LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie pulled out a dominant win Tuesday in the three-way Republican primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.
The Associated Press called the race for Mackenzie, who's represented parts of Lehigh County for the past 12 years in the state House.
He cast himself as the most experienced legislator in the Republican primary and the only one with a history of winning elections.
About 100 people at Delizioso Italian Grill burst into cheers around 9:45 p.m. as word spread of Mackenzie's apparent victory.
As the crowd chanted his name, Mackenzie worked his way through the crowd shaking hands and hugging his backers.
From the podium, Mackenzie spoke about the recent birth of his first child and his hopes for the future. But he said those hopes rely on solving serious problems plaguing the country.
"We know that the policies of Joe Biden and Susan Wild are destroying our country — not just for my family, but for all of the working families across Pennsylvania and across the country. It is time to get our country back on the right track," Mackenzie said.
The Nov. 5 general election will pit Mackenzie against Wild, the three-term Democratic incumbent. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
"It is the honor of my life serving in Congress, and I am grateful that I will once again have the opportunity to earn the votes of everyone across Pennsylvania’s 7th District," Wild said in a prepared statement Tuesday night.
Mackenzie attributed his strong showing to his focus on tackling illegal immigration and high inflation. He said Wild has done little to fix those problems during her tenure and is out of touch with working families in the Lehigh Valley.
"She has voted for every single plank of Bidenomics. When the opportunity came to crack down on the border, she voted against it," Mackenzie said. "Voters are going to look for actions instead of just words."
"We know that the policies of Joe Biden and Susan Wild are destroying our country — not just for my family, but for all of the working families across Pennsylvania and across the country. It is time to get our country back on the right track."Ryan Mackenzie, apparent Republican nominee for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District
Mackenzie's apparent victory came despite attacks on his right flank. A mysterious super PAC and conservative donor Bill Bachenberg criticized Mackenzie for his record in Harrisburg. He voted in favor of Act 77, the law that allowed no-excuse mail-in voting. And while he never voted for a tax increase, state spending did climb during his tenure.
As of 11:52 p.m., the state website had Mackenzie leading the race with 23,488 votes, good for 42.58% of all votes tallied so far. He was about 8.5 percentage points ahead of Kevin Dellicker, commander of an Air National Guard drone unit, and 19 percentage points ahead of Maria Montero, a member of former Gov. Tom Corbett's administration.
Even as the results became clear, spirits remained high at Dellicker's watch party at Madeline’s, an Upper Macungie Township restaurant off Route 100. The only boos came when Mackenzie appeared on television.
Dellicker praised his team and said he was humbled by the support voters showed him. Still, he promised to see the race through to the end.
"If Ryan Mackenzie wins this primary, then I'll support him 100%. But I'm going to wait and see if these votes are counted," he said.
At the Boatyard in Weissport, Montero kept a sunny disposition despite her distant finish. She spent much of the evening hugging and high-fiving supporters and encouraging people to partake in the buffet, even if they were regular patrons.
"I feel so positive and so at peace with what we did because we did it in a positive way. We did it in a way that was family-oriented. We did it in this way because we love our country so much," she told the 50 or so people in attendance.
PA-7 represents Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and a sliver of southwest Monroe County.
Political observers have labeled it one of the most competitive districts in the nation, thanks to the narrow divide between registered Democrats and Republicans.
Both parties have vowed to invest heavily in the race; the candidates had already spent $1.6 million on the race as of early April.
