House Speaker Mike Johnson rallies with Ryan Mackenzie again in election's final stretch

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — One of the nation’s highest-ranking legislators stopped Monday night in the city to urge voters to flip one of the few up-for-grabs seats in the U.S. House.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, headlined a campaign event at the Trump Force 47 office on Main Street, where he called for Lehigh Valley voters to “send Susan Wild packing” and replace her with Republican Ryan Mackenzie.

Mackenzie has “a proven track record” and is a leader “who can come in on Day One and perform for the people,” Johnson said.

The speaker said Republican Party leaders were “very deliberate about candidate recruitment” this cycle.

“He’s a governing conservative; he’s the kind of person I need,” Johnson said, noting Republicans’ slim majority in the U.S. House.

'Everybody's watching this district'

Mackenzie is looking to make the step up from the state House of Representatives, where he’s served since 2012, while Wild, a Democrat, is seeking re-election and a fourth term representing Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.

The district, which includes all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties plus a piece of Monroe County, has almost equal numbers of registered Democrats and Republicans and is one of few swing districts in the 2024 general election.

“Everybody around the country’s watching this district, because if we can flip this one it’s going to make the Democrats' heads explode — which is going to be the best part — and it is going to help us build this majority,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s campaign event Monday night was his third in the Lehigh Valley in the past six months. He visited Cetronia Ambulance Corps in May and appeared with Mackenzie this month at a get-out-the-vote rally in Hellertown.

He said Monday he keeps returning to the region “because [Mackenzie is] so important to us.”

“We’ve got to get Ryan Mackenzie in the House,” he said.

Johnson called himself an “ambassador of hope” as he predicted a GOP sweep on Nov. 5.

“We are going to win in eight days the White House, the Senate and the House,” he said.

'Not funny at all'

As head of the U.S. House, Johnson promised to run “the most aggressive” first-100-days policy of any administration if his prediction proves correct. He accused Democrats of money laundering through fundraising efforts and called members of his opposite party Marxists, socialists and communists.

Johnson said he expects a record number of Hispanic people voting for Republicans this election will fuel former President Donald Trump and down-ballot Republicans to victory.

“I’m convinced — God’s not done with America yet,” he said. “We’re going to get another chance to turn this thing around.”

Johnson closed the event Monday night by fielding several questions from Republican voters, including whether government employees must vote for Democrats and how he plans to address the influence of George Soros, a philanthropist whose large donations to Democratic candidates have fueled numerous conspiracy theories.

One Republican voter, a self-identified Latina, asked Johnson about racist comments and rhetoric at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday night.

“We need to hear a strong voice [push back] on that because we were making such good progress … with Latinos,” she said.

“We need to make sure that we send a strong message to the Latino community, especially tomorrow when Trump is going to be here,” she said.

Trump is scheduled to appear at Allentown’s PPL Center on Tuesday night, one week from Election Day.

Johnson said he does not fear any fallout from comedian Tony Hinchliffe’s comments about Puerto Rico and Latinos, which don’t “reflect the views of any Republican I know.”

“We had made such strides [with Latino voters]; I think we still will,” Johnson said. “I don’t think the stupid comments of a comedian that were ill-thought will make any difference.

“I mean, the guy’s an entertainer. He picked the wrong venue,” he said. “It wasn’t funny at all.”