Mary Gay Scanlon
DemocratU.S. Representative, PA-5| Age | 66 (b. 1959-08-30) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2018-11-13 (~7 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (Irish-American ancestry, County Kerry, Ireland) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | B.A. from Colgate University (1980); J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School (1984). Graduated Watertown High School (NY) in 1976. |
| Prior occupation | Attorney; national pro bono counsel at Ballard Spahr LLP for 15 years; attorney at the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania; judicial law clerk for the Superior Court of Pennsylvania |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Syracuse, New York |
| Marital status | Married — Mark Stewart |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Swarthmore, Pennsylvania |
| Notable relatives | Father Daniel Scanlon was an attorney and U.S. magistrate; maternal grandfather Leo J. Yehle was a family-court judge |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2018 |
| Previous offices | U.S. Representative, Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district (Nov 13, 2018 - Jan 3, 2019, via special election) · Wallingford-Swarthmore School District board member (2007-2015); board president (2009-2011) · Vice chair, Pennsylvania Tax Commission (appointed 2006) |
| Committees | Committee on the Judiciary - Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government (Ranking Member) · Committee on the Judiciary - Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust · Committee on Rules - Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House (Ranking Member) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Progressive Caucus · New Democrat Coalition · Congressional Equality Caucus (Vice Chair) · Youth Mentoring Caucus (Chair) · Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (Co-Chair) · Access to Legal Aid Caucus (Chair) · Friends of Ireland Caucus · Congressional Ukraine Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus |
| Leadership | Vice Chair, Congressional Equality Caucus · Ranking Member, House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government · Ranking Member, House Rules Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House |
| Ideology | Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition; GovTrack ranked her among the most politically left of the Pennsylvania delegation in 2024 |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed + (2018) · estimate
| Northwestern Mutual annuity | other · –$750,000 · 2018 |
| Ballard Spahr LLP (partnership interest/401k) | private_equity · –$750,000 · 2018 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.