BETHLEHEM, Pa.- The four remaining candidates in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District shared a stage on Wednesday, each trying to make the case for why he or she is the best person to send to Washington D.C. next year. 

The hour-long debate was organized by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and held at Moravian University’s Foy Concert Hall in Bethlehem.

What’s at stake?

The 7th district includes all of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, plus a small portion of Monroe County. The seat is currently held by first-term Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, who is not facing a challenger in the GOP primary.

Recently, there were as many as seven Democrats in the race. Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley dropped out to pursue a state senate run. Two other candidates- Aiden Gonzalez and Lewis Shupe- failed to secure the necessary 1,000 signatures required to get on the May 19 ballot.

Once again, the race in the 7th district is one that’s being closely watched around the nation, as Republicans try to hold on to their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans can claim 217 seats, compared to the Democrats’ 214. There is one Independent in the House, and three vacancies. 

Before Mackenzie claimed a narrow victory in the 2024 election, Democrat Susan Wild held the seat for three terms. 

The Lehigh Valley’s political color is purple, meaning there’s a very thin line between Democratic blue and Republican red. 

The debate format

The debate had a brisk pace, with Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tony Iannelli serving as moderator. The candidates were allowed a brief introduction and closing statement to bookend the event. In-between, they had 30 seconds to answer Iannelli’s questions. A bell sounded at the end of each 30-second interval.

The candidates largely adhered to the time limits. It was a civil discourse, devoid of interruptions and redirection; they often pointed out areas when they shared similar views. They saved their criticism for President Donald Trump and his administration, as well as Mackenzie. 

Iannelli progressed quickly from one topic to the next, at times moving on to a new issue before all four candidates were given a chance to weigh in on the previous one.

The candidates

Bob Brooks is a longtime Bethlehem firefighter who retired last year. He’s currently the President of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association (PPFFA). He told the crowd he was raised by a single mother and, over the years, had to work several jobs at the same time to pay the bills. “I understand what it’s like to be a working-class person in the Lehigh Valley who’s struggling,” Brooks said.

Lamont McClure grew up in Weatherly, Carbon County, worked as an attorney, and later served two terms as Northampton County Executive, following a 10-year stint on county council. He was the first Democrat to announce his candidacy for the 7th district. “We need a leader who has experience acting with courage, taking on Trump, taking on MAGA. I am that leader,” McClure said.

Carol Obando-Derstine immigrated with her family from Colombia as a three-year-old child. She moved to the Lehigh Valley as an adult and previously served as a regional manager for U.S. Senator Bob Casey, as well as a regional affairs director for PPL Electric Utilities. “I was tired of seeing working families struggle to make ends meet,” she said, when asked what compelled her to enter the race. “I couldn’t sit on the sidelines while I watched immigrant communities being attacked, being targeted just because of the way we look,” she added.

Ryan Crosswell grew up in Pottsville, Schuylkill County. He joined the Marine Corps after the 9/11 terror attacks and later served as a federal prosecutor for 10 years. He made national headlines when he resigned from the Justice Department in 2025 in protest of the Trump administration’s decision to drop corruption charges against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Crosswell entered the race “because this is more than just about the (Trump) administration,” he said. “It’s about sycophants in Congress who are spineless, who are not standing up and asserting their role in our constitutional framework.”

The issues

The candidates were asked for their opinions and stances on a number of topics. Here are some of the highlights.

The war in Iran: 

“We should not commit boots on the ground in Iran, specifically, and any more in the Persian Gulf. We need to bring our young men and women home now,” McClure said. “With respect to Trump’s initial decision (to attack Iran), I think it was ill-considered and not well thought through, both militarily and economically.”

Crosswell agreed. “It happens at a time when we’re told we can’t afford Medicaid, we can’t afford food assistance, and now gas is up $1 in the Lehigh Valley because of this war. This is Trump. This is Mackenzie. This is a failure, and we should not be in war in Iran,” he said.

ICE actions and immigration policies:

“Trump is targeting people who look like me and my family,” said Obando-Derstine. She called for reforms to ensure the system is “legal, effective and humane.”

Brooks, too, felt that ICE has “gone way too far.”

“We have masked men running around, throwing people in vans. They’re killing people,” he said.

Can Social Security be saved?

In order to preserve Social Security, “We need major tax reform,” said Crosswell. “That means the wealthiest Americans need to start paying taxes on their capital gains. The largest businesses need to pay more so smaller businesses can pay less.”

Brooks called for a change to current caps that limit the amount of income that can be taxed for Social Security. In 2025, that number was $176,100. “If we expand that and change the tax code, expand that and get that to 5% or whatever, we can cover Social Security for the next 100 years,” he said.

McClure said protecting both Social Security and Medicare is an issue he’s been leaning into recently: “If there’s one thing that we all need to be focused on as we look forward to the fall and defeating Mackenzie, it’s that we must protect the seniors of PA-7. That needs to be our first priority.”

Winning over Carbon County

Carbon County was added to Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District as part of redistricting in 2022, when Susan Wild was in office. Iannelli noted that Wild struggled to win over voters there. Mackenzie easily won the county, earning 66% of the vote to Wild’s 34% in 2024. Iannelli asked the candidates how they would ensure they don’t have the same problem.

Obando-Derstine said she can relate to the county’s blue-collar roots and economic struggles. “It’s important that they understand that I get them, that I know what it was like to pay more for childcare than my mortgage, that I understand what it’s like to have to sit at the kitchen table and try to figure out how all this was going to add up.”

McClure said his status as a “favorite son” of Carbon County would be an asset. “I’m a 1988 graduate of Weatherly Area High School. My late dad was the housing authority director for 40 years before he passed away. My mom was the first woman to be president of her school board. So our roots run very deep in Carbon County.”

Switch from red to blue

One question was for Crosswell only. He recently switched his political party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. Iannelli asked him about the motivation for the change.

“I grew up in a purple household. Mom was a Democrat, Dad was a Republican. Mom’s always right,” he said, to laughter from the audience.

“I came here because I see a party that’s bad for (voters’) health, bad for their wealth, bad for their rights, bad for their democracy. And that is the current GOP,” Crosswell added.

See the full debate on WFMZ

The candidates were also asked about their views on Israel, winning over independent voters, closing the wage gap in the U.S., securing protections for the transgender community, and more. 

The debate will air in its entirety as two episodes of Business Matters, which can be seen on WFMZ-TV on Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

Part one of the debate can be seen on April 6, with part two airing the following Monday, April 13.

69 News reached out the Congressman Mackenzie’s office for a response to some of the issues raised in the debate, but we did not immediately hear back.