As Democrats ramp up their efforts to flip the U.S. House in November, four candidates from the Keystone State have been named to a program that seeks to help and invest in them to win their races.
On Monday morning, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, known as the DCCC, added Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie and Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, PPFFA, President Bob Brooks to its ‘Red to Blue’ program.
In February, the DCCC announced that Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and former television anchor Janelle Stelson were also on the list for their respective bids for the 8th and 10th congressional districts.
The DCCC, the official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House of Representatives and the only political committee in the country “whose principal mission is to support Democratic House candidates every step of the way,” has named four candidates in Pennsylvania to its ‘Red to Blue’ program, which is more than any other state.
DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene described Brooks and Harvie, who are both running against other Democrats for the party nomination, as the “strongest” candidates for their respective races.
“Bob Harvie is a proud son of Bucks County who has an undeniable record of showing up and serving the community that raised him,” said DelBene. “Bob is the strongest candidate to take on Brian Fitzpatrick and finally give Bucks and Montgomery County families a leader in Congress who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable.”
“As a 20-year Bethlehem firefighter and union president, Bob Brooks has been on the frontlines serving the community he loves. He understands the challenges that hardworking Lehigh Valley families are facing because he’s lived them himself, and he has the callouses on his hands to prove it,” DelBene said. “He’s the strongest candidate to flip this must-win seat in November and deliver real results for his community.”
The focus on Pennsylvania races suggests Democrats are playing offense after Republicans secured wins up and down the ballot in 2024.
In addition to Donald Trump winning the state’s 19 electoral votes and Republicans sweeping all of the statewide races on the ballot, the GOP also flipped two congressional seats from blue to red last cycle.
Cognetti is the only Pennsylvania candidate who has a clear path to the Democratic Party nomination among the four in the program. She is slated to face U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8th District, for the northeast Pennsylvania-based seat in November.
Stelson, who is attempting to challenge U.S. Rep. Scott Perry for the 10th Congressional District, is going up against Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas for the Democratic Party nomination.
Harvie and Lucia Simonelli, a scientist, are vying for the Democratic Party nomination for the 1st District seat held by GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.
In addition to Brooks, the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary includes Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor; Carol Obando-Derstine, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey; and Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure. The winner of that primary will challenge freshman GOP U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.
At least two candidates are voicing their opposition to the DCCC’s latest decision to weigh in on these races prior to the primary election on May 19.
“Hand-picking a party loyalist did not work for the Democratic establishment during the Harris campaign, and it will not work for PA-01,” Simonelli’s campaign said to the Center Square. “After nearly a decade of Fitzpatrick, voters deserve a candidate who will go to bat when working people are on the line – not another representative who embodies the status quo of lukewarm, pre-approved Party politics.”
“Lucia Simonelli’s background, experience, and commitment to working people are exactly the kind of representation constituents in this district need in Congress,” the campaign added. “Voters decide elections, not Washington insiders.”
Obando-Derstine’s campaign also blasted the DCCC.
“Instead of letting local voters decide, DC insiders and the political establishment are trying to handpick our next Representative and buy this seat,” her campaign said. “The establishment is pushing Bob Brooks — a candidate who has repeatedly endorsed election deniers, downplayed the deadliest attack on the Latino community in modern U.S. history, and shown he’s willing to lie to voters.”
“Our district deserves better than another John Fetterman,” the campaign added. “We need a candidate who can win this race and defeat Ryan Mackenzie in November.”
Also going to bat for Obando-Derstine is the BOLD PAC, the campaign committee of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to Semafor.
While the DCCC is the latest group to put their efforts behind Brooks, Cognetti, Harvie, and Stelson, all have racked up significant endorsements in their respective races.
Brooks is being backed in his race by Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and a bevy of unions. Harvie has the support of a majority of local elected Democrats in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, as well as the endorsements from multiple U.S. House members. Stelson and Cognetti also have the support of Shapiro and various lawmakers across the Commonwealth and beyond.
National ratings outlets signal that the four races are expected to be competitive in November.
The Cook Political Report rates three U.S. House races in Pennsylvania as “toss ups” which is more than any other state for the midterm election. Those races are the seats held by Bresnahan, Mackenzie, and Perry. However, they describe the 1st Congressional District contest as “likely Republican.”
Republicans currently hold a slim majority over Democrats in the U.S. House, putting these races in battleground districts in Pennsylvania in the spotlight in November.
