From Allegheny County to the Lehigh Valley, working class candidates are running for office up and down the ballot in Pennsylvania.
Here are four pro-worker candidates that’ll be on November’s ballot.
Bob Brooks
Democrat Bob Brooks, a retired 20-year firefighter and union leader, is looking to unseat Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District this November and become one of only a handful of working class-men and women to serve in the US House.
Brooks is the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, which represents over 7,000 firefighters and first responders across the Commonwealth, and has used his position to advocate before the state Legislature for increased post-traumatic stress injury coverage for his peers.
Since launching his campaign last year, Brooks has the backing of more than a dozen labor unions and affiliated organizations, and is endorsed by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Brian Wrightson
Brian Wrightston, who comes from a working-class part of Northeastern Pennsylvania, is looking to defeat State Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Lackawanna) in Pennsylvania’s 40th Senate District.
Wrightston comes from a union family: his grandfather worked in the coal mines and his father was a sheet metal worker. With a background in telecommunications, Wrightston previously served as the director of emergency services for the American Red Cross.
During the campaign, Wrightston has advocated for affordable housing, expanding Medicaid, and fully funding public schools.
Jennifer Mazzocco
State Rep. Jennifer Mazzocco (D-Allegheny) is running for reelection this November after winning a special election in February.
Prior to becoming a lawmaker, Mazzocco worked as a teacher in the Pittsburgh Public School District and was a member of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.
During her campaign, she called for raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $18 per hour and making sure public schools are fully funded.
Her campaign was backed by the American Federation of Teachers, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, and others.
Kristin Egan
Kristin Egan, a 20-year schoolteacher and union leader, is looking to defeat State Rep. Brian Hogan (R-Bucks) in Pennsylvania’s 142nd House District this fall.
Egan supports increasing state funding for public education to alleviate local property taxes and addressing affordability issues for working families. She has the backing of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Transportation Workers of America, Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, and others.
