(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh, continues to add to his fundraising advantage in the closely watched race for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, while the Democrats duking it out to face him enter the homestretch of their primary election.
Mackenzie raised just over $905,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March. His Q1 haul is the sixth highest among candidates running for Congress in Pennsylvania. U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan, R-8th District; Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District; and Scott Perry, R-10th District, who are also in battleground districts, outpaced Mackenzie in the first campaign finance report of 2026. Democrats Janelle Stelson and Paige Cognetti, who are running for the 10th and 8th District, respectively, also outraised Mackenzie in the first three months of the year.
However, Mackenzie added to his fundraising advantage over the four Democrats attempting to unseat him in November.
Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, led the way in Q1. His campaign raised just under $485,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March. Bob Brooks, a firefighters’ union leader, raised just over $435,000 in that same time period.
Carol Obando-Derstine, who worked as an aide to former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, raised just over $110,000 in the first three months of the year, which includes a $20,000 loan she gave to her campaign. Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure raised $20,000 in Q1.
Of the three seats the Cook Political Report, a national ratings outlet, describes as “toss ups” this November, the race for the 7th Congressional District includes the most crowded primary field.
Throughout the 2026 campaign cycle, Mackenzie has raised $3.58 million.
Crosswell, like his Q1 haul, has raised more than the other Democrats since entering the race. His campaign has raised $1.63 million since he announced his candidacy in June 2025, while Brooks has raised $1.04 million since he joined the race in late August.
Obando-Derstine has raised just under $545,000 from the time she announced her candidacy in May 2025 to the end of March 2026. However, $32,500 of that includes a loan she gave to her campaign.
McClure, who announced his bid in late February 2025, has raised $500,000 throughout the 2026 election cycle-to-date. $200,000 of that is a loan he gave to his campaign.
Mackenzie also entered April with a sizable cash-on-hand advantage over the Democratic field. He began the month with $2.45 million on hand, which is the sixth highest of the U.S. House candidates in the Keystone State, trailing Fitzpatrick, U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle, D-2nd District; Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th District; John Joyce, R-13th District; and Stelson.
At the beginning of the month, Crosswell’s campaign had $715,000 on hand, while Brooks had just under $545,000. McClure entered April with $285,000, while Obando-Derstine began the month with just under $130,000 on hand.
At this point in 2024, Mackenzie found himself on the other side of the campaign fundraising race. U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh, had $2.66 million on hand in early April, while Mackenzie, who was in a crowded GOP primary race, had just over $115,000 on hand.
Mackenzie’s roughly 4,000-vote victory in 2024 was the closest congressional race in Pennsylvania in 2024.
Mackenzie, who was endorsed by Trump in 2024, is being backed by the president in his bid for a second term.
The four Democrats vying for the nomination boast endorsements from a variety of elected officials and organizations.
Brooks is being backed by Gov. Josh Shapiro, multiple senators including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, the Working Families Party, and Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk. Crosswell’s endorsements include Vote Vets, Democratic Majority Action, Rep. Derek Tran, and Lehigh County Commissioner Sarah Fevig. Obando-Derstine has been endorsed by Wild, four current congresswomen, Emily’s List, and Reading Mayor Eddie Moran. McClure has support from the Philadelphia Building Trades, the Lehigh Valley Building Trades, and a number of local elected officials in the region.
The Cook Political Report, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections, a trio of national ratings outlets, describe the race in the Lehigh Valley as a “toss up.”
“Pennsylvania’s 7th District, nestled in the Lehigh Valley, is a rare true swing seat,” writes the Cook Political Report. “Donald Trump won the district by three points in 2016, lost it by less than a point in 2020, and then won it again by three points last year.”
