The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Monday nominated three Pennsylvania candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives as part of its 2024 “Young Guns” program, which supports and mentors candidates in key races across the country.
State Rep. Rob Mercuri (R-Allegheny), who is running against U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District); Rob Bresnahan, a businessman challenging U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-8th District); and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh), who is running against U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D-7th District) – all made the 26-candidate list.
“The border, crime, and cost of living crises perpetrated by extreme Democrats in the House of Representatives have ruined the safety and security of Americans,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said in a speech statement“Fortunately, these Republican candidates are already well on their way to running winning campaigns that will expand our House majorities in November.”
According to an NRCC press release, the program requires candidates to “work toward specific goals and meet criteria throughout the election cycle to ensure their campaigns remain competitive, well-funded, and relevant in their districts.”
“Of course, the NRCC is eager to support Bresnahan because he shares the views of fringe Speaker Mike Johnson and anonymous donors who want to move jobs overseas, cut Social Security and Medicare, and enforce a nationwide abortion ban,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesman Aidan Johnson said in a statement.
Wild campaign spokeswoman Natalie Gould told the Capital-Star in an email that “While Congresswoman Wild continues to break fundraising records quarter after quarter and build enthusiasm for her re-election based on her long history of accomplishments in the district, voters across the Greater Lehigh Valley continue to reject Mackenzie’s anti-abortion, anti-worker stance — even as the NRCC and dark-collar donors try to buy the seat.
Wild’s campaign raised $1.53 million in the second quarter, three times what Mackenzie raised during the same period. Her fundraising total was the second highest among Pennsylvania’s U.S. House delegation, behind Cartwright, who earned $1.68 million.
Deluzio’s campaign raised $675,000 in the second quarter, compared to $410,000 for Mercuri. “Rob Mercuri is just another corporate hustler in a suit, bought and paid for by special interests,” DLCC’s Johnson said in a statement. “He is a threat to women’s reproductive freedoms, and the people of Western Pennsylvania will reject his extremism at the polls.”
In May, the DCCC nominated two candidates from Pennsylvania to its committee. Red to Blue Program which is providing similar support to Democratic candidates: Ashley Ehasz, a U.S. Army combat veteran, is challenging U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st District) for a second time. And Janelle Stelson, a former WGAL anchor, is seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District) after winning a six-person Democratic primary in April. Stelson doubles Perry’s fundraising total in the second quarter, raising $1.33 million, compared with Perry’s $625,000.
Update: This article was updated at 10:20 p.m., July 29, 2024, with a statement on behalf of the Deluzio campaign.
