BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Associated Press has declared Democratic incumbent Susan Wild the winner of the Lehigh Valley's hotly contested congressional race.
As of 3:53 p.m. Wednesday, unofficial results on the state website showed Wild ahead by about 4,700 votes - about 1.6% of all ballots cast in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race. It was not immediately clear how many uncounted ballots remained in the four-county district.
Wild declared victory hours earlier in a 2 a.m. press release. She said she was honored to win a third term representing the Lehigh Valley.
"This seat belongs to the people of our community, and so does this victory. Together, let’s keep working to build a future worthy of the extraordinary promise of our commonwealth, and our country," she said.
- Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race was one of the most-watched in the nation
- National parties and PACs pumped millions of dollars into the battleground district ahead of Election Day
- The contest between Republican Lisa Scheller and Democratic incumbent Susan Wild is a rematch of the region's 2020 election
Scheller acknowledged later in the day she was facing a significant challenge and would be hard pressed to pull out the victory. In a post across her social media platforms, she thanked her supporters and vowed to keep fighting for the people of the district. However, she would most likely carry on that effort as something other than a congresswoman.
"Although this race has not yet been called, and there are still votes to be counted, I do believe it's going to be very challenging to win enough of the outstanding ballots to make up the deficit," she said.
Thank you to all of my supporters, volunteers, and donors. I'm incredibly grateful for the support I've received in this campaign. Here's where things stand: pic.twitter.com/WMc9jiWu1q
— Lisa Scheller (@SchellerforPA) November 9, 2022
On Election Night, Scheller supporters gathered at the historic Hotel Bethlehem to watch results come in from the four-county district. For a race that featured withering attack ads and heated rhetoric, the party of about 200 people felt more like a reunion as they talked over drinks. Occasionally, the room would cheer when word from a national race came up on a giant screen broadcasting Fox News.
Before people started filing out at 11 p.m., Scheller thanked the audience for their support and trust. At the time, early results showed her trailing, but she told the audience she was extremely optimistic.
"I know this is going to be a long night. I still have tremendous optimism in the outcome of this race," the former Lehigh County commissioner said. "There are a lot of votes that have not yet been counted in all of the counties."
Across town, Wild waited for results at Wind Creek Bethlehem casino. Early in the night, people danced to The O'Jays "Love Train" and ate hors d'oeuvres. But by 11:40 p.m., the band had stopped playing and Wild did not address the crowd when the watch party of about 150 broke up.
Wild supporter Susan Baranik, a retired biology and environmental science teacher, attended the party. She said she taught Wild’s son years ago.
“I’m feeling very hopeful," she said. "I want to see Susan Wild get another two years and I want to see all the other Democrats be in office.”
"I know this is going to be a long night. I still have tremendous optimism in the outcome of this race. There are a lot of votes that have not yet been counted in all of the counties."Republican Lisa Scheller, candidate for the Lehigh Valley's 7th Congressional District
The 7th Congressional District is among the few true swing districts in the country. With Congress nearly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, the Lehigh Valley has become highly coveted political real estate. The winner could influence whether President Joe Biden is able to pass his administration's legislation.
The candidates, both major parties and the political action committees that support them spent more than $24.4 million on the election, shattering previous records in the district. Voters likely noticed it in the form of political ads, most of them negative, that bombarded audiences on television, online and in text messages.
The race was a rematch of the 2020 congressional race, when Wild pulled out a win over Scheller by a 3.8% margin. But this year's contest delivered new advantages for Scheller. Redistricting narrowed the already slim gap between registered Republicans and Democrats, and, historically, the party out-of-power in the White House does better in midterm elections.
The winner will represent Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties along with a sliver of Monroe County in the U.S. House of Representatives.
