Standing under a banner that read “Ryan Mackenzie has never held a real job in his life,” workers and union members from across the Lehigh Valley gathered in Allentown on Friday for a press conference after The Guardian reported that Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) embellished his career as a real estate agent prior to serving in the state Legislature.
“ Ryan Mackenzie has spent years lying to his district about a private-sector career he cannot account for,” Jim Irwin, president of the Lehigh Valley Labor Council and a business agent with the Operating Engineers Local 542, told reporters.
He added, “ Mackenzie’s campaign biographies and his LinkedIn page have listed him as a licensed real estate salesperson. It’s mentioned repeatedly on various websites as his career before becoming a politician.”
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According to the report, Mackenzie received his real estate license in 2006 before letting it lapse in 2008, but that didn’t stop him from talking about this supposed career path.
While campaigning for the state House in 2012, he pointed to his “private sector experience as a real estate salesperson,” and in 2025, he was invited to speak at the Harvard Business School’s DC Club about his “career path from the real estate sector to public service” at the local and federal levels.
The speakers at Friday’s press conference were there supporting Mackenzie’s opponent, Bob Brooks (D), a retired 20-year firefighter and president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association.
“ Ryan Mackenzie, our House representative, lied about working in real estate,” Jody Weinrich, a retired garment factory worker, said. “Ryan has never worked in a job for anyone but the government. He went from the federal government to the state government and now back to the federal government.”
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Mackenzie’s campaign refused to provide comment to The Guardian about whether or not he ever used his real estate license or made any sales.
“ It’s one thing to work in politics your whole life. It’s another to lie about your profession and embellish your resume to pretend that you didn’t,” Weinrich added.
