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What to know about Susan Wild as she seeks reelection to PA House seat

By Sean Kitchen

August 16, 2024

Congresswoman Susan Wild is running for reelection against State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie this November. Wild has used her office to advocate for reproductive rights during her time in office. 

Congresswoman Susan Wild (D-Lehigh) is gearing up for another tough reelection in the Lehigh Valley this November. 

Wild became the City of Allentown’s first female solicitor in 2015 and was then elected to the US House in 2018 after former US Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Lehigh) stepped aside. 

Now, Wild is running for her fourth two-year term in a frontline district that is crucial for Democrats to hold onto as they attempt to retake the US House. 

The District

Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is typically a Republican-leaning district consisting of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, and is considered a “tossup” according to Cook Political Report.  

Wild is running against State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh), who was first elected to the Pennsylvania House in 2012 and has made three prior attempts to run Congress in 2018, 2020 and 2022. 

Wild’s Background

Wild is a mother of two, and grew up in a military family with her father serving in the US Air Force. She has lived in the Lehigh Valley for over 30 years and became the first woman from the region to serve in Congress. 

Wild grew up in a working class family and has carried those roots all the way to Congress. In the lead up to her 2018 special election victory, Wild told supporters that she felt the government had left behind the middle class and that her priorities included education, health care, campaign finance reform and jobs and infrastructure. 

Wild’s Key Issues

While serving in Congress, Wild has used her office to promote reproductive rights and advocate for women suffering from infertility issues. 

Wild invited a Bethlehem mom who had three children through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address and she has introduced codifying IVF rights nationwide and to make IVF more affordable for families

Wild has been instrumental in bringing funding and resources to the Lehigh Valley from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act. 

Wild played a role in writing part of the CHIPS Act and helped deliver Allentown a $20 million grant from the CHIPS Act that helps address employment issues, transportation costs and childcare costs. 

Her Opponent

Mackenzie is currently the minority chair of the Pennsylvania House Labor and Industry Committee and defeated Kevin Dellicker and Montero in the Republican primary last April. 

Mackenzie had the support of right-wing super PACs to help get him through the primary. Americans for Prosperity spent close to $500,000 supporting Mackenzie at the end 20 spring according to Armchair Lehigh Valley.

Over the past couple of months, Mackenzie has come under scrutiny for lying about his age on Tinder, a popular online dating platform, during the pandemic. According to the Daily Mail, Mackenzie claimed to be eight years younger than what he actually was at the time. 

The Keystone then reported on Mackenzie removing anti-abortion language and endorsements from an anti-abortion organization from his website. While serving in the House, Mackenzie voted for a constitutional amendment banning abortion and supported 20-week abortion bans. 

 

Author

  • Sean Kitchen

    Sean Kitchen is the Keystone’s political correspondent, based in Harrisburg. Sean is originally from Philadelphia and spent five years working as a writer and researcher for Pennsylvania Spotlight.

CATEGORIES: Election 2024
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