Sean Patrick Maloney (born July 30, 1966) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development from 2024 to 2025. He previously served five terms as the U.S. representative from from 2013 to 2023.
Maloney campaigned as a moderate and was a member of the centrist New Democratic Coalition while serving in Congress. He is the first openly gay person elected to Congress from New York State. He served as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2021 to 2023. In 2022, he lost re-election in New York's 17th congressional district to Republican Mike Lawler.
Early life Maloney was born on July 30, 1966, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, to American parents. His father's job as a lumberjack had temporarily brought them to Canada. Maloney grew up in Hanover, New Hampshire. He was raised with his six siblings in what he describes as a "small Irish Catholic family". Maloney graduated from Hanover High School in 1984.
After attending Georgetown University for two years, Maloney transferred to the University of Virginia, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations in 1988. He then spent a year volunteering with Jesuit priests in the slums of Chimbote, Peru, after which he returned to the U.S. and attended the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1992.
Early political career Clinton administration In 1991, Maloney began working on Bill Clinton's first campaign for president as deputy to chief scheduler Susan Thomases. In Clinton's 1996 reelection campaign Maloney worked as Director of Surrogate Travel. After Clinton was reelected, Maloney was offered a position in the White House staff and served as a senior advisor and White House Staff Secretary from 1999 to 2000, among the youngest to serve in that capacity.
Following the killing of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, Maloney was one of two representatives Clinton sent to his funeral. In an article about the event, a newspaper noted that Maloney often called himself "the highest-ranking openly homosexual man on the White House staff".
Attorney General campaigns 2006
Maloney ran for the Democratic nomination for New York Attorney General in 2006. According to Gay City News, his "competitive fundraising and wide travels across the state during the past year have impressed many party professionals with the seriousness of his run." During the campaign, Maloney was endorsed by the New-York-state-based gay rights organization Empire State Pride Agenda and Karen Burstein, the first lesbian to run for attorney general, in 1994.
Consistently polling in the single digits, Maloney was offered a chance to run for the office on the Liberal Party ticket but declined, saying he would support whoever won the Democratic nomination. Maloney finished third in the September 12 primary, with 9.4% of the vote. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo won. In his concession speech, Maloney said, "[T]his day may not be the outcome we hope, but I make you a promise that there will be another day."
2018 In June 2018, Maloney again sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general of New York. He also sought re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Maloney indicated that, had he won the primary, he would have run for attorney general and ended his House re-election bid.
In the Democratic primary for attorney general, Maloney finished third. New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, who was endorsed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, won. Zephyr Teachout, a law professor endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and The New York Times, finished second. Maloney was endorsed by Beto O'Rourke, among other public figures.
First Deputy Secretary to the Governor of New York Maloney joined Governor Eliot Spitzer's administration in January 2007 as First Deputy Secretary under top adviser Rich Baum.
The Eliot Spitzer political surveillance controversy (popularly known as "Troopergate") broke out on July 23, 2007, when Cuomo's office admonished Spitzer's administration for ordering the State Police to create special records of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno's whereabouts when he traveled with police escorts in New York City. A New York Times editorial suggested that Maloney might have been involved by withholding emails during the investigation, and the Times endorsed Maloney's 2012 election opponent because of its concerns about Maloney's handling of the investigation. The Wall Street Journal wrote in July 2012, "[G]enerally, those involved in the investigation on both sides defend Mr. Maloney's conduct. Mr. Cuomo's chief of staff at the time, Steve Cohen, called the idea that Mr. Maloney got in the way of the Attorney General's inquiry 'misinformed to the point of being laughable.'"
Maloney continued in the same role as a top adviser to Governor David Paterson's administration under his top adviser, Charles O'Byrne. While working for Paterson, Maloney worked on Paterson's effort to increase state aid to education. On December 3, 2008, Maloney announced that he would leave Paterson's office to join the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis.
Private sector work From 2000 to 2003, Maloney served as chief operating officer of Kiodex, Inc. He was a senior attorney at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, during which time he represented the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Maloney became a partner in the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in 2009. In March 2011 he joined the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe as a partner. He is currently a Senior Advisor at the MarTech startup, Applecart.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2012
In March 2012, Maloney announced his intention to run for Congress in the 18th district. The district had previously been the 19th, represented by freshman Republican Nan Hayworth. Maloney won the Democratic primary on June 26 with 48% of the vote against four other challengers. In addition to the Democratic Party line, Maloney also ran on the Working Families Party ticket with New York's fusion voting.
