Vote totals show how Ryan Mackenzie won 7th Congressional District election
Vote totals show how Ryan Mackenzie won 7th Congressional District election
Vote tallies from Tuesday's election show how Republican Ryan Makenzie defeated a three-term incumbent to become congressman from the 7th Congressional District: He won the northern part of the district.
The 7th’s Republican northern areas – Carbon County and three precincts in Monroe County – gave him a large enough cushion that blunted any advantage the Democratic southern counties of Lehigh and Northampton gave his opponent, Democrat U.S. Rep Susan Wild.
Mackenzie, a 12-year state representative from Lehigh County, captured 50.7% of the vote (200,544 to 195,004), according to unofficial returns.
In the northern regions that gave him the advantage, he drew 13,745 more votes than Wild; in the southern counties, she had 8,205 more votes. Mackenzie won by 5,540 votes.
It’s the reverse of what happened in 2022, when Wild defeated Republican Lisa Scheller by a slightly larger amount – 5,837.
But there were two distinct differences in the numbers:
In Carbon County, Mackenzie won by 11,146 votes; in 2022, Scheller’s margin over Wild was 7,655.
In Northampton County, Wild bested Scheller by 3,857 votes, but this year she had only 275 more votes than Mackenzie.
Glenn Geissinger, chair of the Northampton County Republican committee, predicted Mackenzie would win if he kept the Northampton margin close.
“I knew that if Ryan Mackenzie could come within a half-point in Northampton County, I knew he would have a solid margin [of victory],” he said.
He pointed out that Republican candidates energetically supported each other at campaign events.
“I have been saying for months that the energy, the mojo, whatever you want to call it, was felt every time our candidates were mentioned at a rally,” he said. “People have to be excited about the candidate to stand in line for two hours to vote. … and to drive up the turnout and to get that low-propensity voter to vote.”
Inside the County Vote for Wild / Mackenzie
Carbon: 11,477 / 22,623
Lehigh: 95,910 / 87,980
Monroe: 2,366 / 4,965
Northampton: 85,251 / 84,976
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State
Wild’s huge fundraising advantage over Mackenzie didn’t result in a victory. Her campaign raised $8.1 million and spent $7.5 million, while Mackenzie’s campaign, since winning a three-way primary in April, raised about $1 million and spent about $800,000, according to the latest FEC data.
In a statement Wednesday, Mackenzie said, “I’m incredibly proud of the campaign that we waged. Because of the hard work of our supporters, our team has managed to overcome the odds, beat the polls, and deliver change for the Greater Lehigh Valley.”
Political consultant Samuel Chen, who worked on the GOP campaign of Kevin Dellicker, who lost to Mackenzie in the April 23 primary, said Wild was a strong opponent but vulnerable.
“It wasn’t one of those things where you really could just walk in and you should be able to oust her easily because she’s not controversial,” he said.
He had worked with Mackenzie in the past and described him as a ”formidable candidate” who works tirelessly.
One key point on which Mackenzie hammered Wild was the economy, where food prices had risen by 28% over the last few years. Wild and other Democrats never effectively countered that message, he said.
“If you’re struggling to put food on the table or you’re deciding, ‘Do I pay rent or do I get my medicine?’ Then things like abortion rights, gun rights, the environment and things like that are not front of mind. So I think it’s not that those other issues aren’t important to voters, but they’re important relative to the economy.”
Chen said it was the same with border issues, where Wild and other Democrats could not rebut the attacks.
On Wednesday, Wild released a statement conceding the race to Mackenzie.
“There is no sugarcoating it: this is a bitterly disappointing outcome,” she said. “I congratulate my opponent on winning this seat, and I am going to do everything to ensure a smooth transition, because the people of this district deserve nothing less.”
She said she was proud of her achievements while in office, including legislation to strengthen health care protections and lower prescription drug costs; standing up to Big Pharma and other corporate interests; and protecting and strengthening Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.
In conclusion, she gave supporters a pep talk: “This election may not have gone the way we hoped, but the fight continues on. Let us dust ourselves off and get right back up. Let’s get back to work — organizing for the future that our community needs and deserves.”
In his statement, Mackenzie looked to the future as well.
“The fight now shifts to delivering results for the people of the Greater Lehigh Valley. I’m looking forward to taking up the charge on the issues that our communities are concerned about, including tackling the high cost of living, securing the border, and working towards peace abroad.”
To view photos from the Ryan Mackenzie and Susan Wild election night watch parties, click here.