Blue Pennsylvania: Ryan Redux
A few Blue Pennsylvania emails ago, there was a discussion about Ryan MacKenzie, the Republican U.S. representative from PA-7, which covers all of Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton counties, and a part of Monroe county. Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union leader, is MacKenzie's Democratic opponent. The email echoed a Guardian article questioning MacKenzie's veracity in trying to make himself to be more than just a career politician.
Bob Brooks Ryan Mackenzie
But while MacKenzie may have lied about his bona fides to appear to be more than just a lifelong politician, at other times he has
boasted about his perennial involvement with politics. Shawn Smith, a United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 677 member who was involved with the endorsement process for the UAW's PAC, described the union meeting with MacKenzie in this way:
“[Mackenzie] sits down and the first thing he says was, ‘Well, let me tell you guys, I’m a career politician.’ You just sat down with middle-class union workers and your first statement was, ‘I’m a career politician,’”
Smith explained MacKenzie's strategy. “ I think it was a spin to try and say Bob Brooks doesn’t have what it takes to be a politician. He doesn’t have the experience. He’s never had to do the voting. But that landed completely wrong in a room full of auto workers.”
PA-7, along with PA-1, PA-8, and PA-10, are considered to be some of the most flippable seats in the country.
What you can do
You can make a difference in any or all of these races, by clicking on the links on the Democratic candidate’s name for U.S. Congress below and by making a donation. And if you can spare some extra cash, you can help Democrats running for other offices, such as state reps and state senators by clicking on their links.
U.S. Congress
Candidate (Democrat) | District | Count(y/ies) | Incumbent (Republican) |
PA-1 | Bucks, Montgomery | Brian Fitzpatrick | |
PA-7 | Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe | Ryan McKenzie | |
PA-8 | Wayne, Pike, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe | Bob Bresnahan | |
PA-10 | Dauphin, Cumberland, York | Scott Perry |
PA Senate
Candidate (Democrat) | District | Count(y/ies) | Incumbent (Republican) |
SD-6 | Bucks | Frank Farry | |
SD-16 | Bucks/Lehigh | Jarrett Coleman | |
SD-24 | Berks/Montgomery | Tracy Pennycuick |
PA House
Candidate (Democrat) | District | Count(y/ies) | Incumbent (Republican) |
HD-142 | Bucks | Joe Hogan | |
HD-137 | Northampton | Joe Emrick | |
HD-160 | Chester/Delaware | Craig |
What else can you do?
In the meantime, this coming Tuesday, September 15, Blue Pennsylvania will be hosting Tuesday postcard writing at the Highpoint Allen Lane Train Station from 1 - 3 pm, where we will be writing postcards for Chris Thomas, candidate for SD-24 in Pottstown. As I have stressed in previous emails, we have a Democratic majority in the state house, and we are only two seats away from having a majority (with Austin Davis as the deciding vote) in the senate. That means we are only two senate seats away from cleaner air and water, good public schools and transportation, sensible gun laws, and affordable health and housing.
Thanks,
Coleman
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