News & Politics
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson stumps for GOP candidates in PA
Johnson traveled to Pennsylvania this week to boost Republican candidates, including U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Wikimedia Commons
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson stumped for candidates across Pennsylvania this week, making stops in multiple congressional districts as Republicans look to keep – and potentially expand – control of the chamber in this year’s general election.
On Monday, Johnson headlined a fundraiser for Rob Bresnahan, a GOP candidate running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Matthew Cartwright. Johnson also attended a separate fundraiser in Philadelphia on Monday with U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, according to Punchbowl News.
Following the fundraiser with Bresnahan, Johnson said that Pennsylvania will be pivotal to GOP efforts to expand their House majority in Washington, D.C.
"The road to growing the House majority runs through Pennsylvania, and with strong candidates like Rob Bresnahan, I am confident we will win here in November,” Johnson said in a statement provided by Bresnahan’s campaign.
Johnson also campaigned with state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie on Tuesday morning. Mackenzie, a Republican from Lehigh County, is running for Congress in the state’s 7th Congressional District, hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild this fall.
According to LehighValleyNews.com, Johnson and Mackenzie visited Cetronia Ambulance Corps in Lehigh County after Johnson appeared with Mackenzie at a donor breakfast. The two also toured a Uline distribution center in the area. During his stop in the Lehigh Valley, the U.S. House speaker said he expects Republicans to flip some seats in the House this fall, according to the outlet.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Johnson highlighted his trip to the Lehigh Valley and thanked first responders for their service in honor of National EMS Week.
Natalie Gould, a spokesperson for Wild’s campaign, looked to highlight Wild’s record of delivering funding for emergency services in a statement responding to Johnson’s visit to the district.
“Mike Johnson and Ryan Mackenzie are touting their supposed ‘support’ of emergency services while trying to hide from their record of wanting to gut Social Security and involve the government in your personal health care decisions,” Gould said. “On the other hand, Congresswoman Susan Wild has delivered for Allentown’s emergency services and first responders time and time again, bringing large federal investments home to our hospitals, law enforcement officials, and firefighters to keep our community safe.”
In Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District, Fitzpatrick is facing off against Democrat Ashley Ehasz in November in a rematch of their 2022 matchup. Fitzpatrick won that race by more than 35,000 votes.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lambasted Fitzpatrick in a statement for aligning with Johnson.
“As long as the checks keep coming, Brian Fitzpatrick is happy to embrace Mike Johnson’s dangerous far-right agenda at the expense of his constituents,” said DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson. “Pennsylvanians deserve a representative who will fight for them, not take orders from MAGA extremists who want to outlaw abortion nationwide.”
Johnson also paid a visit to western Pennsylvania over the weekend, where GOP state Rep. Rob Mercuri is running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio in the 17th Congressional District. Mercuri, in a post on X, said he and Johnson discussed flipping the district into GOP hands.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the 1st Congressional District as “Likely Republican” for 2024, as did Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a project of The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
In the 7th Congressional District, Wild is seeking to win her fourth term after most recently defeating Republican Lisa Scheller in 2022 with 51% of the vote. Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball both have Wild’s district rated as a “toss-up.”
And in the 8th Congressional District, Cartwright will look to fend off a challenge from Bresnahan and retain the seat he has held since 2013. Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball have rated the 8th Congressional District as a “toss-up.”
In the 17th, which Deluzio won with 53% of the vote in 2022, Cook Political Report has the district rated “Lean Democrat,” and Sabato’s Crystal Ball has the district rated the same.
This story has been updated to include information about Johnson’s visit to the 17th Congressional District.