June 5th , 2026 Len’s Political Note #816 Bob Brooks Pennsylvania 07
2026 General Election
Watch where Bob Brooks fits in this spectrum?
At one end of the Democratic spectrum: Matthew Yglesias writes:
“ Probably one of the most insightful things I heard about Biden-era politics was from a shop steward for an industrial union in Pennsylvania who I met pretty randomly at an event in Reading. I don’t have the exact quote recorded, but he said that if the White House wanted his advice on how to win the votes of more of his members, he would tell them that Democrats need to be more moderate on immigration, guns, crime, and “trans stuff.” “
At the other end of the Democratic spectrum: from one of several organizations on the left of the Democratic Party that funded some research,
“Our new report — which analyzes congressional candidates from 2010 to 2022, union campaign finance data, and interviews with current and former elected officials with union backgrounds — finds that running and electing candidates from the labor movement is one of the most viable and under-explored paths available to both unions and the Democratic Party”
Meet Bob Brooks. – a viable candidate from the labor movement who
- wants to reform the immigration process, but does not vilify immigrants
- who rarely speaks about guns, but wants to end violent crime;
- who despises bullying members of the LGBTQ community, but does not specifically raise issues related to “trans” men and women.
On May 18, Bob Brooks won the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s seventh Congressional District. It was not a narrow win. Nor was it overwhelming. Bob Brooks received 40% of the vote.
Bob Brooks defeated former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell who got a little more than 20% of the vote. Crosswell’s BA was from Vanderbilt, His MA and JD were from Duke.
Bob Brooks defeated County Executive Lamont McClure who also got a little more than 20% of the vote. McClure came from a family of Democratic appointees and electeds. His dad was the manager for the Borough of Weatherly and subsequently the appointed executive director of the Carbon County Housing Authority, where he served for 40 years. McClure’s mom was the first woman to chair the Weatherly Area School Board.
And Bob Brooks defeated Utility Executive Carol Obando-Derstine, who had the support of Susan Wild, the previous Democratic Member of Congress for Pennsylvania 07. Obando-Derstine’s family immigrated to the United States from Colombia when she was a toddler. Her mom worked as a machine operator in a factory. Her dad worked in a hospital as a technician. Obando-Derstine graduated from state universities – Rutgers for her BA Penn State for her Master’s. She moved from working for Head Start to executive positions in non-profits to working for US Senator Casey and Governor Wolf and finally, as a senior figure at PPL Electric Utilities during which time she also earned an engineering degree.
None of these three got the kind of endorsements that Bob Brooks got. Among those who rushed to endorse Bob Brooks were Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro and Lt. Governor Austin Davis, Pennsylvania Members of congress Madeline Dean, Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlihan, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, US Senators from outside of Pennsylvania including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, and Chris Coons of Delaware, and Members of Congress from the State of Washington, from Oregon, California, and Florida. Bob Brooks was also endorsed by many unions.
Bob Brooks was born in North Adams, Massachusetts – a small city of 13,000 which was once dominated by manufacturing. Around the age of ten Bob Brooks moved with his mom to a slightly more prosperous Pennsylvania in 1992 where they both worked at whatever jobs they could find. He became a firefighter in 2005 for the City of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, population of 80,000 people. As a member of Local 735, in addition to his employment responsibilities, he took on union responsibilities eventually becoming President of the Local. In 2021, he was elected President of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association after having served as a Field Rep and as the Eastern Vice President.
Avani Kalra of NOTUS tries to explain Bob Brooks’ attraction to all these Democrats. He quoted TJ Rooney, the former chair of the state Democratic Party who extolled Brooks as a working class candidate: “He’s lived the life of a lot of people whose voices are sometimes a little bit drowned out in Washington. …[Pennsylvania 07] is a working-class district full of … families who may be one generation removed from the steel plant or the garment factory or the automobile plant…. .” Kalra quoted another commentator who added that “Congress has enough lawyers, but there are very few actual working people there…..”
Bob Brooks explains for himself. He insists “The system isn’t broken. It’s working the way it was designed by and for the super-rich. The richest 1% hold 40% of the nation’s wealth while the bottom 50% share just 4%.
He calls for change:
- Repeal Citizens United and take our elections back from the 1%
- Ban corporate PAC money from politics
- No stock trading in Congress. If you want to get rich, don’t run for office.
- Term limits. No more lifetime politicians.
- Fair taxes for the rich. No more free rides for billionaires and big corporations. Make the rich pay their taxes
- Build a fair and sustainable healthcare system
- Raise the minimum wage.
- Strengthen unions.
- Bring housing costs down in the Lehigh Valley.
- Protect social security and retirement benefits.
- Cut the cost of childcare.
- Help young people afford college and trade school.
- End and expose government corruption.
- Secure the border and build a working immigration system.
- Power the Lehigh Valley.
- End violence.
- Fund public schools.
- Make our community safer.
- Let women make their own healthcare decisions.
- Stop bullying LGBTQ people.
- Stop endless wars and support our allies.
- Serve those who have served our country.
- Modernize transportation around here.
- Fight for Carbon County.
As for his primary opponents, he would say he has no objection to someone getting a law degree from Duke, but those degrees do not have to be a route to Congress. Nor would he have an objection to a life devoted to local politics and local institutions, but that experience was not necessarily the best route to Congress. He welcomes the progress of immigrants to the executive suite, but the executive suite is an alternative to running for Congress.
As for his one term incumbent Congressman Bob Brooks is running against, he might say a life learning from Mom how to be a Republican legislator is terrible preparation for Congress. Ryan Mackenzie has learned to be one of the Republican lemmings following Donald Trump off a cliff.
As for the Democratic spectrum, Bob Brooks’ focus is on blue collar workers. He is not, however, going to bait or bully people in need, people who Republicans want to us to turn our eyes away from rather than help when they are adversely affected by our political system or our skewed economic system.
Help Bob Brooks flip this seat. DONATE to his campaign.
Pennsylvania has other elections to pay attention to:
Pennsylvania 08 offers an opportunity to flip a Republican seat. Defeat the notorious stock trading Congressman Republican Bob Bresnahan. Help Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti win this seat. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #761
Pennsylvania 10 is a little tougher. No Congressman worked harder to keep Donald Trump as President despite his losing the 2020 election than incumbent Republican Scott Perry. Former TV anchor and candidate for this seat in 2024 Janelle Stelson needs your help to defeat Perry. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #741
Pennsylvania 01 is tougher still. Pennsylvania does not need a Republican Congressman whose solution to planning to vote against Donald Trump’s plans Bio Beautiful Bill was to hide so Trump could not talk him or threaten him out of it. Help County Commissioner Bab Harvie defeat Brian Fitzpatrick. DONATE.
Don’t forget the Governor
Josh Shapiro has been bringing jobs to Pennsylvania and making it possible for blue collar Pennsylvanians to get those jobs by eliminating the 4-year college degree job requirement where he could. Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity is endorsed by Trump who would love to disrupt Shapiro’s successes. DONATE to Josh Shapiro’s campaign.
