Mackenzie holds cash advantage over Brooks, but the gap has closed
Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie holds a nearly 3-1 cash advantage over his Democratic opponent Bob Brooks as the campaign for the 7th District shifts focus from the May primary to the November election, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.
The Mackenzie for Congress Committee has $2.9 million available compared to $1 million held by Bob Brooks for Congress, according to the reports which covered a three-month period ending June 30.
However, Brooks closed the cash gap since the last reporting period that ended March 31, when Mackenzie had a nearly 5-1 advantage – $2,455,819 to $543,983. Brooks, who won a competitive four-way primary for the Democratic nomination, raised $1,221,033 in the second quarter compared to $631,056 by Mackenzie’s campaign.
Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and a former Bethlehem firefighter, won the May 19 primary with 41% of the vote defeating Ryan Crosswell (21.3%), Lamont McClure (19.9%) and Carol Obando-Derstine (17.7%).
Obando-Derstine was recruited by former Congresswoman Susan Wild, who lost to Mackenzie by one percentage point two years ago in one of the most closely watched House races nationwide.
Once again, the 7th District, which comprises all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and a small part of Monroe, is considered key to which party controls the House in 2027. The race is considered a tossup.
A recent poll by GBAO Research for the Democratic House Majority PAC shows Brooks ahead of Mackenzie 47% to 43%. The poll surveyed likely voters from June 29-July 2.
Brooks, a political newcomer who was encouraged to run by Gov. Josh Shapiro, western Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Deluzio and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, has attracted strong financial support.
In total, the four Democratic candidates raised $5,553,093 and spent $4,462,606. Mackenzie, who was unopposed in the primary, raised a total of $4,357,405 and spent $1,521,927. The five candidates combined raised nearly $10 million, setting the stage for an expensive race between Mackenzie and Brooks in the fall.
For the two previous elections, the 7th District has been the most expensive House race in Pennsylvania when considering outside spending in addition to what the candidates spend. In 2024, about $37 million was spent. This year’s race between Brooks and Mackenzie could be among the most costly races in the state.
In the primary, two dozen outside groups spent more than $3 million to independently support or oppose candidates.
Lead Left PAC, which is backed by conservative cash, was the top independent spender in the primary: $1.7 million to support McClure and oppose Brooks and Crosswell with TV ads and campaign mailers. The group attempted to boost McClure’s candidacy based on the theory that Mackenzie would have an easier path to victory against McClure than Brooks or Crosswell.
Brooks campaign was supported with independent spending by other groups, including the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC ($140,300), Medicare For All ($99,625); DLP PAC ($48,810); and Jobs and Democracy PAC ($249,750).
Six PACs spent a total of $12,267 in opposition to Mackenzie. Youth Save Democracy PAC spent the most ($6,044) for printing and postage for campaign material.
Among Democratic candidates, Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, had been the leading fundraiser through the first quarter of 2026. With the latest report, however, he finished behind Brooks, bringing in a total of $1,872,528 for the campaign, spending $1,859,323, and ending with a cash balance of $13,204.
The other two Democrats were far behind. Obando-Derstine raised $593,293, spent $591,121, leaving $2,172. McClure, a former Northampton County executive, brought in $515,144, spent $512,981 and ended with $2,163.
Ryan Mackenzie
The Mackenzie for Congress Committee began the second quarter with $2,594,247, brought in $631,056 and spent $286,587.
Individual donors contributed $180,785, while political committees and PACs gave $122,193, and authorized fundraising committees chipped in $317,110.
Nearly 40% of the total raised in the second quarter came from three joint fundraising groups of House Republican leaders and a fourth affiliated with Mackenzie: Emmer Majority Builders (Majority Whip Tom Emmer), $32,495; Grow the Majority (House Speaker Mike Johnson), $88,282; Defend Our Majority (comprised of four dozen campaign committees including Mackenzie for Congress), $49,245; and Mackenzie for America, $76,226. In the first quarter, those four groups gave a total of $349,892 to Mackenzie’s campaign.
