The four Democratic candidates met for a debate at Moravian University’s Foy Concert Hall.
This week, four Democratic candidates competing for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional seat met in Bethlehem at Moravian University’s Foy Concert Hall to debate before members of the public.
The debate was organized by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. President and CEO Tony Iannelli served as the moderator.
Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is currently represented by first-term Republican Representative Ryan Mackenzie, who is not facing a primary challenger. Mackenzie narrowly ousted Democrat Susan Wild in the 2024 election.
Democrats are eyeing the 7th district’s seat in their efforts to win back the majority in the House of Representatives.
At the Democratic debate, candidates were allowed a brief introduction and closing statement. They were offered 30 seconds to answer Iannelli’s questions throughout the event.
Democratic candidates Bob Brooks, Lamont McClure, Carol Obando-Derstine, and Ryan Crosswell participated in the debate.
Bob Brooks is a firefighter who retired last year. He currently serves as the President of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association.
Lamont McClure worked as an attorney and later served two terms as Northampton County Executive after serving for 10 years on county council. He was the first Democrat to announce his candidacy in the 7th district race.
Carol Obando-Derstine is a Colombian immigrant who came to the United States at three years old. She previously served as a regional manager for U.S. Senator Bob Casey. She was also a regional affairs director for PPL Electric Utilities.
Ryan Crosswell joined the Marine Corps after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and later served as a federal prosecutor for 10 years. He resigned from the Justice Department in 2025 in protest of President Trump’s decision to drop corruption charges against former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The candidates agreed on several topics posed in Iannelli’s questions during the debate.
On immigration enforcement, candidates opposed actions taken by the Trump administration to secure the nation’s border and curb illegal immigration.
“We have masked men running around, throwing people in vans. They’re killing people,” said Brooks.
“Trump is targeting people who look like me and my family,” said Obando-Derstine as she called for reforms to ensure the immigration system is “legal, effective, and humane.”
Candidates opposed putting boots on the ground in Iran.
“We should not commit boots on the ground in Iran, specifically, and any more in the Persian Gulf. We need to bring our young men and women home now. With respect to Trump’s initial decision, I think it was ill-considered and not well thought through, both militarily and economically,” said McClure.
Crosswell agreed, saying that the conflict comes “at a time when we’re told we can’t afford Medicaid, we can’t afford food assistance, and now gas is up $1 in the Lehigh Valley because of this war. This is Trump. This is Mackenzie. This is a failure, and we should not be in war in Iran.”
Carbon County was critical in Mackenzie’s win over Wild in 2024. He won 66% of the vote in the county. Since his election, he has prioritized affordability for residents of the 7th district.
“Congresman Mackenzie voted for the largest tax cuts in American history for working families, common sense work requirements for able-bodied adults utilizing Medicaid while also increasing critical healthcare funding, and secured the border that was left wide open during a Biden administration. He looks forward to contrasting this record of success against the radical left-wing positions being taken by all of the Democratic candidates for Congress,” said Mackenzie’s campaign manager Andres Weller in a statement.
