PENNSYLVANIA – The midterms run through Pennsylvania — and Governor Josh Shapiro is fighting to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in November. Yesterday, Governor Josh Shapiro joined House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s Seventh Congressional District Bob Brooks to kick off the 100 day sprint until Election Day and rally supporters in this critical battleground district.

At the 100 day mark, Governor Shapiro made clear that Pennsylvanians have the opportunity to determine the balance of power in Congress and put a check on the chaos, cruelty, and corruption that is hurting our Commonwealth. The Governor is focused on winning races all across Pennsylvania in order to elect leaders who will fight for working families, lower costs, and hold Washington accountable.

In the Lehigh Valley, Bob Brooks is running to do exactly that. As a firefighter and union leader who has spent his career showing up for Pennsylvanians in their toughest moments, Brooks is running to beat Ryan Mackenzie and bring that same commitment to the halls of Congress and deliver for Pennsylvania families.

Josh Shapiro: Ryan Mackenzie and Congressional Republicans ripped food off Pennsylvanians’ tables to give a tax cut to those at the very top. In 100 days, we’re going to throw them out of the House of Representatives.

Josh Shapiro: 100 days until we send Bob Brooks to Congress and make Leader Jeffries the Speaker of the House.

See below for key excerpts from Governor Josh Shapiro’s remarks in Bethlehem:

Governor Shapiro on Defeating Ryan Mackenzie:

“Let’s examine his record. The first thing he did when he had the power was to leave the Lehigh Valley, go to D.C. and turn his back on all of you because his boss Donald Trump said, ‘We need to give a tax cut to the people at the very top.’ And with all due respect to those hardworking Americans who have done well, they don’t need a tax cut. And I’ll tell you something else: the way they paid for that tax cut is shameful. Because what they did was they said, ‘We’re going to put together the money to pay for the tax cut for the people at the very top by cutting healthcare and food assistance for the people who need it most’ — the people who are working, the people who are struggling to get by, disabled Pennsylvanians — they’re the ones paying for this tax cut that Ryan Mackenzie wanted to give out because Donald Trump told him to. So we put a buck in your pocket, Mackenzie takes two bucks out.”

“Let me explain how this has specifically hurt the Lehigh Valley… Across Pennsylvania, 510,000 people are losing their healthcare because of that vote, because of that new law. 510,000! 140,000 more are going to lose SNAP food assistance… I want you to stop and think about that for a minute… That is the height of cruelty. To rip away someone’s food off their table to give a tax cut to the people at the very top? That is shameful. That’s Ryan Mackenzie, and that’s Donald Trump, and that’s why we need to throw Ryan Mackenzie out of the House of Representatives.”

“And if you haven’t lost healthcare, if you haven’t lost food assistance, I’ll tell you what else you’re doing because of Ryan Mackenzie — you’re paying a whole lot more for gas when you go over to get it at the pump. I was just checking it out at the Wawa over at East Broad Street, right here in Bethlehem… $4.20 a gallon. By the way, Ryan Mackenzie could have stopped that. The president engaged in a wrong war of choice in Iran. It was wrong. He had no idea why the hell he got in, now he has no idea how the hell to get out. Seventeen service members have lost their lives, and it’s a reminder every day when you go to the pump, when you go to Wawa, and it’s $4.20. Here’s a reminder: Five times Ryan Mackenzie had the power to vote to stop the president from engaging in this wrong-headed war, and five times he lined up and did whatever Donald Trump told him to do. You’re paying more at the pump, we’re losing American service members, and we’re engaged in a war that Ryan Mackenzie and Donald Trump promised that we would never ever be in…”

“Ryan Mackenzie, man, that guy’s just a rubber stamp every step of the way for Trump’s chaos, and cruelty, and corruption.”

Governor Shapiro on Electing Bob Brooks:

“But here’s the good news, we don’t have to dwell on the negative. We don’t have to just see these bad things happen and feel like it’s out of our control. We’ve got control, and we’ve got a candidate who will reverse these bad policies. We’ve got a candidate we can believe in to go to D.C. and actually have our back – and that candidate is our Democratic nominee for Congress, Bob Brooks.”

“My friend Bob Brooks has spent a lifetime fighting to make sure firefighters and other union members have access to healthcare. He’s not going to go to D.C. and rip it away. He’s going to make sure more people have access to healthcare. Bob Brooks has spent a lifetime fighting for the middle-class, making sure they’ve got more opportunity in life.” 