PAC contributors and political committees included Never Surrender, a PAC affiliated with President Trump ($10,000); American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC ($3,500 and another $13,000 from individuals who funneled their contributions through the group); Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company PAC ($2,000); Honeywell International PAC ($1,500); Mark Harris for Congress, the campaign committee for the North Carolina congressman ($5,000); Americans for Growth and Prosperity ($3,500); Space Exploration Technologies Corp. PAC, affiliated with Elon Musk’s SpaceX ($8,000); PPL Corporation People for Good Government ($2,500); Comcast Corporation & NBCUniversal PAC ($5,000); Congressional Leadership Fund ($5,000).
Major individual donors include Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong of San Francisco ($7,000); Bank OZK Chairman and CEO George Gleason of Little Rock, Arkansas ($3,500); retired Chairman and CEO of FMC Corp. Robert Burt of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina ($3,500); founder and CEO of the multinational hedge fund Citadel LLC Kenneth Griffin of Miami ($7,000); Mary Elizabeth Jaindl of Allentown ($5,000); Bruce Haines, owner of Historic Hotel, Bethlehem ($1,500); William McSwain, former U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Pennsylvania ($1,000); Louis N. Pantages, owner of Louie’s Prime Steak House, Lake Harmony, Carbon County ($3,500); Hollee A. Kreider, owner of Kreider Farms, Manheim, Lancaster County ($3,500); and Robert J. Bennett, Allentown, of the J.H. Bennett Inc. automobile group ($3,000).
Campaign expenses included Christy Consulting LLC of Philadelphia ($14,600); District City Consulting (fundraising), Washington, D.C. ($67,809); Elite Consulting, Washington, D.C. ($11,304); Frontline Strategies (digital fundraising), Elgin, Illinois ($43,527); and Fulfillment Solutions (direct mail), Sterling, Virginia ($10,624).
Bob Brooks
Since announcing his campaign in August, Brooks has raised $2,392,215 and spent $1,373,792.
He raised $1,221,033 between April 1 and June 30 and logged $454,974 in expenses.
The bulk of Brooks’ latest contributions – $978,948 – came from individuals, including about a dozen firefighters.
He also received $211,000 from political action committees, $5,000 from political party committees and $26,085 in transfers from authorized committees.
Among donors who gave $3,500 each were Johnathan Soros, CEO of JS Capital Management LLC and son of billionaire George Soros; Jennifer Allan Soros, who is Jonathan’s wife; Jonathan Tisch, executive chairman of Loews Hotels; Lizzie Tisch, a New York retail entrepreneur and Tisch’s wife; Richard Master of Easton, executive at MCS Industries Inc; Kevin Scott, chief technology officer at Microsoft; Jennifer Pritzker, a billionaire and philanthropist from Chicago and cousin of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker; and Susan Master of Bethlehem.
Donors giving $5,000 each included the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; Flip the Congress PAC, House Majority PAC, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Blue Dog PAC, Democratic Majority Fund Machinists Non-Partisan Political League; NEA Fund for Children and Public Education; Medicare for All, and the Progressive Turnout Project.
Giving $2,000 each were Jeffries for Congress, the committee for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), and Pete Aguilar for Congress (CA-33), the committee chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
Local support included $1,000 each from state Reps. Peter Schweyer (134th) and Mike Schlossberg (132nd) as individuals. Attorney Danny Cohen of Bethlehem gave $2,500.
Campaign expenditures included $34,000 to True Blue Digital of Chicago for consulting; $90,000 to LC Media of Huntington Valley for television advertising; $11,855 to Grassroots Analytics of Washington, D.C., for fundraising; $13,500 to Arc Initiatives of Washington, D.C., for research, and $10,000 to Global Strategy Group of Washington, D.C, for consulting.
The campaign owes $15,000 to Precinct LLC of New York, N.Y., for general consulting.