With backing from an unusual coalition of prominent moderate and progressive leaders, firefighter union leader Bob Brooks has emerged as a front-runner in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, a critical swing district that Democrats are aggressively contesting for next year’s midterms.
Brooks has landed the support of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a prospective 2028 presidential candidate and leading moderate, alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who are among the most vocal progressive lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Shapiro reportedly helped recruit Brooks to run, and will be holding a major fundraiser for him in Philadelphia on Thursday.
“Throughout his career, Bob has worked hard for the men and women of organized labor – standing up for higher wages, better healthcare, and safer working conditions,” Shapiro said in his endorsement.
Brooks said he’d gotten to know Shapiro through the governor’s work with firefighters and “seen his commitment to improving life for regular people up close, especially through his leadership in expanding PTSI coverage for first responders.” He said Shapiro’s “knack for bringing people together is why he’s so deeply trusted in our state.”
Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College, said that Shapiro’s endorsement would be “monumental” in the race, given his popularity in the state, and particularly among Democrats.
“Usually endorsements I give a bit of a shrug for because it doesn’t get you a lot of bang for your buck,” Borick said. “In this case, I think it most likely will — it’ll attract more support, it’ll attract other funding sources and in a crowded field … it’s a very valuable get for Brooks.”
Borick said that Brooks’ background — a union firefighter with an “interesting personal narrative” — likely attracted Shapiro, who also had a relationship with Brooks from his work with the firefighters’ union.
Sanders has described Brooks as a working-class political outsider, saying he “has the guts to stand up to corporate greed & a corrupt political system. He will fight to protect Social Security and Medicare, defend workers’ rights and build a government that represents all of us — not just the billionaire class.”
Khanna said that Brooks is a “working-class [champion]” who has “dedicated his career to serving his community as a firefighter” and “will put working families over special interests and fight to lower costs.”
Democrats are looking to win back the Lehigh Valley-based House seat, which had been represented by former Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) from 2018 to 2024. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) defeated Wild by one point in 2024, and is considered one of the most vulnerable House Republicans in 2026.
In a sign of the swing district’s political significance, Vice President JD Vance campaigned alongside Mackenzie in Lehigh County on Tuesday, making the case for the Trump administration’s economic policies.
Borick said that Brooks’ background brings elements that appeal to various elements of the Democratic coalition, noting Brooks’ time as a leader in organized labor with a history on workers’ rights issues, while his “personal narrative fits if you’re trying to win over white working-class voters that might be more moderate or socially conservative.”
Larry Ceisler, a Philadelphia public affairs executive, said that Shapiro’s endorsement and the upcoming fundraiser should put Brooks in the lead. “When the governor, who’s going to lead the ticket, weighs in in a primary, I think that’s game and match,” Ceisler said.
Nevertheless, Brooks could face credible competition.
Borick said that, in a very divided primary, another Democrat could find a lane if they have a strong base of support or a compelling narrative or identity that makes them stand apart. None of the other candidates, he noted, appear well-poised to launch a challenge from the left.
One leading Democratic challenger, however, may run to Brooks’ right in the primary. Ryan Crosswell, a former Republican federal prosecutor who left the Trump administration and joined the Democratic Party when the Justice Department dropped charges against outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams, is leading the pack by a wide margin in fundraising and is leaning heavily on his law enforcement background and an anti-corruption message.
Both Ceisler and Borick predicted that Shapiro’s support should help Brooks close the fundraising gap.
Wild, meanwhile, has endorsed a third candidate, engineer Carol Obando-Derstine.
Brooks hasn’t spoken out extensively on his foreign policy views.
On the second anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Brooks posted on X highlighting the attack and the ongoing hostage crisis.
“I’m thinking of those who were killed and those still waiting to come home. We must end this war and suffering in Gaza, bring the hostages home, and work toward peace,” Brooks said.
The foreign policy plank of Brooks’ campaign website focuses primarily on criticizing President Donald Trump’s approach to Ukraine and China, but also accuses Trump of “risk[ing] war with Iran.”
After the terror attack on Sunday at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, Brooks said on X, “Awful news out of Sydney this morning. We’ve got to call out antisemitism wherever and whenever we see it. I’m thinking of the Jewish community in Sydney and around the world.”