Four candidates are on the ballot Tuesday to win the slot of the Democratic ticket to face off against Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie to represent the 7th Congressional District.

The district includes all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and part of Monroe County, including the townships of Eldred, Polk and some of Ross.

Candidates are Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Carol Obando Derstine and Lamont McClure. We asked the candidates several questions and list their responses in alphabetical order. Responses were limited to 100 words.

Background

Bob Brooks: A resident of Moore Township, a 20-year Bethlehem firefighter and President of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association, representing over 8,000 union firefighters across 74 local affiliates. I coach varsity baseball at Nazareth Area High School and sit on the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority Board. I’m a working-class person who’s tired of getting kicked in the teeth. I’m proud to be doing this with the endorsement of Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Bernie Sanders, because they agree our party needs to return to its pro-union, working-class roots in order to be best positioned to stand up to Trump. We must flip as many seats as possible.

Ryan Crosswell: A resident of Allentown, grew up in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, as the son of a special education teacher and a small business owner. After 9/11, I felt the call to serve and joined the Marine Corps. I still serve as a Lt. Col. in the Marine Corps Reserve. I then became a federal prosecutor, serving at DOJ for 10 years — including at the Public Integrity Section, which prosecuted corruption in government at the highest level. In February 2025, the Trump administration ordered me to drop corruption charges against Eric Adams. I refused, resigned, and testified in Congress to expose Trump’s abuse of power.

Lamont McClure: A former Northampton County executive and native of Weatherly, my late Dad was a public servant who made sure that older folks and others had safe, affordable housing. Whether I was fighting the world’s largest corporations and their insurance companies on behalf of Steelworkers and other trades people, battling to protect the elderly residents of our nursing home from being sold out to a for profit corporation, or taking on the opioid manufacturers, I’ve always been a fighter against powerful interests. I’ve proven it’s possible to improve vital services, give employees raises, and still lower taxes and reduce the size of government.

Carol Obando-Derstine: A resident of Center Valley, Carol Obando-Derstine is a Democratic candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th District. An engineer, bilingual community leader, and proud mother, she brings close to 30 years of experience in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. At PPL Electric Utilities, she led clean energy transition and grid modernization efforts. She also served as Regional Manager and Statewide Latino Affairs Advisor for U.S. Senator Bob Casey here in the district and previously led SkillsUSA Council and the Children’s Coalition of the Lehigh Valley. Carol’s blend of technical expertise, public service, and her working-class upbringing drives her to fight for us.

What are your top three priorities, if elected:

Brooks: Lowering costs for middle-class families, ending the corruption that’s rigged Washington against working people, and restoring economic fairness. I’ll fight to guarantee affordable healthcare, bring down prescription drug costs, and ban Wall Street from buying up the housing stock that working families deserve. I’m committed to banning congressional stock trading, passing term limits, overturning Citizens United, and breaking up corporate monopolies — because the government should work for you. I’ll work to pass the PRO Act to expand union membership, tax ultra-wealthy households through legislation like Senator Warren’s Ultra-Millionaire Tax, and pair that with real tax cuts for working people.

Crosswell: Lower costs for working Pennsylvanians on healthcare, housing, energy, and childcare. Protect Social Security and Medicare from the people trying to gut them. Root out the corruption rotting this government from the top down. I left DOJ over corruption. I’m going back to Washington to fix what’s badly broken.

McClure: Restore the Medicaid cuts Mackenzie made. Restore the SNAP benefits Mackenzie slashed. Cut taxes for the Middle Class.

Obando-Derstine: My top priorities are: lowering the cost of everyday essentials, including expanding access to healthcare and standing up for reproductive rights; fighting back against Trump’s illegal deportations and lawless ICE; and protecting our democracy and fundamental rights, including protecting our voting rights.

2. The high cost of living — gas, groceries, electricity — is on everyone’s mind. How do you propose to fix the issue?

Brooks: The high cost of living is something I feel personally. I run a snowplow business with three diesel trucks, and gas prices are through the roof. That’s the reality for small businesses and working families across this district every single day.

Trump’s tariffs are a tax on working people, and the proceeds are going straight to his donors. I’ll fight to repeal them. I’ll push to break up monopolies and restore real competition in these markets. The war in Iran is sending shockwaves through oil markets that will be felt for years. I will fight to end it.

Crosswell: Families in the Lehigh Valley are getting squeezed while billionaires and big corporations rig the game. I’ll go after price gouging in groceries and energy, take on the monopolies driving up costs, and fight a tax code that rewards the rich and punishes everyone else.

McClure: We will start with that aforementioned Middle Class Tax Cut. Then we will role back Trump’s tariffs. We will fight to get our brave servicemen and women back from the Middle East, and the combination of these measures will begin to bring costs down.

Obando-Derstine: Just like other families across PA-07, I am frustrated by rising costs. We need to do away with the tariffs, restore ACA subsidies to lower healthcare costs, lower prescription drug prices, crack down on corporate price gouging, and invest in clean American energy to reduce utility bills. I also support raising the federal minimum wage and strengthening unions because when workers have bargaining power, families can keep up with the cost of living.

3. Housing costs have surged in the region. What role should the federal government play in lowering rent and home prices?

Brooks: The Lehigh Valley has the second most competitive housing market in the country. We need to build more starter homes, cut the red tape that makes building expensive, and crack down on corporate landlords and rent gouging. I’ll be a day-one cosponsor of the HELPER Act, which extends VA-style low-interest mortgages to teachers, nurses, and first responders. And I support banning private equity from buying up housing stock meant for working families.

Crosswell: The federal government has to step up. That means building more housing, cracking down on Wall Street investors buying single-family homes to rent them back to us, and expanding tax credits for first-time buyers. Owning a home in Pennsylvania used to be a promise, and we have to make it one again.

McClure: Reining in Trump’s tariffs will make home building less expensive by reducing the cost of building materials. The Federal Government also needs to increase funding through programs like CDBG to local governments to help with the construction of affordable housing.

Obando-Derstine: The federal government should incentivize the building of more affordable housing and make homeownership more accessible for working families. That means supporting first-time homebuyers with closing costs, strengthening tax credits to increase affordable housing construction, and stopping large corporations from buying up homes just to drive up prices. I also want to establish the first federal Office of Tenant Rights to protect tenants in our district from predatory landlords and unjust evictions.

4. How will you balance the need for industrial growth while protecting the environment?

Brooks: I don’t think you have to choose, but growth can’t come at the cost of clean air, abundant greenspaces, and clean water. I’ll push for strict federal oversight on pollution like sewage sludge, forever chemicals, mine refuse, and I’ll hold data center corporations accountable to the communities they operate in. Mackenzie gutted the Clean Air and Water Act. That’s a betrayal of this area, which has experienced the effect of so much industrial pollution.

Crosswell: The Lehigh Valley can lead in manufacturing and clean energy at the same time, and that’s how we create good union jobs that stay here. I’ll fight for investment in Pennsylvania industry while holding polluters accountable. Our kids deserve a paycheck AND clean air, and anyone who says we have to choose is lying.

McClure: As Northampton County Executive, one of my primary functions was to balance the preservation of green and open space and economic development and job creation. We did this by emphasizing the creation of good paying manufacturing jobs while at the same time preserving record amounts of farmland, open space and environmentally sensitive land.

Obando-Derstine: I’ve worked in economic development as an energy engineer and project manager. I support investing in clean energy jobs, modern manufacturing, and infrastructure projects that create good-paying union jobs here. We should hold polluters accountable while also helping industries transition to cleaner, more efficient forms of energy. I’ll also work on much-needed guardrails around data centers to prevent cost-shifting and negative environmental impacts. I’ll fight to pause any more approvals until those rules catch up.

5. The country is in a mental health crisis. What programs would you support to get people the help they need?

Brooks: One of my biggest accomplishments in my career is working in Harrisburg in my capacity as union president for almost 10 years to pass mental health coverage under worker’s comp for first responders like firefighters, EMS and police. It finally passed unanimously in 2024. My biggest opponent in Harrisburg for 9 of those years?

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. I know this issue well. I support universal healthcare that includes mental health coverage for every American.

Crosswell: We’re failing people, and it shows in our schools, on our streets and especially with our veterans’ communities. I’ll push for real parity in insurance coverage, expand community mental health clinics, and fund the 988 crisis line so it actually works. As a Marine, I’ve seen what happens when the same government that sent men and women to war forgets about them when they come home.

McClure: During my time as Northampton County Executive I focused on improving our mental health programs. In Congress, I will prioritize funding for State and County governments so that they can better contend with this burgeoning crisis.

Obando-Derstine: Because I was a therapist at the start of my career, I firmly believe mental health care should be treated like health care, full stop. We need more funding for community mental health centers, school counselors, addiction treatment, and crisis response programs. I also support expanding access to affordable care through insurance coverage and telehealth services, especially in underserved communities where people too often struggle to find help close to home.

6. Do you support continued U.S. financial and military aid to other countries? Under what conditions?

Brooks: U.S. financial support has to be in the interest of the United States. I am for supporting our allies but before anything we must invest here at home.

Crosswell: Yes, when it serves American interests and American values. We stand with our allies, especially democracies under threat. Every dollar should come with conditions like accountability, human rights, and — if we’re talking about a military operation — a clear strategy. I took an oath to the Constitution. Strength abroad starts with honesty at home.

McClure: Yes, but with many caveats depending on the conflict. However, I remain steadfast in my commitment to helping the Ukrainian people repel their Russian invaders.

Obando-Derstine: I support aid when it advances American security, protects democratic values, and is paired with clear accountability. We should always prioritize diplomacy and humanitarian support, and Congress must maintain strong oversight over how taxpayer dollars. Our foreign policy should reflect both our values and our responsibility to avoid unnecessary conflict. If we do get involved in a military conflict, it should be with the consent of Congress, and we should have a clear exit strategy.

7. What qualities do you have that would make you the strongest candidate in November?

Brooks: I am the best candidate to defeat Ryan Mackenzie and stop Donald Trump’s destructive agenda. I am the only candidate in this race who isn’t from any of our urban cores, and I believe my background as a first responder, union leader, and working-class person uniquely positions me to connect with the independents and moderate Republicans who have left our party and gone to the other side. They were misled by a President and a Congressman who promised no new wars and a laser focus on driving down costs. My plan is to hold them accountable for that.

Crosswell: I’m a Marine and a federal prosecutor who quit rather than let Donald Trump weaponize the Justice Department. That’s a record that goes to the core of what Democrats believe and it’s also resonates deeply with independents. Even most Republicans respect what I’m saying and are ready to hear me out. Service and the rule of law still matter in this country. I’ve spent my life standing up to bullies. Ryan Mackenzie is next.

McClure: I grew up in Carbon County. McClure said his eight years as Northampton County executive give him a tested record against Trump’s allies, including removing ICE agents from the county courthouse, that none of his opponents could match.

Obando-Derstine: As a working mom raised in a union household, Spanish-speaking immigrant, educator, and engineer, I am able to connect with a larger percentage of voters. The working-class voters who struggle to make ends meet is an experience I’ve lived through. Beyond empathy, I have a work history of helping people get ahead like preparing them for jobs, connecting to services they need, and lowering their utility bills — all without scandals that makes for good attack ads.