If elected, Delaney would have been the first Marylander to serve as President of the United States, and the second Catholic, after John F. Kennedy.

Delaney promotes himself as a centrist, and a moderate, and believes that the Democratic Party needs to be a big tent to bridge partisan and national divisions.

[7][8] Before Delaney announced that he was running for the presidency, he was considered a potential candidate for Maryland's 2018 gubernatorial election.

[7] Delaney had said that he began considering a presidential run following Hillary Clinton's surprise defeat by Republican nominee Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

"[9] Delaney launched his campaign announcement with the publication of an op-ed column on the Washington Post's website, which coincided with the launch of a campaign Twitter account and YouTube account on which he posted a five-minute video outlining his plans.

[14] Delaney had said that launching his campaign at such an early date was in order to gain name recognition,[7] and to elevate his national stature.

[8] Voicing his objection to playing coy about his intentions in an interview with Business Insider, Delaney said, Time struck me as an asset, not a liability.

In 1974, the New York Times wrote a story about the 35 people likely to be the Democratic nominee for president and Jimmy Carter wasn't on the list.

[21] Commenting on this, Delaney said of his visit, It is early in a traditional context, but if you compare it to other people who are likely running for president, they're just not saying it.

He believes it will be advantageous to be the only declared candidate at a time when voters already have an appetite to hear from alternatives to the incumbent presidential administration.

[1] On September 20, the campaign announced that it had hired Iowa political consultant John Davis as a senior advisor.

[28] Prominent conservative columnist George F. Will wrote a column for The Washington Post in November 2018, in which he touted Delaney's blue collar roots and opined that Democrats should consider nominating Delaney if they are serious about defeating President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

[36] In his campaign, Delaney promoted himself as, "a leading voice in Congress on 21st century jobs, education, veterans issues, and infrastructure.

"[37] In the op-ed announcing his candidacy, Delaney wrote, The Democratic Party cherishes opportunity over birthright; wants people to earn a good living; offers a helping hand to the poor, the immigrant and those left behind; wants all Americans to have health care; embraces diversity, equality and justice; understands the importance of global engagements; believes that government can do transformative things; and stands ready to provide for our common defense.

[8] A centrist, Delaney touts his own bipartisan credentials as evidence of his ability to transcend the partisan divide.

[41] As of 2019[update], as a congressman Delaney had voted in support of President Trump's positions 34.4% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight's assessment.

[7] By the end of June, Delaney's campaign had raised more than $270,000 in funds, including more than $60,000 in individual contributions.

[46][47] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.