The president’s approval rating is underwater in the district, where 41% of constituents support his job performance and 57% disapprove of it. Mackenzie, a former state representative, has tried to put some distance between himself and Trump, joining three other Republicans in supporting a discharge petition to extend enhanced Obamacare tax credits, but he’s also voted for most of Trump’s signature legislation.
Mackenzie is facing former Bethlehem firefighter Bob Brooks, who earned early endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Shapiro in a crowded primary field.
“Trump’s position is really rough,” Yost, the Pennsylvania pollster, said. “He’s lost a lot of ground, his approval ratings in this state are below where they were in 2018—a big year for Democrats. In a district this competitive, it will be hard for Republicans to defend.”
One seat over, in a district that includes swaths of the Pocono Mountains and Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, Bresnahan is facing Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti. Bresnahan, who previously served as CEO of his family’s electrical contracting firm, has some union endorsements, including the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
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