ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley is circulating petitions for both Pennsylvania's 16th state Senate District and the Lehigh Valley's congressional seat, raising questions about whether he'll remain in the crowded race for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.
Pinsley, of South Whitehall Township, did not immediately comment Tuesday morning when a LehighValleyNews.com reporter contacted him about his campaign plans.
During a candidates forum for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District Monday night, Pinsley gave no hint that he was shifting his campaign's focus.
But Juan Vargas, the owner of Nowhere Coffee and a candidate in the state senate race, said in an interview Tuesday morning that Pinsley told him that he would be joining the race for the 16th District.
Vargas said he saw Pinsley's nomination petitions for both races.
"The conversation was very cordial," Vargas said. "I don't have animosity for the guy."
Vargas said he voted for Pinsley in his past campaigns for state senate.
"I'm fully for an open primary," Vargas said. "If we're going to have 10 candidates in the primary, so be it."
While he welcomed Pinsley into the race, Vargas contrasted his newest state senate opponent with his own deliberate approach.
"Public office isn't a game of musical chairs — it's a commitment to a specific role, a specific community and a specific responsibility," Vargas wrote in a social media post.
Other Lehigh County Democrats confirmed they have seen both of Pinsley's petitions.
Start of the campaign cycle
Tuesday marks the official start of the 2026 campaign cycle in Pennsylvania. Over the next three weeks, major party candidates can gather petitions to appear on the primary ballot.
The exact number needed depends on the specific race. Congressional candidates need 1,000 signatures of registered party members living in their district while state senate candidates need 500.
Pinsley entered the U.S. House race at the end of July, campaigning on his opposition to ICE and his willingness to take on tough fights.
He's pointed to his experience tangling with Lehigh County officials and Lehigh Valley Hospital Network as proof. His report found the region had an unusually high number of medical child abuse, and the attention led the hospital network to part ways with a doctor with a troubling history of diagnosing abuse with questionable evidence.
His campaign, however, has struggled to find funding in what could turn into one of the most expensive congressional races in the country.
After five months on the campaign, Pinsley reported he closed 2025 with a little over $50,000 in his coffers. By comparison, Ryan Crosswell led the Democratic field with $612,249 on hand entering the new year.
Pinsley is among seven Democratic candidates in the PA-7 race.
Others are Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor; firefighter union boss Bob Brooks; political newcomer Aiden Gonzalez; former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure; energy engineer Carol Obando-Derstine; and perennial candidate Lou Shupe.
The winner of the primary likely will challenge Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie, a first-term congressman defending one of the biggest toss-up districts in the country.
Third-party candidates Frank Golden and Michael Granados have logged their campaigns with the Federal Election Commission.
The 7th District represents all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties plus a sliver of Monroe County.
The state senate campaign marks the eighth race Pinsley has entered in the past 10 years and his third bid for the 16th District.
He lost a narrow race to then-incumbent Pat Browne in 2018 when the district was based entirely in Lehigh County. He ran for the district again in 2022 but lost to Republican Jarrett Coleman.
Race already crowded
A host of Democrats are looking to deny Coleman a second term. Along with Pinsley and Vargas, Richlandtown Mayor Wayne Codner and Pennridge School Board Director Bradley Merkl-Gump are seeking the Democratic nomination.
There's still time for new candidates to emerge, as well.
The 16th District represents Heidelberg, Lower Macungie, Lower Milford, Lowhill, Lynn, North Whitehall, Upper Macungie, Upper Milford, Upper Saucon, Washington and Weisenberg townships and Alburtis, Coopersburg, Macungie and Slatington as well as portions of Allentown and South Whitehall Township in Lehigh County.
The Bucks County portion of the district includes Bedminster, Bridgeton, Durham, East Rockhill, Haycock, Hilltown, Milford, Nockamixon, Richland, Springfield, Tinicum and West Rockhill townships along with Dublin, Perkasie, Quarkertown, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, Sellersville, Silverdale and Trumbauersville plus a portion of Telford.
Republicans have a 12.4% edge over Democrats in voter registration within the district, according to state data.
