State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-187th, has announced he is running for the seat held by Susan Wild, a Democrat, in the 7th Congressional District

Mackenzie, in the news release, introduced his “4 Principles For America: Grow Our Economy, Defend Our Values, Secure Our Communities and Restore Our Freedoms.”

Mackenzie, who has represented Lehigh County in Harrisburg since his election in 2012, simultaneously announced he will not run for re-election to the state House of Representatives in 2024.

Mackenzie is a ninth generation resident of the Lehigh Valley. His ancestors and family members fought in the Revolutionary War, in both World Wars, and helped build companies, such as Hercules Cement, that supported families in this area for generations.

They also served in respected professions such as nursing and teaching.

Mackenzie says that in Pennsylvania’s State Capitol, he is known by conservatives and feared by the establishment as one of the most effective and proven reformers in government.

“Now, more than ever, we need proven leaders who will always fight for America’s future,” Mackenzie said in the July 26 announcement. “I am running for Congress to improve the lives of the American people.

“I am the only candidate in the race with a proven and effective record who can hit the ground running in the fight to get America back on the right track.”

Mackenzie says he has been fighting for Pennsylvania taxpayers for a long time, leading efforts that saved $400 million per year through conservative reforms at the Department of Labor and Industry, and another nearly $60 million by smartly refinancing debt that would be passed on to Pennsylvania’s children and grandchildren.

Mackenzie says his work caused Americans for Prosperity to name him a “taxpayer hero” and a policy champion.

Mackenzie has served on state and federal boards for economic development, workforce development and environmental protection.

Trump appointed Mackenzie to serve on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s local government advisory committee and as a commissioner on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.

Mackenzie says he is a local guy who has made the Lehigh Valley proud.

After graduating from Parkland High School, near the top of his class, he received his undergraduate degree, with honors, in finance and international business from New York University and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

He is involved in several charities and nonprofit organizations in the community.