U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, already mounting his reelection campaign months into his first term, is leading in fundraising against three prospective Democratic opponents.
Mackenzie, who narrowly ousted former Democratic Rep. Susan Wild for her seat representing the Lehigh Valley last year, is considered a top target for Democrats seeking to flip the seat blue. Republican campaign committees, too, are expected to spend millions to retain Mackenzie’s seat.
Three Democrats have already mounted a campaign for the nomination to challenge Mackenzie in the midterm election next year.
With the general election over a year out, most candidates have yet to spend much on major ad buys, but are still spending hundreds of thousands on fundraising consulting, salaries and other fees for their campaigns.
Here is how much money the candidates are bringing in, and how they are spending it.
Ryan Mackenzie
In the second quarter of 2025, Mackenzie pulled in just over $800,000 in campaign contributions, and has over $1 million in cash on hand to support his reelection efforts. According to a news release from the Mackenzie campaign, the fundraising haul is the highest ever in the history of his congressional campaign.
His fundraising includes around $292,210 in individual donations, $168,000 from political action committees and $339,921 from joint candidate fundraising efforts.
“From my first day in Congress, I have been dedicated to keeping my promises to the people of the Greater Lehigh Valley. On border security, tax cuts for working families and seniors, and reforming government, I’m proud to say that we have delivered. This latest report makes one thing clear: working people are standing behind the candidate who fights for them,” Mackenzie said in a written statement.
Notable Mackenzie donors include Mark Jaindl, CEO of American Bank, who contributed $3,500; Robert Asher, Republican activist and chair of Montgomery County-based Asher’s Chocolates, who gave $3,500, and his wife, Joyce Asher, who also gave $3,500. Political action committees supporting Mackenzie’s campaign include a committee backed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which gave $10,000; the American Hospital Association, which gave $6,000; the Home Depot Inc. PAC, which gave $5,000; and Google LLC NetPAC, which gave $4,000.
Mackenzie also brought in a sizeable amount from joint fundraising efforts, which are organized by political action committees and raise money for more than one candidate at once. Mackenzie brought in donations from several wealthy donors via those joint fundraising, including James S. Davis, chair of New Balance; Jeffrey Yass, a billionaire businessman from Pennsylvania and prolific GOP donor, and John Malone, chair of Liberty Media, which owns Formula One Group, Sirius XM and Live Nation Entertainment.
All of those donors gave $7,000, the maximum permitted donation under campaign finance regulations.
Mackenzie’s main expenditures for the quarter include $107,752 in fundraising consulting fees and commissions to various firms; around $8,200 in processing fees to WinRed, a Republian fundraising software; and $11,669 on food and beverage for fundraising events.
Ryan Crosswell
Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor, brought in the most campaign contributions among the Democratic challengers this quarter, $320,979, all of which came from individual donors.
A news release from his campaign noted that he raised that amount — which is more than his two opponents combined — despite officially entering the congressional race just three weeks before the end of the reporting deadline, June 30.
“I am so humbled and grateful for the nationwide enthusiasm and support we have received since we launched our campaign on June 9th,” Crosswell said in a written statement.
Donors who contributed the maximum $7,000 include Crosswell’s parents, Deborah and Robert, and Gerald Singleton and Brett Schreiber, co-founders of Singleton Schreiber LLP, Crosswell’s employer.
His main expenditures were $33,000 in fundraising consulting fees, $11,952 in fees to ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising software, and $5427 in salary costs for two staffers.
His campaign has $254,003 in cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
Carol Obando-Derstine
Carol Obando-Derstine, a former PPL utilities engineer backed by Wild, brought in $208,573 this quarter, including $181,773 in individual donations, $14,184 from political action committees and a $12,500 personal loan to herself. She has $122,970 in cash on hand.
Some of her biggest donations came from out-of-state fundraising efforts including Penny Bellamy, a Democratic activist from Connecticut, and University of California San Francisco researcher Gretchen Sisson. They and Doylestown, Bucks County, resident Scott Wallace — himself a former congressional candidate — donated the maximum amount each of $7,000.
Local donors include Chris Martin of C.F. Martin & Co., who gave $5,000. William Schaninger, a former executive of consulting agency McKinsey & Co., donated $3,500.
Obando-Derstine collected $14,184 from political action committees and the Susan Wild for Congress campaign, which donated $4,000. The “We Invest in Lives & Dreams PAC,” a committee affiliated with Wild, donated just over $6,680.
Her campaign spent $85,203 on operating expenditures including payroll, compliance services and fees. She spent $5,000 on advertising and $22,226 on salary.
She also took out two loans in her name, one for $5,000 and another for $7,500 in the last two months.
Lamont G. McClure
Lamont G. McClure, Northampton County’s executive who has secured dozens of endorsements from local Democrats and union groups, lagged behind his Democratic opponents with an $87,121 fundraising haul in the second quarter of 2025. His total includes $67,621 in individual donations and $19,500 in political action committee contributions. McClure, who was the first to announce his candidacy, ended the reporting period with $92,768 remaining in his war chest.
One notable donor is Jennifer Pritzker, a billionaire and major stakeholder of her family’s Hyatt Hotel business, who donated $7,000 this cycle.
Local donors from the Lehigh Valley include Michael Corriere, a public defender and attorney; Nuria DiLuzio, an attorney from the Northampton County Public Defender’s Office; and Christian Martin, a Bethlehem resident and the chief content officer of marketing firm Marquee Brands.
Five political action committees backed McClure in the cycle, including the international unions for Laborers’, Painters and Allied Trades, Operating Engineers, Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, as well as the Plumbers Union Local 690 in Philadelphia.
McClure’s campaign spent $79,044 this quarter, which included $13,967 on salaries, $13,050 on consulting, $10,031 on compliance consulting and a $1,414 charge for catering from Edge Restaurant in Bethlehem.
