Mackenzie amasses $673,000 in Q1 funding for 2026 reelection campaign
Potential 7th District opponent, Democrat Lamont McClure, raises $142,000
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican who began serving his first term representing the 7th District in January, raised $673,040 for his 2026 reelection campaign in the first three months of 2025.
The only other declared candidate for the seat, Democrat and Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, raised $142,264 since he announced his candidacy at the end of February. The candidates’ campaign finance reports for the first quarter of 2025 were filed last week with the Federal Election Commission.
Since McClure entered the race, he and Mackenzie have attacked each other, with Mackenzie blasting McClure’s immigration policies at the county and McClure most recently criticizing Mackenzie for his support of President Trump’s tariffs, which were a factor in Volvo’s decision to lay off 250-350 workers at its Mack Trucks plant in Lower Macungie.
McClure likely will have at least one challenger in the 2026 Democratic primary. LehighValleyNews, citing sources, reported that Carol Obando-Derstine, most recently a supervisor at PPL in Allentown, likely will announce her candidacy soon.
She stepped down from her PPL job earlier this month, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also worked as regional manager and statewide Latino affairs adviser for then-U.S. Sen Bob Casey for four years until January 2016. She did not respond to a request via LinkedIn for comment from Armchair Lehigh Valley.
The 2026 election for the 7th District, even before a Democratic opponent is known, has been rated a toss-up by two national political analysts – the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
Last November, Mackenzie defeated three-term Democratic incumbent Susan Wild, with 50.5% of the vote. Wild has said she won’t run in 2026.
The race for the 7th District, which comprises Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and a small portion of Monroe, was the most expensive House race in Pennsylvania, according to Armchair Lehigh Valley’s analysis of campaign finance data.
The campaign committees for both candidates spent about $10.6 million, with Wild racking up $8.9 million to Mackenzie’s $1.7 million. Independent spending in support of and opposition to both candidates brought the total spent on the election to more than $37 million. The 2026 election likely would see similar amounts of money spent.
Mackenzie’s campaign finances
Adding in $108,240 left over from his 2024 campaign, Mackenzie’s committee had $781,281 available. After spending $165,397 on campaign expenses and other items, the campaign had $615,883 as of March 31, the end of the FEC reporting period.
As an incumbent, Mackenzie’s committee benefited from more than a quarter-million dollars from joint fundraising efforts affiliated with House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise: $138,583 from Grow the Majority, which includes Johnson’s campaign committee, and $92,544 from Defend our Majority, which includes Scalise’s campaign committee.
Mackenzie received another $4,000 from Scalise’s campaign committee and $10,000 from Scalise’s leadership PAC, The Eye of the Tiger.
The Mackenzie for Congress Committee also brought in $222,441 from political action committees, several of which are affiliated with Republican members of Congress, including $5,000 each from Air Products and Chemicals Political Alliance; Greater Tomorrow PAC (Rep. Glenn Thompson from Pennsylvania’s 15th District); Help Elect Republicans Now PAC (Rep. Kevin Hern from Oklahoma); International Franchise Association; Keep America Rolling PAC (Rep. Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania’s 16th District); Mr. Southern Missourian in the House PAC (Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri), and Restoring Our Nation PAC (U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas).
The FEC reported that Mackenzie’s committee collected $72,548 in contributions of no more than $200 each.
McClure’s campaign finances
McClure’s campaign spent $56,144 to establish his campaign and hire a campaign manager, leaving a balance of $86,120.
PACs accounted for $20,100 of his total raised, with nearly half ($10,000) coming from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC and $1,000 from the PAC of Bob Donchez, Bethlehem’s former Democratic mayor.
McClure gave his campaign $24,000, while his county executive campaign committee contributed $1,000. McClure for PA committee collected a total of $24,704 in contributions of no more than $200 each, according to the FEC. McClure has been lining up endorsements from labor unions, current and former area elected officials and prominent individuals.