Federal

U.S. Representative, 7th Congressional District

Vote for: 1
Term: 2 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A member of the U.S. House of Representatives votes on federal laws, taxes and spending on behalf of the district.

All of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and western Monroe County (Eldred and Polk townships and the Ross One precinct of Ross Township).

Candidates Compare by issue

Bob Brooks

Democratic

Retired firefighter; union president · Nazareth

The gist

Supports Medicare for All and restoring Medicaid cuts.
Proposes a billionaire minimum tax and repealing the 2017 tax law's breaks for the wealthy and corporations.
Supports raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, and passing the PRO Act.
Calls for more starter homes, limits on corporate landlords and VA-style loans for teachers and first responders.
Supports overturning Citizens United, banning congressional stock trading and term limits.
Supports local control over where data centers are built and federal law backing local vetoes.
Supports new nuclear and natural gas plants alongside wind, solar and other renewables.
Supports universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole and waiting periods.
Opposes federal money for private-school vouchers; calls for more federal support for public schools.

More about Bob

View sources (1)

Supports Medicare for All and restoring Medicaid cuts.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Build a fair and sustainable healthcare system … Platform summary · brooksforcongress.com
“Because of this, I support Medicare for All. … Restore the cuts to Medicaid and provide Medicare for All.”
Proposes a billionaire minimum tax and repealing the 2017 tax law's breaks for the wealthy and corporations.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Fair taxes … Fair taxes · brooksforcongress.com
“We need to pass a billionaire minimum tax: a baseline tax rate the ultra-wealthy can’t dodge. … Repealing those giveaways could raise over $1.5 trillion”
Supports raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, and passing the PRO Act.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Minimum wage … Strengthen unions · brooksforcongress.com
“We need to raise it, and tie it to inflation. … I’ll make it easier to join a union by passing the PRO Act”
Calls for more starter homes, limits on corporate landlords and VA-style loans for teachers and first responders.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Bring housing costs down in the Lehigh Valley … Platform summary · brooksforcongress.com
“We need to build more starter homes, crack down on corporate landlords and rent gouging … pass the HELPER Act to extend VA-style home loans to teachers, nurses and first responders”
Supports overturning Citizens United, banning congressional stock trading and term limits.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · End corruption … Introduction · brooksforcongress.com
“pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, ban members of Congress from trading stocks … Term limits. No more lifetime politicians.”
Supports local control over where data centers are built and federal law backing local vetoes.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Protect local control over the data center industry … Protect local control over the data center industry · brooksforcongress.com
“should never take the power to decide where a data center gets built out of the hands of the residents … We must pass national legislation that makes these protections federal law”
Supports new nuclear and natural gas plants alongside wind, solar and other renewables.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Energy · brooksforcongress.com
“I’ll work to approve new nuclear and natural gas power plants while we build up renewables.”
Supports universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole and waiting periods.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Gun safety · brooksforcongress.com
“universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, and enforcing waiting periods”
Opposes federal money for private-school vouchers; calls for more federal support for public schools.
On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress
Campaign website · Bob Brooks for Congress · Public education · brooksforcongress.com
“I will not support using federal money to hand vouchers to private schools while public schools are being starved.”

Ryan Mackenzie

RepublicanIncumbent

U.S. Representative · Lower Macungie Township

The gist

Proposes further tax relief for working families and tighter control of government spending.
Pledges to preserve Social Security and Medicare; introduced a bill on prescription drug price transparency.
Proposes requiring federal candidates to divest individual stocks; backs congressional term limits.
Cites passage of an expansion of affordable housing tax credits.
Says he helped secure resources against human trafficking and drug smuggling.
Supports parents' rights and opposes what his campaign calls "men in women's sports."
Co-sponsored the Ratepayer Protection Act requiring data centers to pay for the grid upgrades they need.In office

In office = from the candidate's own official statements or legislation as an officeholder, not their campaign.

More about Ryan

View sources (4)

Proposes further tax relief for working families and tighter control of government spending.
Issues | Ryan Mackenzie for Congress
Campaign website · Ryan Mackenzie for Congress · Affordability … Affordability · mackenzieforcongress.com
“initiatives that provide further tax relief to working families … better control government spending”
Pledges to preserve Social Security and Medicare; introduced a bill on prescription drug price transparency.
Issues | Ryan Mackenzie for Congress
Campaign website · Ryan Mackenzie for Congress · Social Security & Medicare · mackenzieforcongress.com
“continue the fight to preserve Social Security and Medicare for the future”
Mackenzie Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Increase Transparency in Prescription Drug Market
Public statement · Office of Congressman Ryan Mackenzie · Sep 17, 2026 · Mackenzie statement · mackenzie.house.gov
“By increasing transparency and competition among PBMs, we can help lower costs”
Proposes requiring federal candidates to divest individual stocks; backs congressional term limits.
Issues | Ryan Mackenzie for Congress
Campaign website · Ryan Mackenzie for Congress · Ethics · mackenzieforcongress.com
“He has also backed legislation to establish congressional terms limits”
Congressman Mackenzie to Introduce New Congressional Stock Reform Legislation
Public statement · Office of Congressman Ryan Mackenzie · Jul 29, 2026 · mackenzie.house.gov
“requires candidates for federal office to divest from individual stocks — or put them in a blind trust”
Cites passage of an expansion of affordable housing tax credits.
Issues | Ryan Mackenzie for Congress
Campaign website · Ryan Mackenzie for Congress · Housing · mackenzieforcongress.com
“was successful in passing the largest-ever expansion of affordable housing tax credits”
Says he helped secure resources against human trafficking and drug smuggling.
Issues | Ryan Mackenzie for Congress
Campaign website · Ryan Mackenzie for Congress · Secure the Border & Cracking Down on Trafficking · mackenzieforcongress.com
“He also helped secure new resources to prevent human trafficking and drug smuggling.”
Supports parents' rights and opposes what his campaign calls "men in women's sports."
Issues | Ryan Mackenzie for Congress
Campaign website · Ryan Mackenzie for Congress · Common sense · mackenzieforcongress.com
“protecting parents’ rights, opposing men in women’s sports”
Co-sponsored the Ratepayer Protection Act requiring data centers to pay for the grid upgrades they need.
Congressman Mackenzie Applauds Passage of Ratepayer Protection Act
Public statement · Office of Congressman Ryan Mackenzie · Sep 16, 2026 · mackenzie.house.gov
“Communities in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos should not be footing the energy bill for data centers they never asked for”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 9 issues covered in this race.