BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Democratic congressional candidate Carol Obando-Derstine said the breadth of her career is what best prepares her to represent the Lehigh Valley in Washington.
Appearing this week on "Lehigh Valley Political Pulse" with host Tom Shortell, Obando-Derstine framed her resume as a contrast with other Democratic primary contenders.
"I have a depth and breadth that the other opponents don’t have,” she said, calling her wide-ranging experience an asset rather than a liability.
Community ties
Obando-Derstine pointed to leadership roles at two community-based organizations in the Lehigh Valley, including one focused on workforce development for young people and another centered on child advocacy and coalition-building.
She later worked at a community college, again with an emphasis on job preparation.
"People say the best anti-poverty program is a job, and that's what I was doing, was helping young people prepare for the workforce to get jobs," she said.
Her career then moved into government, where she served as a senior advisor to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, helping shape legislative input and connect constituents to services.
For the past decade, she said, she has worked at an electric utility, initially assisting seniors, low-income families and small businesses with reducing energy costs.
The issues
That background informed her criticism of recent federal energy policy decisions under President Donald Trump, particularly cuts she said were driven by Elon Musk and affected federal research capacity.
Obando-Derstine cited staffing reductions at national laboratories, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, which she said were working on long-duration energy storage critical to expanding solar and wind power.
On immigration, Obando-Derstine said the issue has defied resolution across multiple administrations, stretching back decades.
She argued that current public anger reflects frustration with what she described as cruelty in federal enforcement and said meaningful change would require sustained public pressure and civic engagement.
"It's going to take people rising up, letting their voice [be] heard and going out there and protesting, and that's what we're seeing," she said.
Mobilizing Latino voters
Obando-Derstine also has positioned her candidacy as uniquely capable of mobilizing Latino voters in the district.
She cited her background as an immigrant who grew up in a working-class, union household and said her lived experience lets her connect authentically with working families.
“I never pulled the ladder up from under me,” she said, referencing more than two decades of professional and community work in the district.
She also highlighted her service on former Gov. Tom Wolf’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs and her role as Casey’s regional and statewide Latino affairs advisor.
Her campaign, she said, has prioritized accessibility, including outreach to Spanish-speaking voters and recent community events aimed at Latino families.
Obando-Derstine is among a group of Democrats seeking the nomination in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, a race expected to draw significant attention in November.
Watch the full interview in the video player above and visit PBS39's YouTube channel for interviews with the other Democratic primary contenders.
