Mary Gay Scanlon is running in the 2018 election to represent Pennsylvania’s 5th district in the House of Representatives. She is a lawyer who has spent her career fighting for women, children, and families. On May 15, she won the Democratic primary and is considered very likely to win the general election on November 6.
Background and Achievements
Mary Gay Scanlon raised three children who graduated from Wallingford-Swarthmore public schools. She received her B.A. from Colgate University and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She has spent years advocating for children and education reform, working at the Support Center for Child Advocates, the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Commission on Children at Risk, the Education Law Center, and the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board. Most recently, she has worked for 14 years as the national Pro Bono Counsel at Ballard Spahr. Under her direction, the practice has worked on issues of fair pay, domestic violence, refugee rights, voting rights, and more.
Positions on Key Issues
- Supports public education funding and reform
- Believes in common sense gun reform
- Supports reproductive rights and access to birth control
- Advocates for equal pay for women and gender equity
- Believes in universal healthcare
- Supports DACA and immigration reform
Prospects & Opponents
Mary Gay Scanlon won the Democratic primary on May 15 by more than 12 points against nine other candidates. In the November 6 general election, she will run against Republican Pearl Kim. However, due to Pennsylvania’s redrawn congressional map, the district is considered safely Democratic, and Scanlon is very likely to win the House seat.
Endorsements
- Feminist Majority
- The Inquirer
- Marple Newtown Democratic Committee
- Eddystone Democratic Committee
- Swarthmore College Democrats
- State Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky