Congressional candidate Ryan Crosswell visited Lehigh to speak with students about his policies ahead of Pennsylvania’s primary election in May. The conversation, organized by Lehigh Democrats, brought students together for an informal discussion about his campaign and political background.
Previously registered as a Republican, Crosswell is running as a Democrat for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The seat is currently held by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.
Crosswell sat with students around the fireplace in the Great Hall of Clayton University Center during the event, held Feb. 25.
After greeting attendees with a handshake, Crosswell introduced himself and spoke about his path towards public service and decision to run for Congress.
Crosswell said he never planned to pursue a career in public service until he witnessed the events of Sept. 11.
“It’s hard to explain to people how formative 9/11 was for my generation, but for me, that sort of steered me toward public service,” Crosswell said.
He later became a lawyer and joined the Marine Corps while in law school before beginning his career as a federal prosecutor for the Department of Justice. Serving in the Public Integrity Section, Crosswell said he prosecuted corruption, campaign finance and election crimes.
From his time as a federal attorney, Crosswell said he gained experience prosecuting high-profile figures including George Santos, Eric Adams and John Edwards.
About a year ago, Crosswell said he was ordered to drop a criminal case against New York City mayor Eric Adams. He said the decision led him to abruptly resign from the position, becoming one of eight federal prosecutors in his division to step down.
He then began his campaign for Congress.
Crosswell said his decision to switch parties after being a registered Republican until a few years later came after concluding the Democratic Party better aligned with his values.
“In a time when there really is an authoritarian threat, the Democratic Party is the party that’s standing for democracy,” Crosswell said.
He said the party’s positions on issues including tax fairness, stricter gun control, abortion policies and national security now align with his beliefs.
Crosswell also discussed higher education affordability. He said he supports capping tuition costs at 40% of median household income for private schools like Lehigh.
He said the cost of higher education has driven dramatically, increasing from about 9% of household income in 1969 to roughly 42% today, which he said places a heavy financial burden on families paying for college.
He said colleges and universities could also play a role in addressing student debt.
Jack Ciavolella, ‘26, vice president of Lehigh Democrats, asked Crosswell about his views on proposals to build new data centers across the Lehigh Valley.
“From a national security perspective, we do not want these built overseas,” Crosswell said. “The problem is they need to be built in places that can ecologically sustain them, and I think this is being rushed.”
Crosswell said the election in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is one of the most important in the country.
According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the district — which includes Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties and part of Monroe counties — is considered a national swing district that often determines control of the House of Representatives.
With a mix of urban, rural and suburban voters, Crosswell said the district serves as a bellwether for shifting voter sentiment in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Residents of Allentown and Bethlehem face many of the same issues as people nationwide, Crosswell said, including concerns about affordable health insurance and housing.
“There are people that are afraid to leave their jobs,” he said. “They don’t want to lose their insurance, they’re a small business owner, they’re afraid they’re not going to be able to provide employee insurance anymore.”
Crosswell faces five other candidates in the Democratic primary, including Bob Brooks, Aiden Gonzalez, Lamont McClure, Carol Obando-Derstine and Lewis Shupe.
On his third visit this academic year, Crosswell said he prioritizes visiting college campuses like Lehigh because he doesn’t often hear from young voters while campaigning and he wants them to become more engaged.
“For any students at Lehigh that come from ruby-red or sapphire-blue districts and that want to affect history, literally, this is the place,” Crosswell said. “And it’s a really exciting thing”.
Five Lehigh students are currently serving as interns for Crosswell’s congressional campaign.
Annika Lilja, ‘29, a political science and economics double major, said she decided to intern for Crosswell last November after hearing him speak about his experience as a federal prosecutor.
Lilja said part of the reason she chose Lehigh was to become involved in Pennsylvania politics as a swing state.
Through the internship program, Lilja said she’s conducted research on military institutions, worked with senior campaign staff and attended meetings with Crosswell before debates.
Lilja said she found Crosswell’s view of politics as a reflection of personal values meaningful.
“You can change parties, and you can realign yourself based on your values and where you think a party’s direction is heading,” Lilja said.
Ciavolella said Lehigh Democrats host candidate discussions rather than endorsing specific candidates to encourage broader political engagement.
“Our primary purpose is to provide the Lehigh population with the opportunity to learn and to decide for themselves which candidate they want to choose,” Ciavolella said. “It’s our job to give voters a choice. By providing a forum for them to do so, that’s how we achieve that.”