# Carol Obando-Derstine Colombian immigrant (arrived age 3), former PPL Electric Utilities Regional Manager, former Regional Manager for then-Sen. **Bob Casey**, and nonprofit executive running in the 2026 Democratic primary for [[PA-07-2026]] against freshman Republican [[Ryan Mackenzie]]. **Recruited by former Rep. [[Susan Wild]]** — who represented PA-07 three terms before losing to Mackenzie in 2024 — with Wild's **formal endorsement**. **Endorsements (institutional heavy)**: EMILYs List, Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, Latino Victory Fund, PODER PAC, 314 Action, J Street PAC, WomenCount; Reps. Escobar, Sánchez, Barragán, Salinas. Q1 2026: $110K raised / $130K COH; cycle total $545K (with $32.5K self-loan). Change Research: **17% (tied for 3rd)**. Her **underperformance relative to her endorsement stack** is a major Democratic Party story: Wild's hand-picked successor carrying EMILYs List + BOLD PAC + Latino Victory Fund + 314 Action + four sitting Latina House members — and still polling 17%. A data point about the limits of elite-endorsement consolidation when a Shapiro + Sanders cluster lands on a different candidate ([[Bob Brooks]]). ## 2026 cycle - **Primary date**: **2026-05-19** (Pennsylvania) - **Primary field (4 active)**: Brooks (leading polls + Polymarket), Crosswell (leading cash), Obando-Derstine, McClure - **District presidential history**: Trump +3 / Biden +0.5 / Trump +3 — swing district ## Background - **Colombian immigrant** to the U.S. at age 3 - Lehigh University BS - Penn State MS - Lehigh University MS, Energy Systems Engineering - 9 years at PPL Electric Utilities (Regional Manager) - Regional Manager for **Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)** - Wolf-era PA **Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs** - Nonprofit Executive Director for **SkillsUSA** and **Children's Coalition** - First federal-office run ## Ideological positioning - Mainstream Democrat; institutional-establishment lane - Profile consciously fits the "Latina professional with utility / energy background" archetype the national party has sought to elevate - The institutional-endorsement consolidation around her suggests the party apparatus saw her as the strongest general-election candidate — polling contradicts that ## Related - [[PA-07-2026]] — 2026 race file - [[Ryan Mackenzie]] — Republican incumbent - [[Susan Wild]] — recruiter and endorser; prior 3-term PA-07 incumbent - [[Bob Brooks]], [[Ryan Crosswell]], [[Lamont McClure]] — primary rivals ## Sources - [Ballotpedia — PA-07 2026](https://ballotpedia.org/Pennsylvania's_7th_Congressional_District_election,_2026)