PHILADELPHIA — A Bethlehem firefighter and union leader has entered the crowded field of Democrats vying for Congress in the Lehigh Valley.

Bob Brooks, the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, is vying to represent Pennsylvania's 7th District, currently held by first-term Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who beat three-term Democrat U.S. Rep. Susan Wild by a single percentage point in November.

"I've spent my life serving my community and living the challenges of regular people, whether it was behind the bar pouring beers or behind the wheel of the fire truck putting out fires in Bethlehem," Brooks said in a release. "And I know personally what it's like to live in fear of foreclosure or see your paycheck eaten away by higher prices."

The district is one of the closest battlegrounds in the state and Democrats are eyeing it as one of four they hope to pick up in their midterm quest to retake the U.S. House.

Brooks launched his campaign Tuesday with some heavy-hitting endorsements from Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, a Democrat; Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind., Vt.); U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, an Allegheny County Democrat; the international firefighters union; and the Pennsylvania SEIU, the service employees union.

Brooks said Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is running for reelection in 2026, is also behind his campaign.

"I'm doing this with the governor's support," Brooks said. "Right now, he's working to pass the budget, so he's not focused on politics. As soon as that's done, I'm looking forward to having him here in the district."

Several Democrats have already lined up to compete for the chance to take on Mackenzie.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure announced his bid back in February, saying he wanted to allow a long runway to build support.

Since then, Carol Obando-Derstine, a former staffer for Bob Casey who was endorsed by Wild, joined the field, as did former Republican Ryan Crosswell, who resigned his post as a federal prosecutor in the Department of Justice in February. Lehigh Valley Controller Mark Pinsley announced he was running in July.

No single candidate has broken through, though there are still nine months until the Pennsylvania primary.

But the early endorsements indicate a brewing coalition of party support coalescing around Brooks. He was also endorsed by former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, who on Monday was floated as a favorite to become the next state party chair.

Getting backing from Shapiro, a moderate governor rumored to have presidential ambitions in 2028, and Sanders, one of the Democratic coalition's most progressive members, would show a range of ideological support from two popular leaders.

"In Harrisburg, he's been a true partner to the Shapiro-Davis administration," Davis said in a statement. "Bob is the kind of working-class leader we don't see enough of in Washington — he'll lead with grit, heart, and an unwavering commitment to the people who keep our state running."

Sanders called Brooks someone who has the "guts to stand up to corporate greed and a corrupt political system to always fight for the working class."

Brooks launched his campaign with a heavy dose of working-class imagery in a moment when Democrats are searching for ways to reclaim blue-collar workers. His logo is his name inside the outline of a firefighter's badge. A campaign video runs down all the jobs he has had — pizza deliveryman, dishwasher, bartender, landscaper — over images of the Bethlehem Steel plant and Brooks riding an ATV in a cutoff T-shirt.

"So what am I supposed to say? I'm supposed to sit down and say Washington's a dumpster fire and I'm gonna put it out?" he asks in the direct-to-camera spot.

"It's not just about putting the fire out," he says. "It's about what you can build from the ashes."

Brooks spent 20 years as a firefighter in Bethlehem and represents more than 8,000 firefighters across the state as president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association. While there he helped pass a state bill improving mental health coverage for firefighters struggling with post-traumatic stress injury.

He also runs a small family-operated snow-removal and lawn-care business and coaches youth and varsity baseball.

"Bob's never had a silver spoon — just calloused hands, a deep sense of duty, and an unshakable commitment to do what's right," his campaign launch release said.

The release also described his tattoo — a bulldog in a fire helmet.

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