{"id":277586,"date":"2026-09-02T21:02:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T21:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/277586\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T21:02:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T21:02:43","slug":"bob-brooks-launches-latino-voter-outreach-as-7th-district-race-heats-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/277586\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Brooks launches Latino voter outreach as 7th District race heats up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bob Brooks, former firefighter and Lehigh Valley\u2019s Democratic candidate for Congress, is launching a Latino outreach initiative his campaign has dubbed \u201cBombero Bob.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooks, who worked as a firefighter in Bethlehem for 20 years and currently serves as president of the Pennsylvania Fire Fighters Association, is challenging incumbent GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.<\/p>\n

The 7th Congressional District is considered a \u201ctoss-up\u201d by Cook Political Report, and one of the handful of House elections that will determine which party takes control of the chamber in 2027. It includes all of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon Counties and part of Monroe County.<\/p>\n

\u201cBombero\u201d means \u201cfirefighter\u201d in Spanish. According to a news release from Brooks\u2019 campaign, members of the \u201cBombero Bob\u201d coalition, who will serve as ambassadors to the Brooks campaign, include prominent Latino figures in the Lehigh Valley including Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, Allentown City Council Vice President Cynthia Mota, IAFF Local 735 President Lou Jimenez and LA Mega 101.7FM radio host Victor Martinez.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored to have the support of an incredible coalition of Latino leaders across the Lehigh Valley. My pledge to our vibrant Latino community is simple: I promise to show up, listen, and fight for you and your family just as hard as I fight for my own,\u201d Brooks said in a news release from his campaign.<\/p>\n

In the statement, Brooks adds \u201cwhat I have heard consistently is that too many families here are getting squeezed by rising costs while career politicians like Ryan Mackenzie sell us out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Latinos in Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th district are seen as a key voting bloc that could sway the outcome of the election. Republicans made inroads with Latino voters in the 2024 election \u2014 43% of Latino voters voted for President Donald Trump that year compared to 35% in 2020, which proved decisive in electing Trump and other Republicans.<\/p>\n

But recent polling indicates that support among Latinos for Trump has fallen to only 25%, down from a high of 42% in 2025, which Democrats see as an opportunity to sway those voters to vote blue.<\/p>\n

Mackenzie launched his own Latino voters initiative called \u201cLatinos for Mackenzie\u201d<\/a> in June. In a statement, the Congressman criticized Brooks and his supporters for \u201cshowing up two months before the election to pretend that they care about the Latino community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy team and I have been working on behalf of the local Latino community for the past year and a half,\u201d Mackenzie said in a statement. \u201cThat includes offering services and communications in Spanish, participating in local community events, and hosting luncheons with Latino pastors and business leaders<\/p>\n

Ambassadors for the Mackenzie coalition include Lehigh County Republican Committee Chair George Rivera, Vice Chair Jackie Rivera and Lehigh County Commissioner Antonio Pineda.<\/p>\n

Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.<\/p>\n

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