijuana and in support of federal cannabis reform. Delaney supports removing cannabis from being a Schedule I controlled substance and establishing strong and federal guidelines and taxation policies to support decisions at the state level that legalize cannabis.

In March 2018 Delaney voted in support of legislation which would grant patients with terminal illnesses the right to try unapproved treatments.

Opioid epidemic

Delaney argues that "long-term solutions" are needed to the opioid epidemic in the United States.

As a presidential candidate Delaney declared that, “opioid addiction is ravaging our nation".

Solutions that Delaney believes will address the crisis include reinforcing prevention efforts, investing in mental health care, supporting "evidence-based" treatment programs for substance use, and improving economic development.

Delaney argues that education is one of the best tools to prevent addiction. He believes it is important to ensure that patients and doctors have honest and direct discussions about opiates, and therefore he proposes requiring that physicians that prescribe opioids for use for periods longer than three days would have to have their patients sign a disclosure form which clearly outlines the addictive nature of opioids and the correlation between longer use and increased potential for addiction. Delaney would also require prescriber education on safe opioid prescribing practices.

Another step for prevention that Delaney advocates is the expansion of non-opiate pain treatments. He proposes expanded access to alternative pain management options, such as physical therapy and non-opioid medications and treatments. He proposes to continue and increase investment in medical research into non-opioid pain treatments. He supports requiring that federal, state, and private payers cover non-opioid pain treatments without significant copayments or administrative barriers.

Delaney supports bolstering federal enforcement efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Drug Administration and other agencies to reduce the supply of illegal opioids and the diversion of prescription opioids.

Delaney also proposes fueling funding for programs by establishing a new block grant for states funded by a two-cent tax on morphine milligram equivalents in prescription pain pills.

Prescription drug prices In order to lower prices for prescription drugs, Delaney has proposed implementing a 100% excise tax on the price difference between prices paid by United States patients and the OECD average. He also proposes allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

Delaney proposes fueling funding for programs related to opioid recovery by establishing a new block grant for states funded by a two-cent tax on morphine milligram equivalents in prescription pain pills.

Education

Delaney's presidential campaign website declares,

Delaney believes that America needs to find bipartisan agreement on fiscal challenges, but that funding high-quality education should always remain a priority.

Delaney believes that the federal government's role in elementary and secondary education system has never been more important than it is now. He believes that the public education system provides for the economic mobility that many consider to be the American Dream. However, he believes that there are improvements that need to be made in order to ensure that students are receiving high-quality education from high-quality educators. Delaney believes that the government should work to incentivize current graduates to become teachers and ensure they receive the training to make them effective in the classroom. In addition, he believes that the government has to hold its teachers and schools accountable for student performance, and make room for innovative approaches like those employed by magnet and charter schools.