BETHLEHEM, Pa. — As her political opponents begin to enter the fray, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild is gearing up for another expensive defense of the Lehigh Valley's congressional district.
Wild, a three-term Democratic incumbent, announced in a news release Tuesday that she raised more than $600,000 for her re-election campaign over the past three months.
- U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, announced Tuesday that she's raised more than $600,000 over the past three months for her 2024 re-election campaign
- Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District is among the most hotly contested House seats in the United States. It saw more than $24 million in political spending during its 2022 race
- Republicans challengers Maria Montero and Kevin Dellicker have announced their candidacy this week, and others may be in the wings
Wild has not filed the latest details of her war chest with the Federal Election Commission yet — the paperwork isn't due until Saturday — but her campaign said she has more than $827,000 socked away for her 2024 campaign.
"We are united and in as strong a position as ever to win — so I can continue working to lower costs for middle class families, protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare and invest in American manufacturing and good paying jobs here in the Greater Lehigh Valley,” Wild said in a news release.
Among few toss-up districts in America
Wild may need every penny to defend Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, which is some of the most coveted political real estate in in the country.
The district, which includes Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties plus a sliver of Monroe County, is almost equally divided between Republicans and Democrats voters.
Because it's among the few toss-up districts in America, the Democratic and Republican parties view the Lehigh Valley as critical to controlling the tightly divided House.
Last year, the candidates and outside supporters pumped more than $24 million into the congressional race, inundating residents with mailers, online ads, television commercials and robo-calls.
VIPs such as First Lady Jill Biden, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Halley and then-House Majority Whip James Clyburn stumped for their candidates, and Republican candidate Lisa Scheller injected $2.6 million of her own fortune into the campaign.
So far, two Republican challengers have emerged. Maria Montero, a member of former Gov. Tom Corbett's administration, and returning candidate Kevin Dellicker entered the race in the last week. State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie also is rumored to be seeking the Republican nomination.
Thanks to its status as a political battleground and the chance of the calendar, Lehigh Valley voters should brace themselves for a bombardment of political ads next year.
The 2024 election cycle will bring contested races for president, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House. The major parties have vowed to invest heavily in the House and Senate races here, viewing the state and region as critical to controlling both chambers.
And Pennsylvania, after narrowly breaking for President Joe Biden in 2020, is sure to be a highly sought prize in the Electoral College once again. Campaigns will dig deep into their wallets to get their message out to voters in a purple district in a swing state.
