Mackenzie leads Day
Ryan Mackenzie appeared to be on his way to victory late Tuesday night over Gary Day in the Republican race for the redrawn 187th House District.
Lehigh County unofficially reported that Mackenzie won at 5,612 votes or 61% to Day’s 3,539 or 39%.
Day said he was disappointed with these preliminary results but he thanked God, his family and his political supporters during the election. He also said he’d wait until the final results to declare one outcome of the election or another.
“I find myself ... really living in a place of gratitude,” he said.
Mackenzie couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Tuesday night.
The two had to compete for the same spot after a redrawing of the legislative map, which put Mackenzie’s 134th District in Day’s 187th.
The 187th District now accounts for just parts of Lehigh County rather than parts of Lehigh and Berks.
Both candidates explained their similar stances on key voter issues in a Q&A with The Morning Call prior to Election Day.
Regarding some of their biggest and most recent accomplishments while in office, Day cited how he saved thousands of at-risk jobs due to COVID-19 business closures and passing a law that provided employment protections for the military.
Mackenzie, meanwhile, talked about the pieces of legislation he authored that he said eliminated taxes and improved state government transparency, along with passing amendments that he said reined in Gov. Tom Wolf ’s power during the pandemic.
Both said they believed it should be easy for eligible people to vote and harder to cheat in elections.
After a leaked draft opinion by the Supreme Court indicated a possible overturn of Roe v. Wade, Day and Mackenzie solidified their pro-life stance and cited their endorsements by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.
When asked on what legislation they’d like to see passed regarding education, they both argued in favor of transparency for what schools are teaching students. Day proposed legislation prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory, while Mackenzie said he hoped legislation can be passed without Wolf as the current Pennsylvania governor.
Finally, Mackenzie and Day gave their stances on partisanship in the government; Day said integrity and honesty are some of the most important qualities for an effective legislator, as dishonesty can discourage bipartisanship, and Mackenzie said he’d continue his open-door policy to hear from all sides on issues so he can forward legislation that benefits all Pennsylvanians.
Mackenzie has been in office since 2012 and is a member of several House committees: Consumer Affairs, Environmental Resources and Energy, Government Oversight and Labor and Industry, according to the House website.
Under the State Government committee, he’s also a chairman on the Campaign Finance and Elections subcommittee.
Day has been a House member since 2009 and is a member of the Professional Licensure committee and the Aging and Older Adult Services committee.*