‘I’m tired of getting kicked in the teeth’: firefighting union leader seeks to shake up Congress
Bob Brooks, a former firefighters’ union leader, is running for Congress in eastern Pennsylvania as a labor-backed Democrat. He says working-class people need more representation in Washington.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Bob Brooks, a longtime firefighter and former union leader, has won the Democratic nomination for a competitive House seat in eastern Pennsylvania. He is campaigning as a working-class alternative to Republican Ryan Mackenzie, casting the race as a fight over who Congress really serves.
Bob Brooks spent years doing tough jobs like firefighting and union work, and now he wants to go to Congress. He says the people making the rules should look more like the people who have to live with them, like choosing a school captain who actually knows what the students need.
Analysis
Who Bob Brooks is
Bob Brooks has spent much of his life working multiple jobs. The article says he was a paper boy, dishwasher, prep cook, pizza deliverer, bartender, truck driver, firefighter, and small-business owner before rising through firefighters’ union leadership in Pennsylvania.
Why he is running
Brooks says he entered politics because ordinary people are struggling and Washington is not listening to them. He told the Guardian that he wants more “everyday people” making laws and rules, and he framed his campaign as a response to economic pressure and a political system he sees as disconnected from working-class life.
The race he faces
Brooks is running in Pennsylvania’s seventh district against Republican Ryan Mackenzie, who narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Susan Wild in 2024 after receiving nearly $1.1m from Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-backed political action committee. The article says the race is currently a toss-up, with the Cook Partisan Index giving it a +1 edge to Mackenzie while also describing him as one of the most vulnerable House Republicans in the country.
What Brooks is selling politically
Brooks is leaning hard on labor politics and affordability. His platform includes rescinding Medicaid cuts, supporting Medicare for all, banning private equity from buying homes, reforming labor law, and raising the minimum wage. He also says he helped push for the Social Security Fairness Act in January 2025, which expanded benefits for firefighters, police officers, teachers, and other public workers with pensions, and he points to a Pennsylvania law that secured mental health benefits and protections for first responders.
The contrast in the campaign
Brooks is drawing a sharp line between himself and Mackenzie. He says Mackenzie backs Trump administration policies that worsen the affordability crisis, while Mackenzie’s side dismisses Brooks as a fake everyman. The Guardian reports that Brooks has endorsements from centrists and progressives, including Bernie Sanders, which suggests his campaign is trying to bridge labor and populist politics rather than stay in one camp.
Key points
- Bob Brooks is a former firefighter and union leader running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s seventh district.
- He won the Democratic nomination and is running in a race the article describes as a toss-up.
- Brooks says Washington is out of touch with working-class people and wants more everyday people in office.
- His platform focuses on affordability, labor rights, Medicaid, Medicare for all, and raising the minimum wage.
- Republican Ryan Mackenzie has backing from the Chamber of Commerce and previously received support from a Koch-backed PAC.
If Brooks’ message connects, Democrats could win a district that is close enough to flip either way. A victory would also strengthen the idea that union-backed, working-class candidates can still appeal to voters worried about pay, benefits, and housing costs.
If voters see Brooks as too tied to labor politics or too far from the district’s center, Mackenzie could hold the seat. The article also suggests the race may be shaped by national partisan forces and outside money, which could drown out Brooks’ local message.
