Yesterday, I told you that GOP candidate Kevin Dellicker, who seeks his party's nomination for the Pa. 7 Congressional seat, submitted a report after the last quarter that failed to list $139,011.75 in expenses. What this means is that the $205,692.08 he claims to have available is actually $66,680.33. That's less than half of what opponent Ryan MacKenzie reported and only slightly more than hopeful Maria Montero. What I also found disturbing is that he paid $106k to Consolidated Mailing and Direct Services Mailing to raise $79k in unitimixed donations.
Dellicker has responded to my criticism with the following:
I saw your post this morning about our campaign finance reports. This is not “phantom cash,” and your conclusions are wrong.
When I decided to run for Congress last summer, my team and I knew we needed a fundraising infrastructure to compete with Susan Wild’s. She raises millions of dollars each cycle from a network of small donors. My campaign had nothing like that, so we set out to build it, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. In just six months, we’ve established our own network of thousands of small donors with a median contribution of less than $50. Neither of my primary opponents has any such infrastructure.
As a business owner, I know that sometimes you need to invest money to earn money, and that returns often take time to materialize. My team isn’t just interested in winning the primary. We want to win the general election too. Because of our decision to invest in a small donor operation, I am positioned to compete and win against Susan Wild.
In his last quarterly report, GOP Congressional candidate Kevin Dellicker reported raising $241,827.22 and having $205,692.08 cash on hand, nearly as much money as his Republican opponents combined. This was dutifully noted by both Armchair Lehigh Valley and The Morning Call. But 10 days following his original quarterly report, Dellicker amended it. He still claimed to have $205,692.08 on hand, but that's phantom cash. Why? Because the amended report includes expenses of $105,621.32 ($23,758.23 to Consolidated Mailing and $81,863.09 to Direct Support Services). In addition, Kevin's Amended report shows another $33,390.43 in expenses for a total of $139,011.75 (page 77 of the Amended report) that he did not list in his Original report.
Dellicker contracted with Consolidated Mailing and Direct Support Services to generate small dollar, unitemized donations. Even well known candidates are lucky to break even when they do this as the costs often exceed the amount raised. In Dellicker's case, he lost money. He spent $106k to raise the $79k he listed as unitemized donations.
This is hardly evidence of fiscsal conservatism.
If you subtract the $139,011.75 from the $205,692.08 available, he really only has $66,680.33 in cash on hand, less than half of what opponent Ryan MacKenzie reported and only slightly more than hopeful Maria Montero.
Above is a Youtube video of Monday night's debate among three Republicans seeking their party's nomination to take on incumbent Democrat Susan Wild in this year's race for Pa.'s 7th Congressional District. They are Kevin Dellicker, Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero. The debate was broadcasted by BRC13, located in Lehighton. Here's what was discussed:
How Are You Suited to Represent Carbon County, which was added to Pa.-7? - Dellicker said he spent a great deal of time in Carbon County, white-water rafting in Jim Thorpe and skiing at Blue Mountain. His wife teaches school in Palmerton and many of his relatives live there. Montero grew up in Summit Hill and stated nobody understands more than she does what is needed in Carbon. "We are looking for good jobs, great paying jobs." She would achieve that by cutting taxes and eliminating regulations. Mackenzie said the problems of Carbon County are similar to those in the rest of the district, "a wide open border" and out-of -control spending in D.C.
How would You Encourage Tourism, Especially in the Poconos? - Montero said she has been in the hospitality and tourism industry over the past eight years. She said that she would try to make sure there is clean air and clean water for the Pocono parks. Mackenzie said tourism is something to embrace and promoted it as a member of the state house. Dellicker said there's no place he'd rather be than the Pa.7th, and people should know how wonderful and diverse it is.
How would You Improve Public Transit, especially for Seniors? - Mackenzie said his top priority would be ensuring that social security and Medicare is protected. "We should not be taking those benefits away from them," he noted. Dellicker observed that public transportation is a "real challenge" for seniors in rural areas like Carbin County. But he stressed that runaway inflation is impacting seniors even more. He will cut spending to get inflation under control. Montero believes in limited government, "but the one thing we should do well is infrastructure. That means transportation and good roads.
How Will You Help Veterans Avoid Homelessness and Ensure them a Good Quality of Life? - Dellicker started by pointing out that he spent 28 years in the military. He and his wife actually wrote as book (20% Soldiers) about the reserve component of the military. He vowed to "tackle those issues" for "people who served our country so nobly." Montero has spent three years with a nonprofit whose goal is reducing homelessness. She complained we have spent $100 million in Ukraine, but she wants to spend that money here. MacKenzie stressed that veterans served us when on active duty so the government should serve them with things like special office hours. He also authored the "Start Up For Soldiers" program to help vets start businesses.
