Aiden Gonzalez, a Bethlehem resident and vice president of the Lehigh Valley Young Democrats, has joined the crowded, competitive Democratic primary for Congress in 2026.
Gonzalez joins five other Democrats seeking to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in 2026: former Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure; former PPL regional manager Carol Obando-Derstine; former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell; Pennsylvania Fire Fighters Association President Bob Brooks; and Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley.
In a video announcing his candidacy, Gonzalez said that his campaign platform includes making health care affordable, buying a home attainable and getting a well-paying job possible.
“Twenty thousand children in the Lehigh Valley live in poverty, health care care premiums are exploding and American families are counting pennies at the grocery store,” Gonzalez said. “The great American experiment is in danger of failure, but it doesn’t have to be. We were one a nation of the impossible and we can be again.”
In an email, Gonzalez said he decided to jump into the crowded Democratic race because he has not “seen the vision or the grit needed to address the serious challenges confronting the Lehigh Valley” from any of the other candidates.
Gonzalez is managing partner at a Bethlehem-based software company. It is his first run for public office. At 27, he is the youngest candidate in the race.
Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, which represents all of Lehigh, Carbon and Northampton counties and part of Monroe County, is considered one of the most competitive in the country, and a key seat in determining which party controls the House of Representatives.
Brooks, a former Bethlehem firefighter, has secured the most prominent endorsements, including from Gov. Josh Shapiro, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, several local elected officials including Mayor Matt Tuerk and state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, as well as the backing of labor unions like the International Association of Firefighters and Service Employees International Union.
Obando-Derstine is backed by former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild. McClure, who did not seek reelection as executive, has the backing of other prominent elected officials including former Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong.
Crosswell has received endorsements from national veterans groups and Pinsley has secured endorsements from progressive political groups including Progressive Democrats of America.
Mackenzie is running unopposed for the GOP nomination for Congress, and has secured the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
The primary election will take place May 19 and general election Nov. 3.
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.