Obando-Derstine's candidacy shaped by immigrant roots, helping others
By Margie Peterson
Editor’s note: This is one four profiles on the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the 7th Congressional District on May 19. The others are Bob Brooks, a state firefighter union president; Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, and Lamont McClure, who most recently was the Northampton County executive. The winner will face incumbent Republican Ryan Mackenzie, who is unopposed in the primary.
Carol Obando-Derstine fled to the United States as a toddler with her parents from a civil war in Colombia and was able to achieve the American dream.
That dream has allowed her to earn two master’s degrees, have a family and do meaningful work in the private sector for PPL Electric Utilities, as an aide to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and for nonprofits such as the Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley.
Now, she said, the chance for a better life is out of reach for too many people because of President Trump’s policies.
It’s why she is seeking the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District on May 19.
“I have lived through language barriers, empty wallets and sacrifices. And when I climbed out I didn’t pull the ladder behind me,” she said. “I’ve helped people help themselves.
“I am seeing the American dream on life support right now and I am fighting to save it,” she said.
To view a gallery of Carol Obando-Derstine campaign photos, click here.
Obando-Derstine, 49, of Upper Saucon Township, is among four candidates looking to unseat Republican Ryan Mackenzie on Nov. 5. Mackenzie is unopposed in the primary.
The 7th includes all of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties and a tiny portion of Monroe County and has a population of nearly 790,000. The district is considered a must win for control of the House.
The other candidates are Bob Brooks, a state firefighter union president; Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, and Lamont McClure, who most recently was the Northampton County executive.
Obando-Derstine said she is running because of Mackenzie’s track record of supporting Trump nearly 100% of the time on policies that she said hurt Americans.
Among them was Mackenzie’s yes vote on July 3 on the One Big Beautiful Bill, a budget reconciliation package that extended Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, created new tax deductions, and set aside $90 billion. Deficit hawks estimate it will add trillions to the federal deficit over 10 years.
It passed the House by four votes. Among cuts to safety-net programs, the bill ended enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to state data, 36% of people enrolled in the ACA in Lehigh and 34% in Northampton have since dropped their coverage, while 35% in Monroe and 32% in Carbon have done so. That amounted to 11,762 people. Some 33,538 continued to be enrolled.
Meanwhile, residents who remained in the program saw their premiums rise $330 a month in Lehigh, $317 in Northampton and $303 in Carbon, data from Pennie, Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace, shows.
In January, Mackenzie broke with his party and voted to restore the enhanced subsidies for three years. It passed 230–196 but has yet to be taken up by the Senate.
Obando-Derstine said Mackenzie can try to distance himself from his votes, but his actions tell a different story.
“No one is fooled by what he is doing lately,” Obando-Derstine said of Mackenzie’s January vote. “This is a crisis of his own making. In the summer, he was a deciding vote for the Republican budget.”
She said her life story and the breadth of her experience distinguish her from the rest of the Democratic field and Mackenzie.
“I’m bicultural and fully bilingual in a district that has the largest percentage of Latinos of any swing district in Pennsylvania,” she said. “I’m also the only energy engineer at a time when we are facing a potential energy crisis.”
The following is a look at Obando-Derstine based on interviews, her campaign website, social media and political forums.
Background
After arriving in the U.S. as a toddler, Obando-Derstine lived in a house with one bathroom in New Jersey with a dozen family members. Her father was a hospital technician and member of the SEIU and her mother was a machine operator and AFL-CIO member. In high school, Obando-Derstine held multiple jobs and volunteered as a candy striper in a hospital. She became a U.S. citizen in 1996 when she was 19. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University and her first master’s degree in community psychology and social change from Penn State University.
Obando-Derstine moved to the Lehigh Valley when her husband was hired for a job in 2003.
That same year, Obando-Derstine became executive director of the nonprofit SkillsUSA Council and later held the same role at the Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley.
