Housing costs, food prices, and stagnant wages are fueling deep financial anxiety among residents of eastern Pennsylvania's two competitive congressional districts, with both parties working to channel that discontent heading into November's midterm elections, according to The New York Times.
Both the Seventh and Eighth Congressional Districts switched from Democratic to Republican hands in 2024 and are now rated as tossups — among the seats most likely to determine which party controls the House after November. President Donald Trump carried both districts that year.
In the Seventh District, which encompasses the Lehigh Valley and parts of the Poconos, the Democratic candidate is Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union representative who won his party's primary earlier this month. Brooks, whose family lost their home to a fire when he was young, told The Times he drew on that background — including time spent on food stamps and in public housing — to make the case that he understands what district voters are going through, saying he believes they "can see themselves in me." Mackenzie, who faced no challenger in his primary, released a statement pointing to his record on tax cuts and pledging to remain "an independent voice for the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos," according to The Times.
