REPLACING:

Susan Wild (D)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Pennsylvania House of Representatives (Member, District 187 / District 134); Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (Policy Director); Pennsylvania Republican Party (Director of Victory Program); South Whitehall Township Department of Parks & Recreation (Employee); U.S. Department of Labor (Aide); Friends of Pat Toomey, Inc. (Campaign Aide)[ii] [iii]

EDUCATION:

MBA, Harvard Business School; BS, New York University – Leonard N. Stern School of Business; Diploma, Parkland High School[iv]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Reduce wasteful government spending that is driving inflation; Secure our nation’s border and finish building the wall; Stop cuts to Social Security and Medicare; Protect and promote American jobs and manufacturing; Support energy independence; Increase access and affordability of healthcare by protecting medical freedom and expanding personal options; Focus drug and anti-crime policies on today’s challenges; Respect those who protect our nation and communities; Cut and eliminate taxes that are taking money out of the pockets of American workers; Implement a comprehensive plan to take on China; Build strong communities; Implement term limits for elected officials and bureaucrats[v]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Mackenzie previously touted his “100% pro-life voting record” and pledged to “fight back against the culture of celebrating abortion and those that want to legalize it up until the moment of birth” before reportedly removing the statements from his website.[vi] [vii] Mackenzie opposes a federal ban on abortion, preferring to leave the issue for states to decide, and “will always protect exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.”[viii] [ix] However, he has also said he would support a 20-week abortion ban with exceptions.[x] As a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mackenzie voted for measures that would require either a funeral or cremation of abortion remains, prohibit abortions based solely on a diagnosis of Down Syndrome, prohibit dilation and evacuation abortions prior to 20 weeks of pregnancy, prohibit abortion coverage in health insurance exchanges, and establish a constitutional amendment that states there would be no right to taxpayer-funded abortion.[xi] [xii] [xiii] [xiv] [xv] [xvi] [xvii] [xviii] [xix] [xx] [xxi] [xxii] [xxiii] [xxiv] In Congress, he will support legislation guaranteeing access to in vitro fertilization.[xxv] [xxvi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Mackenzie has called for “real action on illegal immigration,” including withholding federal grants from sanctuary cities, finishing the border wall, and “requiring deportation for illegal immigrants caught committing other crimes.”[xxvii] He has also advocated for cracking down on “birth tourism and policies that encourage anchor babies,” hiring and retaining more Customs & Border Patrol and Immigration & Customs Enforcement officers, and reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy.[xxviii] Mackenzie supports “merit-based legal immigration that protects American workers, promotes American values, and rewards connections to America like speaking English.”[xxix] He also supports requiring the use of E-Verify for new hires to ensure “only American citizens and those allowed to work in the country are placed into employment.”[xxx] In 2023, Mackenzie voted against a bill that would authorize individuals who hold valid immigrant or work visas to be granted a teaching certificate and be allowed to work in the U.S.[xxxi] [xxxii] He also introduced measures to require the reporting of healthcare costs for undocumented immigrants, prohibit driver’s licenses from being issued to undocumented immigrants, protect unaccompanied immigrant children, crack down on human traffickers, end sanctuary cities, and implement E-Verify for state grant recipients, the food industry, and the lodging industry.[xxxiii] [xxxiv]

ECONOMY & JOBS:

Mackenzie has declared “Bidenomics” to be a “failed economic policy” and has accused “Democrats and mainstream media” of misleading the public about the state of the economy.[xxxv] He believes that “wasteful government spending” is driving inflation and increasing the cost of food, energy and housing.[xxxvi] He supports eliminating “the overregulation that is crushing America’s entrepreneurial spirit” and has called for returning to the practice of “removing two regulations for every new one.” Mackenzie has also advocated for passing the REINS Act to require Congressional approval for all new major rules, ensuring faster permitting, and ending “ridiculous regulations like WOTUS that infringe upon the rights of farmers and ranchers.”[xxxvii] According to his campaign website, Mackenzie has consistently voted “to protect American jobs through Made In PA/USA efforts.”[xxxviii] In 2023, he voted against measures that would expand worker’s compensation benefits and extend OSHA protections for public workers in the state.[xxxix] [xl] [xli] [xlii] He also reportedly voted against a proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to collective bargaining and against a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.[xliii] Additionally, Mackenzie co-sponsored a 2021 bill that would establish work search requirements for Pennsylvanians receiving unemployment compensation.[xliv] [xlv] Notably, in July 2024, Mackenzie suggested that automating manufacturing jobs is “where you want to go.”[xlvi]

TAXES:

