National GOP to spend $1 million toward Ryan Mackenzie in race vs. Susan Wild

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who is running to unseat U.S. Rep. Susan Wild in the Lehigh Valley’s hotly contested 7th District congressional race, is one of a handful of Republican candidates selected to a National Republican Congressional Committee program, which will spend upward of $1 million to elect him.

Mackenzie, a six-term state representative from Emmaus, is one of 26 GOP candidates selected to the NRCC’S “Young Guns” program, which mentors candidates across key competitive Democratic-held districts that Republicans hope to flip red.

The race against Wild is expected to be close, with most election forecasters rating it a toss up. Republicans hold a slim, five-seat majority in the House of Representatives, so the district could play a role in determining which party wins the majority in November.

The NRCC will spend $1.4 million on ads in the Philadelphia media market to boost Mackenzie’s candidacy.

“These Republican candidates are already well on their way to running winning campaigns that will grow our House majority in November,” NRCC Chair Richard Hudson said of the “Young Gun” candidates.

Young Gun candidates will receive mentorship and support from the NRCC, and be required to meet “goals and benchmarks” for their fundraising, communication and digital strategy throughout the election cycle.

Precise details on what the goals and benchmarks are are not available, according to NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella, because they vary for each race.

Other GOP candidates named to the program include Rob Bresnahan and Rob Mercuri, who are running for Pennsylvania’s 8th and 17th districts, respectively.

The announcement comes a week after second-quarter campaign finance records revealed that Wild’s campaign has a significant fundraising advantage over Mackenzie. Wild’s campaign has $3.8 million in cash on hand as of June 30, compared with Mackenzie’s $365,000.

“We are grateful to have received donations, large and small, from everyday Americans who support our positive vision for America,” Mackenzie said in a statement.

In a statement, Wild spokesperson Natalie Gould criticized Mackenzie’s fundraising.

“While Congresswoman Wild breaks fundraising records each quarter and builds enthusiasm for her re-election based on her long history of delivering for this district, voters across the Greater Lehigh Valley continue to reject Mackenzie’s anti-choice, anti-worker record,” Gould said in a statement.

The candidates have agreed to participate in at least two debates, although the exact dates and times are still unclear.

Lisa Scheller, the former GOP candidate who unsuccessfully challenged Wild in 2020 and ‘22, was also named to the Young Guns program during her two campaigns.

Wild is running for a fourth term representing the Lehigh Valley’s congressional district. She previously was a solicitor for Allentown, and has billed herself as a moderate Democrat running on her record — she has prioritized efforts to lower health care and child care costs and authored several bipartisan pieces of legislation.

Mackenzie also has touted his legislative record — which includes opposing tax increases, authoring a law that helps identify and disqualify unauthorized immigrants from construction jobs, and helping to establish a statewide maternal mortality review committee — and his support for Donald Trump on the campaign trail.

He won a three-way April primary for the Republican nomination, beating attorney Maria Montero and businessman Kevin Dellicker.