PA-07: Dem candidates meet for televised debate in Jim Thorpe

In an earnest and eminently civil debate on Thursday in Jim Thorpe, the Democrats competing to challenge Republican incumbent Ryan McKenzie for the commonwealth’s Seventh Congressional District seat showed little disagreement on matters of substance – or anything else.

Bob Brooks, the president of the Pennsylvania Fire Fighters Association and the choice of Gov. Josh Shapiro, leaned into his identity as the hardworking everyman who champions – and can win over – blue-collar voters. Lamont McClure, Northampton County’s former two-term executive, touted his environmental record – a key issue as Lehigh Valley confronts a surge of data centers – and his fluency with local budget issues.

Colombia-born Carol Obando-Derstine emphasized the utility of her longtime energy-engineer experience in considering data centers, as well as her firsthand experiences with affordability, immigration and Latino community advocacy. And former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell missed no opportunity to return the conversation to his preferred themes of political integrity – he resigned over official corruption – and federal experience.

Moderator Kim Bell – the general manager of Blue Ridge Communications TV-13, which aired the debate – posed a range of questions, some submitted by the audience, that solicited reflections on topics as varied as support for Ukraine (McClure is in favor), the proliferation of data centers (for which no candidate expressed enthusiasm), accountability (all agreed that President Donald Trump – and those he pardons – need more of it), and the proposed federal SAVE Act (nobody was a fan of the GOP plan to impose voter documentation requirements).



https://www.cityandstatepa.com/politics/2026/04/pa-7-dem-candidates-meet-televised-debate-jim-thorpe/413088/?oref=cspa-homepage-river