Mackenzie supports cutting taxes and, according to his campaign website, has never voted for a tax increase.[xlvii] [xlviii] He signed Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge, committing to oppose and vote against efforts to increase income taxes, and supports eliminating taxes on tips.[xlix] [l] Mackenzie has called for ending corporate handouts and closing corporate tax loopholes.[li] While serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mackenzie co-sponsored a bill that would reduce the state’s annual tax rate on corporate net income from 9.99% to 6.99%.[lii] [liii] He also was the prime sponsor of legislation that eliminated the state inheritance tax on small family businesses and closed corporate tax loopholes in Pennsylvania.[liv] [lv] [lvi]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Mackenzie supports increasing funding for first responders, promoting volunteerism and community engagement, and standing up to “demoralizing ‘defund the police’ policies.”[lvii] As a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mackenzie has supported legislation that would prohibit the premature release of inmates who had committed violent offenses while in prison, increase penalties for fleeing the police on foot, increase the penalty for spitting on a police officer, extend the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse, make assaulting a correctional officer a felony, authorize school police to make arrests, reinstate mandatory minimum sentences, and prohibit the “endangerment” of public safety officials by publishing restricted personal information of the officials or their families online.[lviii] [lix] [lx] [lxi] [lxii] [lxiii] [lxiv] [lxv] [lxvi] [lxvii] [lxviii] [lxix] [lxx] [lxxi] [lxxii] [lxxiii] He also voted “to hold radical public prosecutors accountable for not following the law and prosecuting criminals.”[lxxiv] Notably, Mackenzie voted against a 2023 measure that would establish resources for mental health crisis intervention.[lxxv] [lxxvi]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Mackenzie believes the government should encourage U.S. energy production and has pledged to “end the Far Left’s radical crusade against American energy.”[lxxvii] [lxxviii] He opposes “cap-and-trade schemes that prioritize a radical climate agenda over the realities of safe, clean, affordable American energy.”[lxxix] As a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mackenzie has supported legislation that would prohibit municipalities from requiring utilities use only certain types of energy sources or prohibiting them from using fossil fuels, repeal certain oil and gas regulations, authorize natural resource development on state-owned lands, prohibit bans, fees, and taxes on recyclable plastic bags, require legislative authorization before entering a state or regional greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, require legislative approval for a state plan for the regulation of carbon dioxide from existing fossil fuel-fired power plants, and establish a resolution urging the governors of New York and New Jersey to end anti-pipeline policies that block Pennsylvania natural gas from reaching markets in New England.[lxxx] [lxxxi] [lxxxii] [lxxxiii] [lxxxiv] [lxxxv] [lxxxvi] [lxxxvii] [lxxxviii] [lxxxix] [xc] [xci] [xcii] [xciii] He also co-sponsored a bill that would establish a tax credit for companies that create jobs building petrochemical or fertilizer plants using dry natural gas produced in Pennsylvania.[xciv] [xcv] Mackenzie voted against bills that would appropriate funding for the construction of solar power projects at Pennsylvania schools and establish the Lake Erie Energy Development Act to authorize the leasing of submerged lands in Lake Erie for the development of wind and solar energy projects.[xcvi] [xcvii] [xcviii] [xcix]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Mackenzie opposes “forever wars” and will push to focus resources “on direct American interests.”[c] He opposes sending more aid to Ukraine, arguing, “that kind of spending overseas does not directly help the American people in the way that I think we should be using our resources.”[ci] He supports NATO, but criticized member countries not paying the required 2% of their gross national product on defense.[cii] He also does not believe that Russia winning the war would lead President Vladimir Putin to invade other countries.[ciii] Mackenzie has called the deadly Hamas attack on Israel “horrific” and said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself. He has also said a two-state solution is “not something that is probably achievable at this point in time.”[civ] Mackenzie has called for a “comprehensive plan to take on China” that revamps supply chains “for essential medical, technological, and national security items,” expands the domestic exploration of critical minerals, and stops the sale of U.S. land and critical infrastructure to investors with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.[cv] He has called for a crackdown on the “theft of American intellectual property” and for banning TikTok on all government devices and in public schools.[cvi] Mackenzie would also like to see the government divest public retirement funds from assets with ties to the Chinese government and investigate Chinese investments in or donations to American colleges and universities.[cvii] Notably, he has claimed that at least some of the fentanyl entering the U.S. has been from direct shipments from China.[cviii]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Mackenzie will work to increase access to affordable healthcare by “protecting medical freedom and expanding personal options.”[cix] He supports protecting pre-existing condition coverage in healthcare.[cx] Mackenzie claims to have been “the leader in the fight against maternal mortality in Pennsylvania” and was the primary sponsor of a bill that would establish the Maternal Mortality Review Committee “to reduce the mortality rate of women and babies.”[cxi] [cxii] [cxiii] During his time as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mackenzie has voted for legislation that would prohibit non-compete clauses in the healthcare industry, increase hospital pricing transparency, prohibit insurers from setting annual or lifetime limits on the cost of care, prohibit insurers from denying or excluding coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and authorize adult children to remain on a parent’s private health plan up to age 26.[cxiv] [cxv] [cxvi] [cxvii] [cxviii] [cxix] [cxx] [cxxi] [cxxii] [cxxiii] He opposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare, arguing that the U.S. should uphold these “sacred commitments to our seniors by ensuring no reductions in their benefits.”[cxxiv] He will work to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.[cxxv] Mackenzie has voted for bills that would establish Medicaid work requirements, repeal SNAP work requirement waivers, repeal the general assistance cash program, and establish further stipulations for welfare access.[cxxvi] [cxxvii] [cxxviii] [cxxix] [cxxx] [cxxxi] [cxxxii] [cxxxiii]

DEMOCRACY:

Mackenzie signed a letter asking Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation not to certify the 2020 presidential election results, which he later said he signed not because of potential fraud but because the deadline for mail-in ballots was extended until after Election Day.[cxxxiv] [cxxxv] [cxxxvi] He has argued that in every election it should be “easy to vote, but hard to cheat.”[cxxxvii] Mackenzie supports implementing term limits for elected officials and bureaucrats and banning members of Congress from trading stocks.[cxxxviii] According to his campaign website, he authored legislation to prohibit non-citizens from voting and clean voter rolls of “non-eligible illegal immigrants” while serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[cxxxix] He also voted for a 2024 measure that would prohibit foreign-influenced corporations from making an expenditure to a campaign or in support of a ballot question in Pennsylvania, and has advocated for laws that ban unsecured ballot drop boxes and ballot harvesting.[cxl] [cxli] [cxlii]

SOCIAL ISSUES:

Mackenzie opposed Pennsylvania’s Fairness Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.[cxliii] [cxliv] In June 2024, Mackenzie voted against a bill that would appropriate funding for public schools to distribute free menstrual hygiene products to students.[cxlv] [cxlvi]