SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — In his first comments since formally launching his congressional campaign last week, Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley staked a claim to the left wing of the Democratic field.
Word broke Thursday that Pinsley, a two-term incumbent who's often tussled with local Republican and Democratic leaders, would run for Pennsylvania's battleground 7th Congressional District.
"Pennsylvanians are tired of false promises, excuses, and candidates who are ashamed to be Democrats. Running establishment candidates who share the same talking points is not the answer in today’s political environment."U.S. House candidate Mark Pinsley, in a statement
Pinsley had not released a formal statement or launched a campaign website, but the FEC posted his paperwork declaring his candidacy.
In a prepared statement released Monday, Pinsley blasted President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, for cutting vital social services such as Medicaid, Social Security and food assistance programs for infants and the elderly.
But he also took aim at Democratic leadership, saying they need to resign if they cannot offer stiffer resistance to Trump's agenda.
"Pennsylvanians are tired of false promises, excuses, and candidates who are ashamed to be Democrats," Pinsley said in the statement.
"Running establishment candidates who share the same talking points is not the answer in today’s political environment."
'Will not sit by and watch'
Pinsley's comments echo a wider divide within the Democratic Party.
While backlash against Trump and the Republican Congress in reaction to cuts to Medicaid, SNAP benefits and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has improved Democrats' standing, public opinion of the Democratic Party has fallen to an all-time low.
"I will bring a positive and forward-looking progressive policy agenda to Congress that all Pennsylvanians can embrace."U.S. House candidate Mark Pinsley
"I will not sit by and watch President Trump, Ryan Mackenzie, the GOP Congress, and the United States Supreme Court destroy the rule of law, our nation's social safety net, and our country’s values," Pinsley said.
"Instead, I will bring a positive and forward-looking progressive policy agenda to Congress that all Pennsylvanians can embrace."
If elected, Pinlsey said in the release, he would support Medicare for all, demand tighter congressional oversight of ICE, protect Social Security and try to reverse Citizens United, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that has fueled unprecedented levels of political spending over the past 15 years.
A crowded primary
Pinsley, a township resident and U.S. Army Reserve veteran, joins an already crowded field of Democrats in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.
They include former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure and energy engineer Carol Obando-Derstine.
Bob Brooks, a retired Bethlehem firefighter and president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, also is rumored to be eying a run; a call to Brooks last week was not returned.
The winner of the Democratic primary next year will take on Mackenzie for one of the country's most contested House seats.
PA-7's past three general elections have been decided by 3 percentage points or less.
With the U.S. House so narrowly split, both parties have sunk enormous resources into winning the seat to improve their chances of controlling the chamber.
Mackenzie, a freshman congressman who previously represented parts of Lehigh County for 12 years in the Pennsylvania House, was quick to bash his latest opponent.
'Race to become the most out of touch'
Mackenzie spokesman Arnaud Armstrong noted that Pinsley previously discussed creating a countywide sales tax and called him a political opportunist.
Next year's race will be Pinsley's seventh in a 10-year period.
"Mark Pinsley’s proven far-left credentials could be a major asset in a Democratic primary contest that is quickly turning into a race to become the most out-of-touch candidate."U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie spokesman Arnaud Armstrong
"Mark Pinsley’s proven far-left credentials could be a major asset in a Democratic primary contest that is quickly turning into a race to become the most out-of-touch candidate," Armstrong said.
Pinsley's no stranger to drawing criticism from Republicans or even fellow Democrats.
Most recently, he drew fire after the Lehigh County Pension Board supported his measure to divest from Tesla; it was the first public pension plan in the nation to do so.
Pinsley linked the decision in part to the Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk's politics as he slashed government contracts through the Department of Government Efficiency, while others said the decision was strictly guided by fiscal policy.
From December 2024 to March 2025, Tesla stock lost more than half its value.