Maloney drew criticism for buying a house in Cold Spring before the election, never having previously lived in the district.
Maloney was endorsed by Bill Clinton, The New York Times, Planned Parenthood, the AFL–CIO and New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).
During the general election campaign, Maloney campaigned as a moderate. One issue in the campaign was whether the candidates would vote to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Hayworth was considered more progressive on gay rights than most Republicans, but did not explicitly say whether she would vote to repeal; instead, Hayworth opined that New York law allowing same-sex marriage made it a settled issue. Maloney criticized Hayworth for taking this position. On Election Day, Maloney defeated Hayworth, 52–48%. In his victory speech, Maloney said, "I think people want change in Washington. They're tired of the fighting and the bickering." Maloney is the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress from New York.
2014
Maloney ran for reelection in 2014, again facing Hayworth. He was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program, designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the 2014 election. Maloney lost the Independence Party primary to Hayworth, but defeated her in the general election by under 3,000 votes, with 84,415 votes (47.58%) to Hayworth's 81,625 (46.01%).
2016
Maloney ran for reelection in 2016. Fellow Democrat Diana Hird announced her intention to challenge him in the primary election on June 28, 2016, but failed to obtain the necessary number of signatures and file a petition to get on the ballot in time. Maloney handily defeated Republican Phil Oliva, with 162,060 votes (55.6%) to Oliva's 129,369 (44.4%).
2018
In June 2018, Maloney became the Democratic nominee for reelection to the House. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for attorney general of New York, finishing third. Maloney stated that had he won the primary for attorney general, he would have ended his House re-election bid.
Remaining on the ballot for the House election, Maloney defeated Republican James O'Donnell, an Orange County legislator, with 139,564 votes (55.5%) to O'Donnell's 112,035 (44.5%).
2020 Maloney was reelected in 2020, with 54.8% of the vote to Republican nominee Chele Farley's 43.2%. On the day Maloney began his new term in Congress, January 3, 2021, he became chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
2022
Following redistricting, Maloney's residence was located in the 17th district, which was represented by Democrat Mondaire Jones. In 2022, Maloney chose to seek election in the 17th district rather than his longtime 18th district. According to City & State, “Jones was forced to make a choice with no great options. Run a primary against Maloney – powerful, experienced, with tons of money. Run a primary against Rep. Jamaal Bowman – a fellow Black progressive lawmaker [in the 16th district into which Jones’ home was now located]. Or not run at all.” Maloney's decision to seek election in the 17th district "angered many within his party" and "was considered controversial given Maloney’s role as the chair of the House Democrats’ campaign arm was to boost incumbents and protect the Democrats’ majority in the lower chamber". According to The Hill, Maloney's decision "infuriated Jones and his allies, particularly those in the Congressional Black Caucus, who accused Maloney of putting his own political survival over the interests of the party". Jones chose not to challenge Maloney. Instead, on May 20, 2022, Jones announced that he would seek election in the 10th district in New York City.
In 2024, sources from the Mondaire Jones campaign reported that Maloney had actually offered to withdraw from the race and hand the district to Mondaire, but the offer was denied by Mondaire Jones, who had polled against Jamaal Bowman in New York's 16th congressional district.
Displeased with Maloney's decision to seek election in the district represented by Jones, progressive state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi opted to run against Maloney in a Democratic primary. Maloney defeated Biaggi by a wide margin. After the primary, Biaggi endorsed Maloney in the 2022 general election.
During the campaign, Maloney relied heavily on his accomplishments through his time in Congress, including his work on addressing climate change and drinking water infrastructure.
Shortly before the election, Maloney claimed that voters worried about rising costs should save money by eating Chef Boyardee. Lawler and his supporters immediately denounced the remarks, claiming that it showed how elitist and out of touch with ordinary people Maloney is. The remark became a regular Republican talking point.
Leading up to Election Day, Maloney visited various European cities "for gatherings billed as DCCC fundraising events". Maloney also dismissed Republican campaign spending in his district as "'lighting [money] on fire'". While Maloney helped his fellow Democrats with their elections during the 2022 cycle, he eventually rushed back to his own district for last-minute campaigning once he realized that Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler might defeat him.
Lawler narrowly defeated Maloney in the general election in an upset. Lawler's victory marked "the first general election defeat for a campaign chair of either party since 1980". Maloney's defeat was "a major upset" and "a humiliating loss for Democrats". Maloney's loss, together with other Republican wins in New York districts, helped Republicans win a majority in the House of Representatives in 2022.
Tenure