7th Congressional District race grows to seven Democratic candidates
Lewis Shupe, a self-described “renegade Democrat,” announced he is running in the 7th Congressional District race.
“I am running for Congress because our democracy has been steadily weakened by moneyed interests, constitutional erosion, and a political class that no longer answers to voters,” Shupe of Allentown said in his Friday announcement.
“The people of PA-07 deserve representation that puts democratic power back where it belongs — with the registered voter,” said Shupe, who said he is a retired and disabled professional with more than 35 years of experience in information technology.
Shupe’s announcement brings the number of Democrats seeking to run in the May 19 primary election to seven. The seat is now held by freshman Republican Ryan Mackenzie.
Other Democrats running are former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure; Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley; former PPL regional manager Carol Obando-Derstine; former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell; Pennsylvania Fire Fighters Association President Bob Brooks, and Aiden Gonzalez, vice president of the Lehigh Valley Young Democrats.
Most recently, Shupe, 62, expressed interest in becoming the Democratic Party’s choice to run in a special election on Feb. 24 for the 22nd House District.
The seat became open when incumbent Democrat Josh Siegel resigned to take his elected position as Lehigh County executive. Democrats selected Julian Guridy, an aide to state Sen. Nick Miller, to face Republican Robert Smith Jr. Shupe didn’t receive a vote from the Lehigh County Democratic Committee when it met Jan. 3 to select its candidate.
In 2024, Shupe filed to run as an independent candidate in the 7th Congressional District race where Mackenzie defeated three-term incumbent Democrat Susan Wild. He never ended up on the ballot because he failed to register as a candidate and file nomination papers in Pennsylvania, according to the state’s candidate database.
Shupe said he supports publicly funded elections; single-payer, universal health care; restoration of the fairness doctrine in media broadcasts; reversing constitutional infringements; restoring civil liberties; and strengthening democratic participation and oversight.