She joined Casey’s staff in 2011, serving as regional manager in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties and as his Latino affairs adviser. She said her five years working for Casey helped prepare her to handle a variety of complex issues and problems faced by the region’s businesses and constituents.
Obando-Derstine went to work for PPL in 2016, where she held supervisory and project management roles that included helping senior citizens, low-income families and small businesses lower their energy bills.
“When other people were talking about reducing costs, I actually did it,” she said.
While at PPL, she earned her second master’s degree in energy systems engineering from Lehigh University in 2022.
Support and funding
This is Obando-Derstine’s first run for political office. As of May 1 her committee, Carol for PA, raised $565,167 and spent$ 469,521, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Obando-Derstine was recruited to run by former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, who was defeated by Mackenzie in 2024. Obando-Derstine also has the support of several community leaders, including Alan Jennings, former longtime director of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, and Jane Ervin, former Lehigh County executive.
She has won support from reproductive rights groups such as EMILYs List and Moms Fed Up and Latino groups such as the Latino Victory Fund and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ BOLD PAC.
Affordability a top concern
Obando-Derstine said voters tell her their biggest concern is affordability, especially the cost of housing, groceries, healthcare and childcare. She said she understands what families are going through because she and her husband have two children — a son in high school and a daughter in college.
“I’ve lived through those difficulties,” said Obando-Derstine, adding that when her children were young she was paying more for childcare than for her monthly mortgage payment.
She blamed Trump’s tariffs on imports for raising the price of numerous goods and contributing to a dearth of affordable housing in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. On Feb. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
She said private investors – “Wall Street folks” – are also pricing people out of owning a home.
She said she favors creating more tax credits for low-income housing and protections so tenants know their rights. She’d like to see a federal office of tenants’ rights similar to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
She also supports raising the federal minimum wage and tying it to inflation, rolling back tax giveaways for billionaire donors and strengthening the Earned Income Tax credit. She wants to protect Social Security by lifting the payroll tax cap and ensuring the program is fully funded.
Other issues
Immigration: Supports a strong border and wants the immigration system to be “legal, effective and humane.” Said ICE is breaking the law. “They’re not following due process. They’re not sufficiently trained, they’re not being held accountable, and people in the immigrant community are terrified. That’s unacceptable.” Supports passage of the Dignity Act, which creates a pathway to citizenship. Would reopen DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) applications and ensure stable federal funding so Dreamers can work, pursue their education and contribute to their communities without fear.
War in Iran: Said it was started by Trump without congressional approval and without explanation to the public. Said Trump is asking for more than $200 billion to fund the war while cutting healthcare funding.
Energy/data centers: Would restore the solar and renewable energy tax credits cut by Trump. Would protect the Energy Star program. Wants to protect the right of states and local governments to regulate data centers, including energy and water usage. Would introduce an AI Adjustment Assistance for Workers Act that provides federal assistance, retraining, income support, and relocation help for workers who involuntarily lose their jobs due to AI. “At a time when we’re also seeing unprecedented demand on the grid because of data centers we need to make sure we have folks that have done this before,” she said.
Personal freedoms: Would defend reproductive freedom and gender-affirming care, and supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law. Would defend marriage equality and advance fairness and equality for LGBTQIA+ people. Supports common-sense gun safety legislation, youth mental health funding, and violence prevention education.
Economic development: Would invest in Small Business Development Centers and mentorship programs like SCORE, expand career and technical education and strengthen pathways from high school to apprenticeships, community college and good-paying jobs. Would support efforts to reshore manufacturing and strengthen domestic supply chains. Would protect investments in innovation through the CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act. Would restore key positions eliminated by DOGE at the National Labs focused on research and innovation advancing energy solutions. Would preserve pro-innovation tax incentives that support research and development for startups and small businesses.
Congressional reform: Supports congressional term limits. Would ban members of Congress from trading stocks, end Citizens United, ban partisan and racial gerrymandering, and strengthen ethics rules for federal officeholders.
Katherine Reinhard contributed to this report.