Bob Brooks Defeats Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania House Race
Democrat Bob Brooks defeated Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie on November 3 to win Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, a Lehigh Valley-area contest that Democrats had targeted as they sought to take control of the House. The Associated Press called the race at 10:27 p.m.; results cited by one outlet showed Brooks with 56.6% of the vote and Mackenzie with 43.4%. Mackenzie conceded.
Brooks is a retired Bethlehem firefighter and leads Pennsylvania’s statewide professional firefighters’ union. He built his campaign around his blue-collar background and concerns about household affordability, and emphasized labor protections, health care access, housing costs and the social safety net. He also operates a family lawn-care and snow-removal business.
Mackenzie, a Republican freshman, had won the seat in 2024 by a narrow margin. He highlighted his role in a bipartisan group of lawmakers seeking common ground, while Brooks’ campaign portrayed him as a career politician and criticized his support for a major Republican-backed bill. The race also featured negative advertising and scrutiny of Brooks’ settled debt dispute and a workers’ compensation allegation, which Democrats called false and defamatory.
Brooks was backed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, while Mackenzie campaigned with House Speaker Mike Johnson. The district includes Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and part of Monroe County.
Brooks’ Victory Gives Democrats a Pennsylvania House Pickup
Voters in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District chose Democrat Bob Brooks on November 3, defeating Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie and handing Democrats a pickup in a battleground seat. The Associated Press called the race at 10:27 p.m.; results cited by one outlet showed Brooks winning 56.6% to Mackenzie’s 43.4%.
Brooks campaigned on the economic pressures facing working families, including housing affordability, health care access and workplace protections. His background as a retired firefighter and union leader gave his campaign a direct connection to workers’ concerns. He also called for protecting social safety net programs and lowering everyday costs.
Mackenzie’s record and support for a Republican-backed bill were central targets of the Democratic campaign, which framed his vote as benefiting billionaires. His attempt to emphasize a bipartisan streak through the Problem Solvers Caucus did not keep him in the seat. Brooks’ win comes as Democrats seek to retake the House, and it delivers a clear rebuke to the incumbent’s approach in a district Democrats had hoped to flip.
Brooks received the backing of Gov. Josh Shapiro, among others. Mackenzie conceded the race. The district covers Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and part of Monroe County.
Pennsylvania Voters Replace Republican Incumbent With Democrat Brooks
Democrat Bob Brooks defeated Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie on November 3, ending the Republican freshman’s two-year hold on Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District. The Associated Press called the contest at 10:27 p.m.; results cited by one outlet put Brooks at 56.6% and Mackenzie at 43.4%. Mackenzie conceded.
The race unfolded amid national Republican challenges that included voter concerns about affordability. Brooks made his working-class background and economic security his central pitch, emphasizing labor rights, health care access and housing costs. Mackenzie, meanwhile, sought to stress his pragmatic side as part of a bipartisan lawmakers’ group, despite generally voting with Republicans in Congress.
The campaign turned increasingly negative. Republicans highlighted a legal dispute over Brooks’ unpaid debt, which he settled the month before the election, and a report alleging he failed to provide workers’ compensation benefits at his small business. Democrats called that allegation false and defamatory. The contest also saw criticism of Mackenzie’s voting record and his support for a major Republican-backed bill, while Brooks was portrayed by Mackenzie’s side as a career politician.
Mackenzie had won the district in 2024 by a narrow margin. He campaigned with House Speaker Mike Johnson, while Brooks was endorsed by Gov. Josh Shapiro. The outcome gives Democrats a pickup in a district that includes Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and part of Monroe County.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, FOX 29 Philadelphia, The Washington Examiner, CBS Philadelphia, 6abc Philadelphia.
