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ALLENTOWN, Pa. — In a closely watched House race, Republican challenger Ryan Mackenzie has emerged victorious over Democratic incumbent Rep. Susan Wild in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
As of Wednesday morning, with 99% of votes tallied, Mackenzie held a narrow lead of 50.7% to Wild’s 49.3%, according to unofficial AP results.
Outspent, underestimated, written off, and victorious. Proud to be part of the team that is sending @Ryan_Mackenzie to Congress. Great working alongside @Andres__Weller & @sarabarann pic.twitter.com/eXUod6OV68
— Arnaud Armstrong (@ArnaudArmstrong) November 6, 2024
Mackenzie, 42, a veteran of the Pennsylvania state legislature, ran on a platform of fiscal conservatism, criticizing Wild’s voting record and portraying her as a progressive Democrat masquerading as a centrist.
At his election night gathering, Mackenzie claimed victory around 1 a.m. Wednesday, expressing gratitude to voters and reiterating his campaign’s central message. “The premise of this campaign was that we were being failed by Susan Wild, and we needed to bring real change,” he declared.
Wild, 67, focused her campaign on abortion rights, accusing Mackenzie of supporting a federal ban, a claim he disputed.
Throughout the campaign, Wild faced several controversies, including sharing senators’ personal information on social media, making inappropriate comments about constituents, and using an actor to portray a police officer in a campaign advertisement.
BREAKING: Ryan Mackenzie declares victory at the Amicus Hotel, shortly after 1 a.m. He later told The Morning Call that “this campaign was from the very beginning about bringing change to the Lehigh Valley.” @mcall pic.twitter.com/fGfV0Qht0D
— Andreas Pelekis (@atp3417) November 6, 2024
Additionally, Wild’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict appeared inconsistent, and she faced criticism for accumulating parking fines in Washington, D.C., including illegally parking in a handicapped spot.
The 7th District, which encompasses parts of Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Monroe counties in eastern Pennsylvania, was considered a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.