“He’s going to go to D.C. and continue that work, reverse the cruelty, reverse the chaos, and put an end to this corruption that we’re seeing every single day. When Donald Trump sits behind the Oval Office desk, he’s thinking about how to get rich. He’s not thinking about your life — and Ryan Mackenzie is letting him get away with it. Bob Brooks is not going to let Donald Trump get away with the corruption that we are seeing every single day.”

“I’ll tell you another reason why we need Bob Brooks in the Congress of the United States, because he’s a firefighter, and firefighters are always there for you. They are there for you on your worst day. My family and I can attest to that. Our lives were saved by brave firefighters like Bob Brooks. When you spend a lifetime being there for people when they’re down, being there for people when they are hurting, being there for people when they need help at their worst moments. You have compassion in your heart. You’ve got a servant’s heart, and that’s the kind of people we need in the Congress of the United States.”

Governor Shapiro on Pennsylvania’s Role in the 2026 Midterms:

“So I’m here in the Lehigh Valley to tell you, let’s understand how Ryan Mackenzie led us wrong. Let’s understand that Donald Trump’s policies, his chaos, his cruelty, his corruption have a real cost to Pennsylvania, have a real cost to the American people. But let’s not dwell on that, because we have an opportunity here to elect Bob Brooks to the Congress of the United States, and here in Pennsylvania… we have more competitive races for Congress than any other state in the country.” 

“Pennsylvania is the place that decides it all, and it’s no different in these midterms. If you elect Bob Brooks, if you elect Paige Cognetti and Janelle Stelson and Bob Harvie, I believe those four races hold the key to who is in the majority in the Congress of the United States — and with Democrats in the majority, we’re going to work to reverse those cuts to SNAP, reverse those cuts to healthcare, and have real accountability for the corruption that we are seeing every day in Washington D.C. That’s what a Democratic Congress will give you.”

“So Pennsylvania, we’ve got a lot of power here and we’ve got a great guy in Bob Brooks that we can rally around. And I believe we not only have power, we’ve got a real responsibility to do this work. Let me close with this: we’re in the midst right now of celebrating 250 years of this great nation — a moment where, even though we are dealing with some temporary challenges, we should give thanks to the fact that we are blessed to live in the greatest country on the face of the earth. A country and a vision and ideals that were started right here in Pennsylvania… Here in Pennsylvania, this is our time to pick up the baton of leadership from those who came before us, including Ben Franklin and the other founders, and do this work right now.”

“Pennsylvania, it is in our hands to make Bob Brooks your next congressman, and to make my friend Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the House.”

See below for some of what Pennsylvanians are seeing and reading about Governor Shapiro, Leader Jeffries, and Bob Brooks’ announcement with 100 days until Election Day:

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Hakeem Jeffries and Josh Shapiro rallied for Democrat Bob Brooks, 100 days ahead of a competitive congressional race in Lehigh Valley

The New York Times: Jeffries Kicks Off Midterm Sprint With Economic Pitch

Politico: ‘Fighting for an affordable America’: Hakeem Jeffries unveils closing midterm pitch

The Washington Post: Democrats bet on affordability, GOP bets on Trump in midterm campaigns’ final 100 days

The Associated Press: House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries kicks off 100 days till midterms with affordability agenda

The Keystone: Dems make Bob Brooks’ race a top priority with 100 days until election

The Independent: Trump’s grip on Congress could come down to one battleground state

Lehigh Valley Public Media: Jeffries and Shapiro rally behind Brooks with Election Day 100 days out

WFMZ: Shapiro, Jeffries rally in Bethlehem to support Democratic candidate Bob Brooks for Congress

WFMZ: PA 7th Congressional District Candidates Rally in Bethlehem

CBS 21: Gov. Shapiro Joins House Minority Leader 100 Days Ahead of Midterm Elections

ABC 27: Gov. Shapiro & Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Rally in Bethlehem, PA Ahead of Midterms

Bloomberg Government: Democrats Make Pitch to Win Back Power With 100 Days to Midterms 

NBC 10: 100 Days Out From Midterm Elections

ABC: 100 Days Until Midterm Elections

ABC 6: Gov. Shapiro Rallies in Bethlehem 100 Days Before the Election 

PHL17: Shapiro and Jeffries Attend Affordability Event

KYW: Governor Shapiro and Leader Jeffries Mark 100 Days Until the Midterms in the Lehigh Valley

Pittsburgh Action News 4: Governor Josh Shapiro Rallies with Leader Jeffries and Bob Brooks 100 Days Before the Election

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