House - Susan Wild - PA-7

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Democrat running for re-election in west-central Pennsylvania district covering the heart of Lehigh Valley, including Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton
video clip: Susan Wild – “Victory Fund Launch Video”

An authority on foreign policy & human rights

Susan Wild, the first woman ever to represent Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley in Congress, is strongly focused on getting practical results for her district. But she is also recognized as one of the key leaders in the House when it comes to foreign affairs and human rights. Given the state of the world in 2022, her re-election is particularly important. Foreign Policy for America, a nonpartisan advocacy organization working to strengthen support for principled American engagement in the world, said this when it endorsed Susan for re-election in 2020: “Susan Wild has been a powerful voice already in her first term in Congress. As a champion for gender equality and human rights around the world, she was selected by her peers to be Vice Chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. She’s also demonstrated an ability to work across the aisle to get things done. For all these reasons and more, we’re proud to support Representative Wild for re-election.”

How redistricting has affected Susan’s district

Redistricting in 2022 has added a conservative county to Susan’s district. FiveThirtyEight rates the new district a Republican +4 partisan lean. This redistricting means that Susan’s 2022 race is expected to be one of the closest in the country.

Susan’s background & priorities

Susan was the first female Solicitor of the City of Allentown, where she focused on bringing about a new era of accountability and transparency. In 2018, she was elected to Congress; she was re-elected in 2020. She says: “My philosophy is simple: getting things done in Washington takes hard work, it requires listening to my constituents, and it demands working with those on the other side of the aisle.” Susan is proud of her working-class ethic: “Having grown up in a military household to parents who lived through the Great Depression, I understand the concerns of working-class families, because I’ve lived them.” She prioritizes direct engagement with her constituents: “I have made it a point to hold regular town halls in every corner of PA-07, from Allentown to New Tripoli to East Stroudsburg. I believe government works best when it’s driven by what people really care about, and I want to include everyone’s voice in that process.”

Susan’s priorities in Congress include ensuring access to affordable health care, lowering drug costs, addressing the student loan crisis, making sure that K-12 public schools have the resources they need, and expanding economic opportunities.

Susan’s Republican opponent

Republican Lisa Scheller, who lost to Susan in 2020 by 14,000 votes, is again Susan's opponent. After redistricting Scheller has a better chance of winning in 2022. Scheller is the wealthy president of an aluminum pigment company that her grandfather founded. When Trump endorsed Scheller in 2020, Scheller said she was “humbled” to receive his endorsement and said: “President Trump promised to Make America Great Again, and I am honored to fight alongside him to keep that promise.” In April 2022 Scheller said she could support a radical bill to ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest, and she advocated "defunding Planned Parenthood completely, not just the abortion piece". Scheller is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association; the NRA has endorsed Scheller. Scheller has commented: “I see the left putting into place an agenda which leads to equality of outcome that later leads to socialism.” In 2020 End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said: “As a mega-donor, the system is working perfectly fine for Lisa Scheller because she has used her wealth to buy access and influence throughout the state. Lisa Scheller isn’t concerned with free speech, she’s obsessed with using her wealth to advance her political aspirations.”

Ratings & endorsements for Susan

End Citizens United Action Fund announced in 2020 that Susan received a score of A+ for “her record of fighting the power of special interests and support for legislation to end the dominance of big money in politics, restore ethics in Washington, and protect and expand the right to vote.”

Susan has an exceptionally strong environmental record: a 97% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters; a 100% score for 2021. The Sierra Club said in 2020: “It is more important than ever to re-elect environmental champions like Representative Wild...Susan has compiled a near-perfect voting record (97%) on environmental issues in her first US House term.”

Susan has a 0% rating from the National Rifle Association. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, co-founder of the gun violence prevention organization Giffords, said in 2020: “Strong women get things done and Susan Wild was essential to the successful effort to get gun safety legislation through Congress. She has made clear that where others might waver, she will push ahead. She did not back down in the face of a gun lobby that tried to use its power and influence to block progress. Congresswoman Wild’s arrival in Washington signaled the NRA’s ironclad grip on the House of Representatives was over. Because of Representative Wild, Congress took the historic step of passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act. Progress in 2020 means reelecting Susan Wild so she can continue being a champion for a safer America. We’re proud to endorse Congresswoman Susan Wild as she fights to free our country from its crisis of gun violence.”

Planned Parenthood has given Susan a 100% rating.

When endorsing Susan in 2020 Joe Biden said: "Susan Wild always puts the needs and the people of her district first and I am proud to support her. Her willingness to put politics aside and work with anyone has delivered results for her district — from securing more funding for Lehigh Valley public schools to lowering the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. Susan Wild is a proven champion for Lehigh Valley.”

A call to action

Susan is an excellent congresswoman for her district and for the country. She needs support now if she is to be re-elected in this key swing district in this key swing state. The more voters who turn out to support Susan in November, the more likely she will win this race, and the more likely a Democrat will win the critical U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania – a race that could determine which party controls the Senate.