BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, will launch her bid for the Lehigh Valley's congressional district this morning.
Obando-Derstine, a Colombian native and naturalized U.S. citizen, will kick off her campaign at Payrow Plaza at 10:30 a.m.
She's expected to get endorsements at the announcement from former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, who held the seat from 2018-25, and Greg Edwards, the pastor of Resurrected Life Community Church, who ran for the seat as a Democrat in 2018.
"This campaign is about fighting back, standing up for our values, and making sure every family in our district has the opportunity to thrive."Carol Obando-Derstine, candidate for the 7th Congressional District
"I know the struggles our families are facing because I’ve lived them, and I know the strength of this community because I’ve worked hand-in-hand with the people building its future," Obando-Derstine said in a news release.
"This campaign is about fighting back, standing up for our values, and making sure every family in our district has the opportunity to thrive."
Obando-Dersine spent the past nine years working at PPL before resigning her supervision position last month.
She's not held public office before, but previously was on Gov. Tom Wolf's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs and worked for Casey as a regional manager for Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties.
Battleground district
The 2026 race for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District is bound to be among the most competitive of the midterm.
The district has near-equal numbers of registered Democrats and Republicans and a history of favoring moderates. Since 2020, the elections for the seat have been decided by 3 percentage points or less.
With the U.S. House narrowly split in recent years, both major parties have pumped enormous amounts of resources into recent campaigns for PA-7.
The congressional race is more than a year and a half away, but Obando-Derstine already is the third person to enter a race.Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District
Last year saw the candidates, parties and their allies drop more than $38 million into the congressional race, making it one of the most expensive in the country.
The congressional race is more than a year and a half away, but Obando-Derstine already is the third person to enter a race.
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, a Carbon County native whose been a dominant force in Democratic politics for 15 years, launched his own campaign for PA-7 in February.
"Our interest is on November of 2026. We are confident we are going to be the Democratic nominee who beats Ryan Mackenzie and puts a check on Donald Trump's chaos," Madison Palmer, McClure's campaign manager, said in a news release.
The winner of the Democratic primary is expected to face Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie, who is less than five months into his new job representing the district.
After serving for 12 years in the state House representing parts of Lehigh County, Mackenzie edged out Wild in the November election by about 4,000 votes, or 1 percentage point.
In a prepared statement, the Mackenzie campaign accused Wild of manufacturing the Obando-Derstine campaign.
"Fresh off being rejected by the voters, Susan Wild has decided that she doesn't want to lose again, so she has decided to recruit someone who will vote the same she did and simply act as her puppet," said Arnaud Armstrong, a spokesman for the Mackenzie for Congress campaign.
Mackenzie has tried to walk a narrow path of supporting President Donald Trump's policies while seeking to moderate some of his stances.
Mackenzie has expressed interest in limiting presidential power on tariffs and backed narrower cuts to Medicaid than what Republican leadership have discussed.