Are Women's Rights Under Attack? - Montero pointed out that she's the only candidate who was ever pregnant and who ever delivered a baby, she believes women's health rights are something Americans can ever ignore. "Women deserve to have real choice." She lamented that programs like Real Alternatives, which help women who want to choose life, are being cut. Mackenzie stated he has consistently voted pro life in the state house and to reduce the number of abortions performed in Pa. "It sounds like we're all in agreement," added Dellicker. He said it's a"crazy" to cut thiose programs and then divert the funds to abortion centers. "Thise are the sort of divisive issues we don't need right now ... ."
Top Priority if Elected? - "Building the wall and securing our border," responded Mackenzie. Dellicker wants to get on the Armed Services Committee and fix our military so we can have "true peace through strength." Montero's top prioority is to "secure our borders and protect Americans."
What Can You Do to Provide Quality Education? - Montero believes there should be more technical schools because "not everybody needs to go to college." She also wants to empower parents with a Parents' Bill of Rights, which was opposed by Susan Wild. Mackenzie believes the feral government should not be expected to solve "our education problems here at home." He does support and has voted for a Parents Bill of Rights on a state and local level. "I'll take it a step further," added Dellicker. "I don't think the federal government should be funding education at all."
How Will You Support Local Business? - MacKenzie has a three-pronged approach: reduce taxes; reduce and streamline regulations; and more workforce training. "If you don't run a small business, I don't think you can possibly understand the burdens that small businesses are under," added Dellicker. Montero agrees with cutting taxes and regulations, but added that the production of natural gas should be encouraged.
Will You Vote Independently or Along Party Lines? - Dellicker pledged independence "because I am not a career politician. ... I don't need to go to Congress to enhance my career or my livelihood." Montero would ask herself two questions before voting on an issue: is it constitutional; and is it in America's best interests? Mackenzie said government is controlled by a Uniparty and he has voted against his party on things like the gas tax.
Should There Be Age Limits on Those in Office? - Mackenzie opposes an "artificial age limit" on elected officials. Dellicker joked that he is the oldest of the three candidates and would fight any attempt to remove him from the ballot. Montero would support term limits as opposed to an age barrier.
Do You Support Gun Controls? - Dellicker dodged the question, saying only that he is a "law and order" candidate. He added he is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. Montero and Mackenzie dodged as well.
Susan Wild's Comment that Carbon County is Drinking the Trump Kool-Aid? "Susan Wild does not respect her constituents," observed Montero. MacKenzie would like to serve Wild kool-aid at her retirement party in November. "What she said is disrespectful to every person sitting in this room and every person watching at home." Dellicker cautioned it will take more than press stunts to defeat Wild. "Remember, she did this two years ago, too."
On Monday, I published complaints that GOP Congressional candidate Kevin Dellicker recently made about primary opponent Ryan Mackenzie. Below is Mackenzie's response:
If the race for Congress in PA-7 weren’t so serious, I would find Kevin Dellicker’s rant of an email last week to be completely laughable. But his statements are either misleading or intentionally deceptive.
There is no doubt that I have very real policy disagreements with Mr. Dellicker. As an American, I’m concerned by the positions he took during this campaign and his failed run for Congress in 2022.
Let’s start with Mr. Dellicker’s complaint about the endorsement I received from Americans For Prosperity (AFP). It seems Mr. Dellicker forgot that he sought AFP’s endorsement. Now that they rejected him, it appears he’s scorned and has chosen to attack AFP directly. Mr. Dellicker also did not mention that I have been endorsed by GOPAC, a conservative organization that has been supportive of President Trump.
The fact that AFP and GOPAC have both endorsed me and my proven, conservative record in the PA House shows I am the only candidate who can unite different factions of today’s Republican Party and am best situated to solidify the support of Republicans through the Primary and General Election.
Mr. Dellicker continued his rant by attacking me for being a dedicated public servant without a military background. It’s a disingenuous attack for him to make for two reasons.
First, let’s look at Mr. Dellicker’s own words from his book: “Don’t get me wrong. There are plenty of great ways to serve your country besides the armed forces… I have no patience for misguided veterans who disparage, disrespect, or denigrate non-veterans just because they never wore the uniform.” This is evidence of an astonishing show of hypocrisy on his part because disparaging, disrespecting, and denigrating my proven and effective service as a conservative State Representative is exactly what Mr. Dellicker is doing.
