# Bob Brooks **President of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association** and 20-year Bethlehem firefighter running in the 2026 Democratic primary for [[PA-07-2026]] against freshman Republican [[Ryan Mackenzie]] — Roll Call's **4th most vulnerable incumbent** as of April 2026. Represents 8,000+ PA firefighters. Q1 2026: **$435K raised / $545K COH**. Change Research primary poll: **30%, leading after bio**. **Endorsement stack**: Gov. [[Josh Shapiro]], Sen. [[Bernie Sanders]] (I-VT), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Pete Buttigieg, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, **Working Families Party**, SEIU PA State Council, **IAFF**, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC. The **Shapiro + Sanders + Deluzio combo** is the most striking single-candidate endorsement profile in any 2026 House primary — a top-popularity Democratic governor, the national progressive-movement avatar, and a well-liked in-state House member all aligning on the same candidate. This is why Brooks leads Polymarket at 61% despite [[Ryan Crosswell]]'s cash advantage. ## 2026 cycle - **Primary date**: **2026-05-19** (Pennsylvania) — 26 days out as of 2026-04-23 - **Three-way D primary**: Brooks (30% Change Research / Polymarket 61%), Crosswell (17% Change Research / Polymarket ~35%), Obando-Derstine (17%), McClure (17%) - **Mackenzie's approval (March 2026)**: 27% approve / 41% disapprove / ~32% unsure — **net -14**, deeply underwater for a freshman incumbent - **District presidential history**: Trump +3 (2016), Biden +0.5 (2020), Trump +3 (2024) — true bellwether that moves with national tides ## Background - 20-year firefighter (Bethlehem Police Department — NOTE: race file says "Bethlehem PD" but firefighter role — verify whether Fire Department vs. Police Department reference) - **President, Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association** — 8,000+ members - Labor-union leadership background; first federal-office run - Age / specific biographical details NEEDS VERIFICATION ## Ideological positioning - Union-labor Democrat with progressive + mainstream cross-endorsement - The Shapiro-Sanders overlap insulates him from the "too progressive for a swing district" attack that PA D strategists flag as the biggest Brooks risk - PA's closed primary means the Democratic electorate is narrower than the general — Brooks' union + progressive alignment suits that electorate ## Related - [[PA-07-2026]] — 2026 race file - [[Ryan Mackenzie]] — Republican incumbent - [[Ryan Crosswell]] — primary rival (cash leader, DOJ resigner) - [[Carol Obando-Derstine]], [[Lamont McClure]] — primary competitors - [[Josh Shapiro]], [[Bernie Sanders]] — high-profile endorsers ## Sources - [Ballotpedia — PA-07 2026](https://ballotpedia.org/Pennsylvania's_7th_Congressional_District_election,_2026)