Democratic Debate

I attended the PA-07 Democratic primary debate tonight at Cedar Crest College and I’m really curious what others think about the 4 candidates, especially if you were there in person.

My biggest takeaway is that the four candidates kind of split into two groups.

Ryan Croswell & Lamont McClure:

Both attorneys, both clearly leaning on their records and concrete accomplishments.

Carol Obando-Derstine & Bob Brooks:

More emphasis on who they are, their backgrounds, and personal journeys.

Ryan Croswell:

Honestly stood out the most to me. He was the only one (in my opinion) consistently answering questions directly. On topics like Trump, ICE, taxes, and the economy, he actually laid out real plans and multiple approaches instead of vague talking points.

Also, he came across as the most respectful and engaged by clapping, smiling, even uplifting other candidates during his responses.

I know some people might hesitate because he’s a former Republican, but in a purple district like PA-07, I actually think it’s a strength.

Only downside is he can get pretty technical and he is a traditional looking lawyer, which might not land with everyone.

Lamont McClure:

Strong record and clearly experienced. I do trust that he follows through on what he says, which is huge right now. The moderator pushed him on his stance with Gracedale and I found it refreshing that he stood his ground in that he did the best he could with the limited resources the County has. I appreciate his honesty that he would like the federal government to support townships more financially since they know how to best use funds within their own community.

That said… I didn’t find him very charismatic tonight (or ever really), and I wonder how that plays in a general election.

Carol Obando-Derstine:

Super compelling personal story. Immigrant, engineer, went back to school later in life, and has federal legislative experience. She really understands systems and policy areas like energy and education.

But I felt like she sometimes lacked a clear plan, and leaned a bit too much on “reversing Trump-era policies” without going deeper into specifics.

Bob Brooks:

This one was tough for me. Despite having endorsements, I felt like he struggled the most. At times it seemed like he didn’t clearly differentiate between federal vs. state/local roles, and didn’t fully explain how he’d operate in Congress.

That’s a red flag for me personally, but curious if others saw it differently. He was asked about the ongoing mother-in-law scandal and he brushed it under the rug but it’s a clear ethics issue for Congressional members to potentially face fraud allegations (yet our President is a criminal. I know, make it make sense).

Right now, it feels like the race is really between Croswell and McClure.

Would love to hear from others. Did you get the same impressions? Who do you think actually has the best shot in the general to beat Mackenzie?