(The Center Square) – Two Pennsylvania lawmakers running in races that could determine control of Congress in 2027 are set to speak at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas this week.
U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, who represent Pennsylvania’s 8th and 7th Districts, respectively, in Congress, are among the list of dozens of candidates scheduled to speak at the convention that Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters has dubbed “Trumpapalooza.”
“This election comes down to one simple choice: lower costs, lower taxes, secure borders, and common sense versus higher taxes, wide open borders, and the radical liberal agenda the Democrat Party has fully embraced,” said Gruters. “Republicans are the party of hardworking, patriotic Americans who believe in a fair day’s pay, safe streets, secure borders, and a government that gets out of our way and lets Americans win again.”
The two-day convention, which will also feature speeches from President Donald Trump on both nights and Vice President JD Vance on Thursday, is being framed as a way to raise money for candidates.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party on Wednesday criticized the Pennsylvania Republicans for traveling to Texas and backing Trump’s policies.
“As gas prices remain above $4.30 per gallon across the Commonwealth, the PA GOP is heading to Texas to pledge their loyalty to Donald Trump’s chaotic, corrupt, and cost-raising agenda while Pennsylvanians pay the price,” the PA Democratic Party sent in a press release on Wednesday. “Pennsylvania’s Republican members of Congress – including Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry – enabled Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice, and families across the Commonwealth are paying the price.”
“Now, members of the PA GOP – including Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry – are heading to Texas to pledge their loyalty once again to Donald Trump as Fitzpatrick rakes in $10,000 from the president’s personal leadership PAC, proving that their first priority isn’t the people of Pennsylvania – it’s whatever Donald Trump wants,” they added. “Pennsylvanians deserve leadership that puts them first, and that’s why the people of the Commonwealth will send Fitzpatrick, Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry packing this November.”
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th District, will also be in Dallas for a “counter” event, according to WHYY. In a statement to that news outlet, Dean criticized both Bresnahan and Mackenzie for backing Trump’s policies.
Bresnahan and Mackenzie, who were both elected to the U.S. House in 2024 with Trump at the top of the ticket, are running in highly competitive races in northeast Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.
According to the Cook Political Report, a national ratings outlet, both races are described as “toss-ups” and could determine which party is in the majority in 2027 and beyond.
Bresnahan, who unseated Democratic U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright in 2024 by just over 6,000 votes, is set to face Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti in November, while Mackenzie, who defeated U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, also a Democrat, by roughly 4,000 votes, is being challenged by firefighters union leader Bob Brooks.
The races for both seats are shaping up to be expensive.
As of July, when the last campaign finance reports were filed, Cognetti’s campaign had $3.4 million in the bank, while Bresnahan had $2.6 million on hand. She also doubled Bresnahan’s fundraising haul from April 30 to the end of June.
Brooks almost doubled Mackenzie’s haul from that same two-month stretch, as well, although the GOP incumbent had a larger war chest. At the beginning of July, Mackenzie’s campaign had $2.93 million on hand, while Brooks had $1.01 million.
Although Trump carried the Keystone State in 2024 over Vice President Kamala Harris, his approval rating is underwater in Pennsylvania and concerns remain that his job performance could have a negative impact on candidates down ballot this November.
This is the first convention held ahead of the midterm election by the Republican Party.
Bresnahan and Mackenzie aren’t the only Pennsylvania elected officials slated to be in attendance and speak at the convention.
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., is also scheduled to give a speech.
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, who also finds himself in a highly competitive race described by pundits as a “toss-up”, is also reportedly going to be in attendance.
“Obviously, you’re out of the district, but it’s a really good opportunity to get in front of people,” said Matt Beynon, spokesperson for Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, the other Pennsylvania incumbent that Democrats are aiming to unseat this November, represents a district that voted for Harris in 2024. He reportedly won’t be in attendance for the convention in Texas, telling Politico that he’s “not a party guy,” and added that he believes in “ending the two-party system…get back to our roots as a country.”
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is the GOP nominee for governor, will also not be in attendance, WHYY reports, as she cited “campaign and Treasury obligations.”
According to PoliticsPA, other notable Republicans planning to attend include U.S. Reps. Dan Meuser and Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson.
Fifty-five Republican delegates and alternate delegates from Pennsylvania will be in attendance for the convention, according to PennLive.
The RNC said there will be 109 officials, candidates, and others delivering remarks during the two-day gathering.
