Pennsylvania Democrats on Tuesday picked their nominees for a handful of House races that could help determine control of the chamber this fall.
Bob Brooks, a union leader and retired firefighter, won the Democratic primary to challenge freshman Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania’s 7th District in what was the night’s most competitive primary for a battleground seat in the commonwealth.
Brooks was leading with about 40 percent of the vote when The Associated Press called the race at 9:46 p.m. Eastern time. He was trailed by former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure and former Justice Department prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, who each had about 21 percent, and engineer Carol Obando-Derstine, who had around 17 percent.
Democrats view Mackenzie’s Lehigh Valley seat as one of their best pickup opportunities in this year’s midterm elections as they seek to win control of the House. The Mackenzie-Brooks matchup will be one of the most closely watched nationwide come November.
Brooks had earned endorsements from both wings of the Democratic Party, including from Gov. Josh Shapiro and Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Working Families Party and the moderate Blue Dog PAC.
