Mark Pinsley explains why he’s 4th Democrat in 7th Congressional District race Mark Pinsley, the Lehigh County controller, is the fourth Democratic candidate seeking to challenge 7th District Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican, in 2026. Pinsley, 55, filed his candidacy statement with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday and will make his formal announcement Monday via a press release. He said he became a candidate to fight for the people, not the wealthy, something he said he has done as controller. “A small crowd of billionaires and bought politicians quite frankly think our country belongs to them. I believe it belongs to the people, and I believe that we need to fight for that,” he said in a phone interview Friday. In next year’s Democratic primary, Pinsley will join Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure; Carol Obando-Derstine, a former PPL supervisor and aide with Sen. Bob Casey’s office; and Ryan Crosswell, a former Republican who served as a federal prosecutor until February when he resigned in protest of the Justice Department’s decision to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Crosswell leads Democrats in 7th in fundraising as incumbent Republican Mackenzie surpasses them all A fifth Democratic candidate, Robert Brooks, may emerge. Brooks, who in March retired from the Bethlehem Fire Department after 20 years, is president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association and a former union official. He declined to comment as he has yet to decide. A telephone poll, conducted this week by Public Policy Polling, asked questions about the candidates, including Pinsley and Brooks. The 7th District, comprising all of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and a small portion of Monroe, once again is considered a toss-up by political analysts. It is one of a couple dozen seats nationwide, including three others in Pennsylvania, targeted by Democrats in their attempt to gain control of the House, where Republicans have a 219-212 majority. Mackenzie, in defeating three-term incumbent Democrat Susan Wild by 1 percentage point in November, was one of two Republicans in the Keystone State to flip a House seat; Rob Bresnahan, who ousted six-term Democratic incumbent Matt Cartwright in northeast Pennsylvania's 8th District, was the other. A Washington Post analysis this week noted Pennsylvania’s midterm elections could determine which party controls Congress. “It is not hyperbole to say whoever wins or loses these races will decide who is controlling Congress,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis was quoted as saying. In 7th District, Medicaid cuts emerge as early campaign issue Pinsley, 55, was elected county controller in 2019, defeating Republican incumbent Glenn Eckhart, and was reelected to a second four-year term in 2023. Pinsley, a former South Whitehall Township commissioner, has sought state offices without success: for auditor general in 2023, where he lost in the Democratic primary, and state senator from the 16th District, losing to incumbent Republican Pat Browne in 2018 and Republican Jarrett Coleman in 2022. In reaction to Pinsley’s announcement, Mackenzie’s spokesman Arnaud Armstrong issued a statement. “Unfortunately for Pinsley, his far-left record – which includes a proposal to raise taxes on Lehigh County residents by over $100 million – has failed to resonate with the working families in our community who would be devastated by his extreme agenda,” he said. “Despite that, Mark Pinsley’s proven far-left credentials could be a major asset in a Democratic primary contest that is quickly turning into a race to become the most out-of-touch candidate.” The proposal in 2020, which was not adopted, would have levied a countywide 1% sales tax and 0.5% per capita tax to raise $100 million a year to provide money to municipalities. Pinsley said the idea was not a far-left concept and was based on a plan that began in Allegheny County in 1994 and could lead to lower property taxes. Pinsley said he proposed the idea during the COVID epidemic. “At a time when people were worried about every penny,” he said, “we presented a plan designed to lower the property tax that would have provided aid to citizens, our municipalities, the county and the arts. It was designed based on the Regional Asset District in Allegheny, which has helped keep the property tax down.” The county controller oversees an office that audits county operations and finances. Pinsley has taken an activist role as controller. He has identified ways to save money on county employee prescriptions; released a report on misdiagnosed cases of child abuse and its effect on county services; called for an end to using Wells Fargo as a county bank because the bank’s PAC supported candidates who opposed abortions; and in May led the decision of the county Pension Board to end further investments in Tesla and seek divestment of its current Tesla stock because company CEO Elon Musk’s work with the Trump administration dragged down the company’s financial performance. Pinsley supports creating affordable housing, raising the minimum wage to at least $15 (set at $7.25 in 2009), enacting Medicare for All, and levying a wealth tax for people with at least $10 million in assets. He said Congress should pass a law ending corporate money in politics that resulted from the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010. "We've got to get big money out of politics, and I believe that starts with ending Citizens United and really just saying that companies are not people,” he said, acknowledging that would be difficult because of opposition from moneyed interests. ‘I didn't wait to get into this fight,” he said. “I have been in the ring even in my controller's position. I've been protecting [mail-in ballot] drop boxes. I have done education on Medicaid.” In his press release, he said America is a nation not ruled by a king. “Our country is a great democracy with a Constitution that protects the weak from the strong. President Trump and Ryan Mackenzie seem to believe that it protects the powerful and wealthy from accountability and the rule of law,” he said. “The problem is that Congress has not held President Trump accountable for his blatant corruption in office, and this includes the Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C.” Katherine Reinhard contributed to this story.