Sixth Democrat enters 7th Congressional District race
By John Best
A leader in the Lehigh Valley Young Democrats has joined the mix of Democratic contenders running in the 7th Congressional District.
Aiden Gonzalez, 27, of Bethlehem announced this week that he will seek the party’s nomination in the May 19 primary election.
The 7th spans Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties and a section of Monroe County. Incumbent Republican Ryan Mackenzie is seeking reelection to a second two-year term.
Gonzalez is a managing partner of a software consulting firm based in Bethlehem. He is vice president of the recently launched Lehigh Valley Young Democrats.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 and a master’s degree in nationalism studies in 2025 from Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain.
Gonzalez said his candidacy is focused on health care, housing, tax reform, the economy and scientific innovation.
“This race is about 20,000 children in the Lehigh Valley living in poverty,” Gonzalez said in a statement to Armchair Lehigh Valley. “It’s about how many of us can’t afford health care, whether we’re insured or not. And it’s about the need to spur innovation to create new jobs in new industries. Not a free ride, but a fair shake for those who want to work for it.”
PA-7 is considered a true swing district and will likely draw a lot of attention from both major political parties in the bid for control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Gonzalez becomes the sixth Democrat to seek the party’s nomination. The other Democrats are former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure; Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley; former PPL regional manager Carol Obando-Derstine; and former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell; and Pennsylvania Fire Fighters Association President Bob Brooks.