Second, let’s look at Mr. Dellicker’s record:
Dellicker is on his 3rd attempt at getting into elected office since 2014
Dellicker spent the first 9 years of his career in government as a staff member to liberal Republicans in New York and Pennsylvania
Dellicker claims to be an outsider, but he served as the “Chief Economic Policy Advisor” to the Ridge Administration in Harrisburg that gave the teachers’ union a 25% pension increase, costing taxpayers billions of dollars and driving school property taxes through the roof
For the last 19 years, Dellicker’s consulting business has generated revenue from taxpayer-funded contracts from school districts and local governments (as per his own candidate financial disclosure) - making him a career government contractor personally profiting off taxpayers
In contrast, as a representative elected by my neighbors, I have never voted for a tax increase. I also stood up to my own party to vote no to a gas tax increase, passed important legislation to address illegal immigration, voted for election security measures like Voter ID, and - yes - reformed the pension system that Dellicker broke. Clearly, my neighbors vote based on the belief that what someone does while working on their behalf is what’s most important. On this front, Mr. Dellicker’s record can only be called a failure.
Finally, I take deep offense to Mr. Dellicker twisting my significant differences with him over foreign policy into somehow saying that I am disparaging veterans. I respect the contributions of our veterans and military service members - like my father and grandfather - and Mr. Dellicker. That is why I have a record of supporting veterans’ issues as a legislator, holding special “veterans services hours” in my offices, and authoring the law that created “Startups for Soldiers” - a successful program that has helped thousands of veterans across Pennsylvania as they start new businesses here in the state.
What are our differences on foreign policy? I am opposed to launching new forever wars. I support America First policy positions. By contrast, Mr. Dellicker routinely promotes new U.S. military engagements as a reaction to simmering tensions around the world. In the case of additional funding for the war in Ukraine, Mr. Dellicker has said, repeatedly and on-the-record, that he is supportive, while I am opposed.
Yesterday, I commended Lehigh Valley Congress person Susan Wild for her support of legislation that will extend the Affordable Connectivity Program, which gives a $30/month reduction in the cost of internet service to 23 million American households. Because this program is set to expire in a matter of about two months, an extension would have to be in place long before November's election. For that reason, I decided against asking Wild's Republican opponents for their take on this topic. Despite this, GOP Congressional hopeful Kevin Dellicker shared his views on both an ACP extension as well as our broadband infrastructure. Here's what he has to say:
Broadband is my business. I’ve been helping enterprise customers upgrade their broadband infrastructure for 20 years. Our typical project organizes large groups of buyers, puts their services out to bid, and then sources the most cost-effective solution from the best qualified providers. It maximizes private investment, encourages cooperation among buyers, drives competition among vendors, and puts the consumers in the driver’s seat. Our typical project results in a big service upgrade for the buyers, a more profitable investment for the providers, and better infrastructure for the entire community. If a public organization is involved, we often achieve big taxpayer savings on top of everything else.
Contrast that to the Broadband Infrastructure bill passed by President Biden and Susan Wild. Their program creates a bunch of grant programs around the country that will administer the broadband funds. State and local governments had to hire new people to manage the grant programs, and many of the new hires don’t know anything about the telecom industry. The grants are written to include all kinds of progressive priorities unrelated to broadband, such as environmental factors, labor union requirements, diversity, equity and inclusion plans, and the applications are extraordinarily complicated. Many of the established providers won’t go near them, so the program encourages unproven providers to jockey for the grants. The consumers don’t drive the process. Instead, the providers submit grants that are reviewed by the bureaucrats, who give the money to their chosen providers to build out the services. Often, the new providers with federal money get to compete against established providers who spent their own private capital to build out their own infrastructure. Nobody asks the consumers if they really want the services from the newly selected providers, but it doesn’t matter. The money is spent, and the politicians can claim that they’ve done something to improve broadband access.
This is why we are two years into the broadband infrastructure program and no broadband has been built. And its why even after the grants are delivered, people will be disappointed. Unfortunately, this same grant-based, bureaucrat-driven approach is being used for the CHIPS Act, the cybersecurity funding, and many of the other high-tech initiatives that Susan Wild and Joe Biden tout. Eventually, after tons of overhead and administrative costs, the remaining money goes to companies based on bureaucratic criteria, not to consumers based on market requirements. It’s all corporate welfare, and it’s doomed to failure.
