McKenzie defeats Wild in race to represent Lehigh Valley in Congress (UPDATE)

Lehigh Valley voters went to the polls Tuesday to choose between a fourth term for Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild or the election of Republican challenger Rep. Ryan McKenzie in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.

After a long, quiet night, McKenzie declared victory and the Wild conceded early Wednesday morning.

“I am incredibly proud of the campaign we ran,” McKenzie said in a 7 a.m. press release Wednesday. “Thanks to the hard work of our supporters, our team was able to overcome adversity, win the polls and create change in the Greater Lehigh Valley.”

Wild congratulated McKenzie and said she would ensure a smooth transition of power in a statement she released at 8:43 a.m. Wednesday. But she was clearly disappointed.

“There is no sugarcoating this: this is a bitterly disappointing outcome,” she wrote in a statement.

McKenzie led the Wild with a score of 200,422 to 194,885, a margin of 50.7% to 49.3%. Those numbers match unofficial results released by the district’s constituent counties early Wednesday morning. The 7th District includes all of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, as well as part of Monroe County. All but two polling places in Monroe County were counted.

Wild carried Northampton and Lehigh counties, according to unofficial results. Even though Carbon County had far fewer voters than those counties, McKenzie carried the red county by a 2-to-1 margin.

Here is the distribution of votes based on unofficial results:

Ryan McKenzie:

• Lehigh County: 87,980 votes
• Northampton County: 84,976 votes
• Carbon County: 22,501 votes
• Part of Monroe County: 4,965 votes.
• Total: 200,422 votes

Susan Wild:

• Lehigh County: 95,910 votes
• Northampton County: 85,251 votes
• Carbon County: 11,358 votes
• Part of Monroe County: 2,366 votes.
• Total: 194,885 votes

Wild, 67, of South Whitehall Township, is an attorney and mother of two grown children. McKenzie, 42, of Lower Macungie Township, and his wife have a young son. The 187th Legislative District, which he represents in Harrisburg, covers Heidelberg, Lower Macungie, Lynn, Washington and Weisenberg townships in Lehigh County; part of Upper Macungie Township; and the Alburtis and Macungie areas.

Members of the House of Representatives are elected for a term of two years.

Wilde first won election in November 2018, when she also ran in a special election to finish former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent’s unexpired term in Pennsylvania’s former 15th Congressional District. Dent resigned in May after announcing he would not seek re-election.

McKenzie won the Pennsylvania Republican primary on April 23. over Kevin Delliker and Maria Montero to face the Wild in the 7th District.

Wild previously said she sought re-election to continue helping Lehigh Valley residents. McKenzie said he decided to run for Congress when he learned he would become a father for the first time.

The campaign emphasized contrasts between Wild and Mackenzie on issues such as abortion access, immigration, the national economy, and foreign affairs..

The two also entered presidential politics, each appearing at rallies in the Lehigh Valley on behalf of their party in the closely contested state of Pennsylvania. Over the past week or so, both have criticized each other over comments regarding the presidential race.

Wild first called on McKenzie to condemn a joke made by a warm-up speaker at former President Donald Trump’s Oct. 27 rally at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, which included a comparison of Puerto Rico, where numerous Lehigh Valley residents or their ancestors are from, to a “floating island of garbage.” That same week, McKenzie demanded that Wild condemn President Joe Biden for a comment that some saw as calling Trump supporters “trash.”

Biden, according to a transcript prepared by official White House stenographers, told a group of Latinos during an Oct. 28 video call: “The only trash I see out there are his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” However, the transcript released by the White House press office states: displayed quote with apostrophereading “supporters” rather than “supporters,” which aides say indicates Biden is criticizing Trump comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

Trump, a Republican, won a return to the White House in Tuesday’s election, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat.

Harris thanked her supporters in her concession statement and acknowledged that voters have spoken.

“This is how American democracy works. This is how we move forward. And it is absolutely important that candidates, in victory or defeat, abide by this principle. You can’t just accept the results of an election you won, no matter how much you disagree with them,” Wild said.

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Kurt Bresswein can be contacted at: [email protected].