Congressional candidate Ryan Crosswell visited Lehigh to speak with students about his policies ahead of Pennsylvania\u2019s primary election in May. The conversation, organized by Lehigh Democrats, brought students together for an informal discussion about his campaign and political background.<\/p>\n
Previously registered as a Republican, Crosswell is running as a Democrat for Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The seat is currently held by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.<\/p>\n
Crosswell sat with students around the fireplace in the Great Hall of Clayton University Center during the event, held Feb. 25.<\/p>\n
After greeting attendees with a handshake, Crosswell introduced himself and spoke about his path towards public service and decision to run for Congress.<\/p>\n
Crosswell said he never planned to pursue a career in public service until he witnessed the events of Sept. 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain to people how formative 9\/11 was for my generation, but for me, that sort of steered me toward public service,\u201d Crosswell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
From his time as a federal attorney, Crosswell said he gained experience prosecuting high-profile figures including George Santos, Eric Adams and John Edwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He then began his campaign for Congress.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a time when there really is an authoritarian threat, the Democratic Party is the party that\u2019s standing for democracy,\u201d Crosswell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said the party\u2019s positions on issues including tax fairness, stricter gun control, abortion policies and national security now align with his beliefs.<\/p>\n
Crosswell also discussed higher education affordability. He said he supports capping tuition costs at 40% of median household income for private schools like Lehigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said colleges and universities could also play a role in addressing student debt.<\/p>\n
Jack Ciavolella, \u201826, vice president of Lehigh Democrats, asked Crosswell about his views on proposals to build new data centers across the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a national security perspective, we do not want these built overseas,\u201d Crosswell said. \u201cThe problem is they need to be built in places that can ecologically sustain them, and I think this is being rushed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crosswell said the election in Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th Congressional District is one of the most important in the country.<\/p>\n