ALLENTOWN – Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Pennsylvania voters have identified the economy as a top issue, driven by concerns about the cost of living, unemployment, and utility prices. It’s a key focus in the 7th Congressional District race between Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie, who seeks a second term, and Democratic candidate Bob Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association. Third-party candidate Andrew Tupone was removed from the ballot. The race is also one of three toss-up U.S. House contests in Pennsylvania identified by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Mackenzie in 2024 flipped the seat held by Democrat Susan Wild for three terms. The purple district covers Lehigh and Northampton Counties, including Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, as well as all of Carbon County and part of Monroe County.
Members of Congress, elected for two-year terms, vote on legislation that affects the economy, including changes to federal taxes and budgets, as well as government spending. They can also secure federal funding and advocate for the district they represent through shaping and voting for legislation.
While Mackenzie and Brooks differ on tariffs and the ongoing war in Iran, which have contributed to increases in the prices of groceries and gas, they both support healthcare reform. The economic issue they align on most is the cost of housing, which they both agree is too high in the district.
Below, we break down the candidates’ positions on some of the key economic issues ahead of the Nov. 3 election: tax policies, affordability, and jobs. You can learn more about their positions during a WFMZ debate scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 21.
Tax policies Mackenzie, who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House from 2012 until he was elected to Congress, has a history of supporting tax breaks for families. In Congress, Mackenzie introduced the Working Families Tax Package, a series of bills that included child and childcare tax credits. They ended up as part of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also called President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Mackenzie voted for the OBBBA, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025. It made permanent most of the individual and business tax cuts from 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including reducing the top corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, doubling the standard deduction, and expanding the Child Tax Credit. It also created federal income tax deductions for tips, overtime pay, and taxpayers 65 and older through 2028.
While the OBBBA is expected to boost the economy in the short term, researchers at Brookings, a nonpartisan think tank, said in a preliminary analysis released in March that it will raise federal deficits by between $3.7 trillion and $5.1 trillion over the next decade. High-income households are expected to see the largest benefits, with many of the spending cuts, particularly to Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP, falling on low-income and immigrant families.
Mackenzie says he’s “not done yet – continuing to team with legislators from across the aisle to support a host of commonsense legislative initiatives that make life easier for working families,” on his campaign website.
Brooks, who has described the OBBBA as “God-awful,” said he wants to “Bring back everything that was cut” in the OBBBA. His platform includes raising the corporate tax rate and repealing the TCJA, arguing it “handed massive breaks to billionaires and big corporations, exploding the national debt and leaving working families to pick up the tab.” He supports a billionaire minimum tax, saying on his campaign website that it’s “time the wealthy and big corporations finally pay their taxes so we can rebuild the middle class.” Campaign materials reviewed by Spotlight PA show Brooks supports the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share
