L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — A self-described “proven conservative,” Pennsylvania state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie is one of three Republican candidates running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th House district this year. This is third article in a series profiling the three Republicans.
“I feel like we’re losing our country when I see what’s going on with the wide-open border and the massive overspending in Washington D.C.,” Mackenzie tells his constituents — who will choose between him, Kevin Dellicker and Maria Montero in next month’s GOP primary.
Mackenzie, 41, is a ninth-generation resident of the Lehigh Valley who grew up attending Parkland School District schools. He has represented Lehigh County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2012, and he currently resides in Lower Macungie Township with his pregnant wife.
“My wife and I are expecting our first child in just a few weeks, so we’re very excited about that,” Mackenzie said. “But at the same time... I am very concerned about the direction of our country.”
Mackenzie’s legislative experience in Harrisburg includes a stint as chair of Pennsylvania House’s Labor & Industry Committee, where he worked to build consensus on unemployment aid, Medicaid and other issues involving a “federal funding component.” He believes this background sets him apart from his primary challengers in this race.
“Not only do I have that kind of legislative experience that has given me an understanding of a whole range of issues... but it also puts forward a voting record, which constituents can see,” Mackenzie said. “And they can see in my voting record that I’m a conservative they can trust.”
Looking beyond the primary, Mackenzie noted that the district’s incumbent Rep. Susan Wild’s margins of victory have steadily decreased since her first election to Congress in 2018. He hopes he will become the first GOP candidate to successfully challenge Wild this fall.
On the issues
During our interview, Mackenzie articulated his positions on some of the important issues that are likely to decide this fall's elections up and down the ballot.
Economy: Mackenzie says current metrics that show inflation rates decreasing do not consider the “compounding” of prices over time. He dismissed efforts from the Biden White House and national Democrats of “trying to spin” economic issues as “political positives.”
Abortion: Mackenzie believes abortion issues should be decided at the state, not federal level because there is “no ability to find consensus” on the issue outright. Congress should focus on maintaining broader abortion-related measures that have bipartisan support, such as the Born Alive Act and Hyde Amendment.
War in Ukraine: Mackenzie believes the federal government has already provided too much financial aid to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. The Ukrainian people should seek a peaceful resolution and “wind down” the war rather than further escalate — more aid would “perpetuate” the situation and is not necessarily in America’s best interests.
War in Gaza: Similar to his position on Ukraine, Mackenzie advocates a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. He says any such resolution must involve the release of Hamas-held hostages, but believes it is hard to ascertain if Hamas would be a “reasonable party” open to diplomacy.
Border security: Mackenzie says America’s top border security policies should be to finish construction of the wall, fully fund Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and re-implement the Trump-era policies like “Remain in Mexico.” Asylum seekers should await determination of their legal claims in Mexico or elsewhere instead of being released into the United States, according to Mackenzie.
Donald Trump: Mackenzie endorsed Trump early in this election cycle, and he says his continued support for the former president is based largely on two issues: Illegal immigration and confronting the rise of China as a global power. Leaders were “politically afraid” to discuss these issues until Trump burst onto the national scene in the mid-2010s, said Mackenzie, who expressed willingness to work with Trump in these policy realms if both are elected.
2020 election: Mackenzie recognized Joe Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election before speaking about some of his efforts to challenge the results in Pennsylvania. Mackenzie “didn’t like” the election procedural changes adopted by then-Gov. Tom Wolf and the state’s secretary of elections and says he “threw a challenge flag” by writing to Congress about his concerns with Pennsylvania’s election results. While he still disagrees with a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of the changes, Mackenzie said “the game ended” and Biden defeated Trump in 2020.
In Pennsylvania’s GOP primary on April 23, Mackenzie will face candidates Kevin Dellicker and Maria Montero. The winner of that race will face Wild, a Democrat seeking her fourth term in Congress, in the general election this November.
