SALISBURY TWP., Pa. — Little daylight separated the Lehigh Valley's three Republican congressional candidates during an hourlong debate Wednesday afternoon.
Kevin Dellicker, an Air Force Reserve intelligence officer; state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie; and Maria Montero, a member of former Gov. Tom Corbett's administration, faced off at WFMZ's studio for a taping of 'Business Matters.' The three political hopefuls staked out similar positions on just about every subject broached by host Tony Iannelli.
On foreign affairs, the three offered unequivocal support for Israel and its continued military campaign in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. They labeled the Chinese government as the United States' primary enemy and agreed America needed to be careful not to be dragged into every foreign conflict in order to build up its military.
Domestically, they blamed President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats — including Rep. Susan Wild, the incumbent in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District — for creating runaway inflation with massive spending bills.
Similarly, they blamed Biden, Wild and other Democrats for not addressing the influx of immigrants illegally crossing the border. The three agreed no amnesty should be provided for anyone who has entered the country illegally and that former President Donald Trump's border wall needed to be completed.
With the candidates so close on policy, their personal backgrounds and behavior on set marked their biggest differences during the show.
Mackenzie, a 12-year veteran of Harrisburg, presented himself as the only candidate with a proven track record of winning elections. He knows how to win people over to his America First policy positions, he said, making him the best choice to be the Republican standard-bearer in November. He noted he easily won his state House seat in the conservative heart of Lehigh County in 2022 while Lisa Scheller, the Republican congressional candidate that year, just barely captured the majority of votes in that House district over Wild.
“I have taken what was a swing seat when I started and now I routinely win that 60-40 in elections,” Mackenzie said.
Montero made the case that she's the candidate with the best chance to flip the PA-7. The seat has 55,000 Spanish speakers, whom she described as a group capable of pushing Republicans over the top in the highly contested race. Montero, the daughter of a Peruvian immigrant, said she is the candidate most capable of connecting with that population and finding a path to victory in November.
“We've got to build our party,” Montero said. “Let's bring 'em on board. They're pro-America. They care about our country.”
Dellicker contended no one else in the race could match his qualifications to serve in Congress. He's served 28 years in the military and is the only candidate to put on the uniform, let alone serve in a combat zone. Similarly, he's run his consulting firm for 19 years and is the only candidate who's signed a paycheck or wrestled with business regulations.
“All of these life experiences have given me the relevant skills to tackle the most pressing problems that face our nation,” he said.
While the debate was civil, Mackenzie looked for openings to spar with Dellicker. When all three candidates offered their support of Trump, Mackenzie questioned if Dellicker endorsed the former president as he had. The two tangled over the semantics of supporting versus endorsing a candidate before Dellicker said he did both.
“It shouldn't be that hard to get it out of you,” Mackenzie interjected.
All three candidates agreed Congress should not approve an aid package to Ukraine as the Russian invasion enters its second year. However, Mackenzie accused Dellicker of flip-flopping, saying his comments at the debate didn't match his past words on the campaign trail. Dellicker accused him of trying to confuse voters, saying he's clearly explained his stances in posts on his campaign website.
“I'm glad you're coming around to the America First policy,” Mackenzie said.
“You have a lot of wishful thinking about what I'm saying so you can use it against me on the campaign trail,” Dellicker said.
Montero mostly stayed out of the fray while the two men squared up, but she made a veiled jab at Mackenzie. With so many Americans questioning the integrity of elections, Republicans need to hold the lawmakers who supported Act 77 of 2019 to account, she said. Mackenzie and nearly every other Republican in the General Assembly voted for the law, which expanded mail-in voting across the state.
“I don't think we should be promoting people who voted for it,” Montero said.
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District represents Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties plus a sliver of Monroe County. The two major parties have nearly even registration numbers, making it one of the most contentious congressional battlegrounds in the country. The closed primary is April 23.
The debate will air Monday at 7:30 p.m. on WFMZ.
