ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Republican congressional candidate Ryan McKenzie is counting on veteran lawmakers to help him flip one of Pennsylvania’s most competitive districts — and essentially begging them for a strategy.
“If you have any ideas for connecting with other veterans or speaking in front of veterans groups, that’s what we’re looking for right now,” McKenzie told a small group of veterans at a diner in Allentown last week.
McKenzie’s appeal is a continuation of a broader effort by Pennsylvania Republicans, including Senate candidate Dave McCormick, to target area veterans in an effort to create a key voting bloc this year.
McCormick, a West Point graduate and Gulf War veteran who spoke to other veterans at the Pennsylvania Legion convention last weekend, has repeatedly pointed out that only half of veterans vote regularly, while 22 take their own lives every day.
While McKenzie is not a military veteran himself, he has been decorated in combat and supporters say his experience helping serve in the state’s executive branch makes him the best choice to challenge Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
“We don’t have to worry about politics all the time,” said Joe Steber, an Air Force veteran and president of the Ryan McKenzie Veterans Association. “We elect leaders who will represent us and solve the problems that affect our daily lives.”
McKenzie said Wilde’s record on veterans issues is best illustrated by his vote against the military appropriations bill last month.
Wilde joined all but four Democrats in voting against the bill to block the federal government from circumventing the VA to pay for the health care of illegal immigrants.
“We see how illegal immigration puts a strain on the welfare of many people, not just veterans,” McKenzie told the Post. “Susan Wilde is failing the veterans and service members returning to our community.”
As The Washington Post reported, Wilde has a history of making derogatory remarks to constituents in his district, including military veterans he encountered at this year’s Memorial Day parade.
As the discussion turned to the 2024 election, veterans at McKenzie’s roundtable criticized the “coup” engineered by Democratic elites to replace President Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris, but acknowledged that it could also destabilize the race.
“Kamala doesn’t have much of a chance, but it will change the dynamics of this race somewhat. She’s bad, but she’s not that bad,” Navy veteran Brian Eichfeld said, comparing Harris to Biden. “From now on, it’s going to be about issues rather than personalities.”
“We live in a world of short words,” said Sean Welch, an Army veteran from Hellertown, “and you only have nanoseconds to grab people’s attention, and that’s going to be key.”
Still, McKenzie says the switch at the top of the ballot doesn’t change his message.
“She ties into all of Joe Biden’s policies that are the foundation of our campaign,” McKenzie said of Harris.
