EASTON, Pa. — Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure announced his candidacy Thursday for the Lehigh Valley's 7th Congressional District seat to boisterous applause at the county courthouse.
Surrounded by supporting constituents, union leaders, and fellow Democrats, McClure portrayed himself as a fighter for middle class families who will work to undo the damage of President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, and sitting U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.
But that will require quite a fight, McClure said, asking the crowd for his support.
"Are you ready to join me to fight like hell?" he said to a round of applause.
McClure championed his family for instilling him with a sense of service “at the kitchen table.”
"My parents taught me that whatever God-given talent I have, I have an obligation to use it in service of others as well as myself."Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure
"My parents taught me that whatever God-given talent I have, I have an obligation to use it in service of others as well as myself. That's why I'm running to serve you in Congress,” McClure said.
Touching upon his career as an attorney who fought for working families against corporate interests, steelworkers against corporate asbestos manufacturers, he emphasized his stance of fighting for workers sickened through no fault of their own.
Campaign goals
Middle class support appeared to be the backbone of McClure’s campaign, particularly ensuring medical care for vulnerable people — a point he said Mackenzie has failed on due to his vote to cut health care.
“We'll go down to Washington to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, to make sure any Medicaid or Medicare cuts that are made are restored, and to strengthen and make those programs even better. That's what we'll do,” McClure said.
Beyond reducing the cost of health care and offering middle class tax cuts, McClure also said he wants to work on affordable housing.
“I've spent my whole career fighting for the middle class..."Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure
McClure went on to criticize Mackenzie’s conduct, stating the representative did not support those on public assistance, Ukraine, or law enforcement in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, saying he could benefit the citizens of the Lehigh Valley with precision.
“I've spent my whole career fighting for the middle class, whether it's in the courtroom for steelworkers who were poisoned by massive multinational corporations by asbestos, or making sure people had the human services they need while I was county executive,” McClure said just after the announcement.
“We can cut taxes for the middle class, we can do affordable housing, and we can reduce the cost of medical care for people, and we can do it with a scalpel. We don't need a baseball bat like Musk and Mackenzie and Trump are using."
The Republican Mackenzie joined Congress less than two months ago, having defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Susan Wild in the November election.
"With nearly two years until the election, Lamont McClure has decided that he needs as much time as possible to try and redefine his record of gross mismanagement and callous disregard for public safety," said Mackenzie spokesman Arnaud Armstrong in a statement. "After weeks of trying to explain away his decision to reject ICE detainers and let illegal immigrant criminals walk free from prison, McClure has decided to take his America Last agenda to Congress."
Mackenzie recently condemned from the U.S. House floor a county policy McClure established five years ago. It prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs agents from entering the prison for inmate transfers without a judicial warrant.
Support from local leaders and unions
At the county courthouse Thursday afternoon, support from union leaders and current and former politicians was abundant for McClure.
Lehigh Valley Labor Council President Jim Irwin sang praises for McClure’s work, from his legal career to his work in the county, including restoring healthcare benefits to vulnerable individuals, to his support for the county to assume control of Gracedale Nursing Home.
“The one thing Lamont has always shown throughout his career is that working men and women he can trust, that he will wake up every day ready to fight for them. And that is the Congressman that we need representing us in Washington, D.C.” Irwin said, declaring an endorsement for McClure.
Vice Chairperson of the Hanover Township Planning Commission Susan A. Lawless stated McClure was unafraid to fight insurrectionists and “January 6th types.”
“He crushed one at the polls by 12 points in 2021. Northampton County is a bellwether. Northampton County is 43% of the congressional district at stake in the next election," Lawless said. "If our favorite son wins by those same 7 to 12 points, then he wins the entire district, he wins for the Commonwealth and he wins for the country."
Carbon County Commissioner Rocky Ahner commended McClure’s assistance with an open space initiative, telling the crowd the current executive would bring that same energy with a local focus to the capitol.
“We need a person like Lamont McClure in our area to watch for us and make sure that we get our funding that we need, and the way it is today, we’re not,” Ahner said.
Former Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez thanked McClure for helping to consolidate Bethlehem’s 911 service into Northampton County’s during the pandemic, among other accomplishments.
“This past year, he continued to invest in preserving farmland, [and] open space, and during COVID, invested $25 million in small businesses so they would not close. These are examples of leadership and being a champion for the middle class that he will bring to Washington, D.C. as our representative,” Donchez said.
McClure's history in local government
McClure, 53, has long been inseparable from Northampton County politics. He moved to the region in 2000 to manage then-District Attorney John Morganelli's first failed campaign for Pennsylvania attorney general and has been a near constant presence since.
McClure was appointed to a vacancy on Northampton County Council in 2006. He was routinely the most vocal Democrat on council and clashed with officials, even members of his own party, when they didn't follow his lead. The approach often left him in the minority, but it also delivered some huge successes.
He led the fight to block then-Executive John Stoffa's sale of Gracedale, the county-owned nursing home, and rallied county workers when then-Executive John Brown froze hirings and tried to cut their healthcare benefits.
McClure lost the Democratic primary for county executive in 2013 before winning the job in 2017. Through his two terms leading the county, McClure oversaw the distribution of millions of dollars of COVID relief, cut property taxes 8.5% and improved parking around the courthouse complex in Easton.
McClure's influence in local politics has grown stronger thanks to his successful fundraising. He spent more than $250,000 in his 2021 re-election effort — about twice the cost of a typical executive race — and has been a regular donor to down-ballot Democrats in county elections in recent years.
McClure stated the early launch was a necessity to build support for the election.
He'll need to continue that track record if he hopes to compete in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The seat is one of the most competitive in the nation, and both parties have invested heavily in the race in recent campaigns. The campaign finance tracker site OpenSecrets.org found Wild, Mackenzie and their allies spent more than $37 million on the race last year.
It's unclear how much competition McClure will face for the Democratic nomination. Candidates don't typically kick off congressional campaigns until July or August.
Following his campaign announcement, McClure stated the early launch was a necessity to build support for the election.
Wild said in November she would consider another run for her former office. In a recent interview, Wild said it's too early to make a decision on a 2026 campaign. There are candidates in the 2025 ballot who need support and local organizations that need guidance as President Donald Trump cuts funding and resources at the federal level.
"I am going to continue to be an advocate for the community, and right now that seems to be where the need is," she said.
Mackenzie's spokesman also pointed to problems with Northampton County's elections during McClure's tenure as executive.
Armstrong said McClure “botched three of the last five elections in Northampton County.”
“This is one of the most basic jobs of county government, but McClure can't run an election without disenfranchising voters and landing Northampton County in the headlines for all the wrong reasons,” Armstrong said.
