The U.S. Capitol at night. (Photo by Bill Dickinson/Getty Photos)
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Monday named three Pennsylvania U.S. House candidates to 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 list of 26 candidates.
“Extreme House Democrats’ border, crime and cost of living crises wrecked Americans’ safety and security,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said in a statement. “Fortunately, these Republican candidates are already well on their way to running winning campaigns that will grow our House majority in November.”
The program requires candidates to “work towards specific goals and meet benchmarks throughout the election cycle to ensure their campaigns remain competitive, well-funded and communicative within their districts,” according to an NRCC press release.
“Of course the NRCC is happy to endorse Bresnahan, as he’s fallen in line with extreme-Speaker Mike Johnson and dark money donors who want to outsource jobs, cut Social Security and Medicare, and enforce a national abortion ban,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Aidan Johnson said in a statement.
Wild campaign spokesperson Natalie Gould told the Capital-Star in an email that “while Congresswoman Wild breaks fundraising records each quarter and builds enthusiasm for her re-election based on her long history of delivering for this district, voters across the Greater Lehigh Valley continue to reject Mackenzie’s anti-choice, anti-worker record — even as the NRCC and dark money donors attempt to buy this seat.”
Wild’s campaign raised $1.53 million in the second quarter, triple what Mackenzie raised in the same period. Her fundraising total was the second-highest among Pennsylvania’s U.S. House delegation, behind only Cartwright, who brought in $1.68 million.
Deluzio’s campaign, which raised $675,000 in the second quarter, compared to Mercuri’s $410,000 haul, did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.
In May, the DCCC named two Pennsylvania candidates to its Red to Blue program that provides similar support for Democratic candidates: Ashley Ehasz, a U.S. Army combat veteran, is challenging U.S. Rep Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st District) for the second time. And Janelle Stelson, former WGAL anchor, is seeking to oust U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District) after winning a six-person Democratic primary in April. Stelson doubled Perry’s fundraising haul in the second quarter, raising $1.33 million to Perry’s $625,000.