EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally overlooked funds the Mackenzie and Crosswell campaigns received through joint fundraising committees. It has been corrected and updated to reflect those amounts.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The six candidates running in next year's Lehigh Valley congressional race have raised a total of $1.5 million toward their campaigns in the past three months as they compete for one of the nation's most contested — and expensive — U.S. House seats.
Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie led the pack by raising $456,756.72 in the last quarter.
That outpaced the $380,128.17 raised by Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, and the $308,253 collected by Bob Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association. Croswell and Brooks are running as Democrats.
Three other Democrats in the race trailed financially.
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure loaned his campaign $200,000, which accounted for most of the $229,446 he's raised since the start of July. Energy engineer Carol Obando-Derstine raised $115,822 but spent nearly as much money over the same time period. And, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley raised $73,106 since entering the race at the end of July.
Mackenzie finished the latest reporting period with $1.4 million on hand — $1 million more than Crosswell, the candidate with the next largest stockpile of campaign funds.
Gobs of cash don't guarantee success at the polls, but they won't hurt the chances of political hopefuls running for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.
More money helps campaigns pay for ads, mailers and staff to get their message out. The Lehigh Valley is part of the greater Philadelphia TV market, meaning television ads are particularly expensive.
PA-7 is one of the few toss-up seats in the country, especially as many other states work to maximize the number of uncompetitive districts in order to benefit their majority party.
The U.S. House has been decided by just a handful of seats for the past few years, making control of battleground districts all the more critical. Candidates, the major parties and their allies have funneled millions of dollars into the PA-7 race in recent years.
The 2024 election cycle saw candidates spend a total of $38 million on the congressional race as Mackenzie edged out then-Democratic incumbent Susan Wild by a single point. Since Pennsylvania redrew its congressional map in 2022, the PA-7 race has been decided by less than three points each time, and observers expect another close race in 2026.
Ryan Mackenzie
Net Contributions: $456,756.72
Net Expenses: $203,794
Cash on Hand: $1.42 million
Mackenzie fundraising efforts fell off from last quarter, when he raised $801,145 thanks in large part to support from other congressional Republicans. This time around, his funding was almost evenly split between political action committees, individuals who contributed less than $200 and donors who contributed more than $200. Much of his funding came from small donors from across the country looking to support a Republican running in a vulnerable district.
Some of his notable supporters this quarter include Gary Iacocca, owner of the Yocco's Hot Dogs chain ($2,000); Richard Uihlein, CEO of the shipping and packing company U-Line ($3,500); and Lee Butz, chairman of the Butz construction management firm ($3,500). Political action committees supporting Mackenzie include American Revival PAC, which is affiliated with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana ($5,000); the ARDA-ROC PAC, which lobbies on behalf of timeshare owners ($5,000); and the National Automobile Dealers Association PAC ($5,000).
Mackenzie's spending doesn't include commercials on social media praising him for supporting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Punchbowl News reported the spot is part of a $3.2 million ad campaign by American Action Network running in 25 congressional districts.
Bob Brooks
Net Contributions: $308,253.47
Net Expenses: $64,637.72
Cash on Hand: $243,615.75
Brooks launched his campaign in August, making him the most recent contender to enter the race. Despite the late entry, he has more money on hand than Obando-Derstine and Pinsley combined.
Brooks, who led Bethlehem's firefighter union before becoming the statewide union's president, has leaned on his fellow emergency responders at the start of his campaign. LehighValleyNews.com identified at least 38 professional firefighters from across the country among Brooks' donors. His supporters include Jeremy Warmkessel, president of International Fire Fighters Association Local 302 in Allentown ($1,300); Edward Kelly, general president of the national IAFF ($1,000); and Michael Korb, treasurer of the Professional Fire Fighters of Oklahoma ($1,000.)
Brooks has also received $10,000 from the IAFF Fire PAC; $4,000 from a PAC associated with U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, the daughter of a firefighter; and $3,500 from the Yinzer PAC, which is associated with U.S. Rep. Chris Diluzio (D-Pa.). He also secured $2,500 from the Democratic Lieutenant Governor's Association PAC — Brooks has been endorsed by Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis.
Ryan Crosswell
Net Contributions: $380128.17
Net Expenses: $199,781.32
Cash on Hand: $433,791.14
Crosswell, a federal prosecutor who resigned from the Trump administration's Justice Department earlier this year, continues to rake in donations from across the country, particularly among fellow lawyers. More than 82% of Crosswell's funding came from individual donors contributing $200 or more.
But while he saw almost no local support last quarter, he's starting to see financial support from within PA-7. Some of his local donors include Martin Cohen, founding partner of the Bethlehem Township law firm Cohen Feeley Altemose Rambo ($3,500), and Susan Yee, CEO of Active Data ($1,000). (Yee is a board member of Lehigh Valley Public Media, which runs LehighValleyNews.com) VoteVets, an organization that works to elect veterans — Crosswell served as a Marine — contributed $5,000 to his campaign.
Lamont McClure
Net Contributions: $29,446.95
Net Expenses: $33,846.86
Cash on Hand: $288,368.24
McClure would have seen his campaign lose money over the third quarter if not for a $200,000 loan he floated his campaign. But, the money he's fed his campaign means he has the second-largest war chest among the Democratic field as of Sept. 30.
Aside from the loan, McClure turned to his employees and political allies in Northampton County government to help fund his campaign. His local donors included Northampton County Solicitor Melissa Rudas ($500); Northampton County Councilman Ken Kraft ($250); and Andrew Elliott, Northampton County's deputy director of public works. McClure's largest individual donor was Thomas Williams, president of Cityline Construction ($3,000).
Carol Obando-Derstine
Net Contributions: $115,822.79
Net Expenses: $111,254.55
Cash on Hand: $127,513.18
Obando-Derstine's cash balance climbed about $4,500 over the past three months as her campaign spent nearly as much as Brooks', McClure's and Pinsley's operations combined. She told LehighValleyNews.com earlier this month that she has changed campaign managers.
A little more than half of her funding came from donors contributing more than $200 while money from PACs made up about 16% of her contributions. Her supporters included Janet Gross, a trustee at the Baum School of Art ($2,000); Chris Martin, CEO of Martin Guitar ($3,000); and George Fernandes, CEO of the nonprofit Latino Connection ($2,000). She also secured funding from a PAC associated with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus ($5,000); the pro-choice PAC Emily's List ($5,000); and 314 Action Victory Fund, a PAC that supports Democratic candidates with scientific backgrounds ($5,000).
Mark Pinsley
Net Contributions: $73,106.10
Net Expenses: $18,706.51
Cash on Hand: $54,399.59
Like Brooks, Pinsley launched his campaign in the middle of the last quarter. However, he hasn't received the same amount of support from politicians and organizations from outside the district that Brooks has enjoyed. Almost all of Pinsley's money came from individual donors. The only PAC money he received was a $500 contribution from Lehigh County Commissioner Jon Iron's campaign fund.
Pinsley's notable local supporters include Chris Martin, the CEO of Martin Guitar ($3,000), and state Rep. Josh Siegel, who previously worked for Pinsley in the Lehigh County controller's office ($1,000).