Regarding the $7 billion in additional broadband spending, I won’t support that. Two questions for Susan Wild:
1) Is this really the most important thing that you think the federal government should be spending $7 billion on right now? I choose securing the border, replenishing our military weapons, and fighting fentanyl instead. Or maybe we can just not add to the deficit.
2) If we didn’t solve the broadband problem with the original $65 billion, why does anybody think another $7 billion will do the trick? The truth is, it won’t.
This broadband infrastructure bill is a perfect example of good intentions gone bad by ineffective politicians who know nothing about the industries they are trying to impact. Politicians like Susan Wild are doing more harm than good with this broadband infrastructure bill, and its only a matter of time that people start figuring it out.
Yesterday, I told you the GOP congressional candidate Ryan MacKenzie supports term limits for members of Congress (3 terms for Congressmen and two terms for Senators). I decided to ask his GOP rivals, Kevin Dellicker and Maria Montero. for their positions. At the suggestion of readers, I also asked the Susan Wild campaign.
Dellicker agrees with MacKenzie, adding that state officials should be term-limited as well. "I believe that we should have term limits for all Members of Congress and state elected officials too," he said. "I think our representatives should be citizen-legislators: people who live in the community, acquire real-world experience, serve for a few years, and then go back home to live and work under the laws they’ve enacted. That’s how our founders envisioned our government. And that’s what I’m running to do."
Montero agrees as well. "I have signed onto the U.S. Term Limits Pledge," she tells me. "Its backing is fairly bi-partisan, receiving nearly 80 percent support from across the political spectrum. This pledge highlights the importance of electing not career politicians, but a citizen legislature made up of individuals who understand the struggles of real people and who are committed to representing the values of the 7th Congressional District. If elected I will vote for a Constitutional Amendment to establish term limits in the U.S. Congress. I also support a ban on Members of Congress enriching themselves by trading stocks based on inside information and would vote for additional transparency in grant funding."
I have asked Congress member Sue Wild for her stance as well.
In November, Northampton County voters will decide on term limits for County Council, Controller and Executive. I was initially opposed to term limits for local officials, but was persuaded by readers.
State Rep. Ryan MacKenzie, one of three announced Republicans seeking Lehigh Valley's Congressional seat, has announced that he supports "term limits for elected officials as well as bureaucrats. I will also push to ban members of Congress from trading stocks based on their insider information and demand transparency in grant funding to expose their conflicts of interest."
To be specific, he's support term limits of three terms for Congressman and two terms for US Senators.
MacKenzie also said he would support a ban on insider trading by members of Congress, but that is already illegal. A more important question is whether he supports the Ban Stock Trading Act, which would bar all members of Congress and executive branch from holding or trading in individual stocks, even if they are placed in a so-called blind trust.
Finally, I'm unclear on his statement concerning transparency in grant funding and have asked for clarification.
I have also forwarded MacKenzie's statement to his rivals, Maria Montero and Kevin Dellicker, for any insights they may wish to share.
Last week, I told you that Allentown Attorney Maria Montero has filed the paperwork to run for U.S. Congress (Pa.-7) as the GOP candidate. Over the weekend, I learned that State Rep. Ryan MacKenzie will be huddling with advisors this week as he ponders dipping his toes in the Potomac River. I also learned that Kevin Dellicker, who was defeated by Lisa Scheller in the last GOP Congressional race, has been booked as a guest by radio host Bobby Gunther Walsh on Wednesday to discuss his plans. He is reportedly backed by developer David Jaindl.
If all three run, which seems increasingly likely, this should make it easier to elect Montero. She can be tagged as a carpetbagger, though she is from this area. She is the sole female.
It should also make it easier for Susan Wild, who can keep her powder dry while Republicans are forced to spend.
UPDATED 12:15 pm: Dellicker announces candidacy! - According to Lehigh Valley Archair, Kevin Dellicker has released a statement announcing his candidacy.
Dellicker's announcement:
"Today, I am announcing my candidacy for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th District.
"It's no secret that Washington is broken. While this level of dysfunction may boost TV ratings and fundraising, it hurts our families and communities. What Washington needs is less talking heads and more leaders who will roll up their sleeves and work to bring commonsense solutions that benefit our families and communities. My career as a small business owner, veteran, and military officer has given me the right experience, skillset, and leadership to represent our community and work toward real change and solutions.
"I’m not a professional politician. I’m not looking for a new career in Washington. I’m running to protect and expand the Republican majority, get the job done, and then return home to Germansville. I’m running because this is my home too. I was raised here and my wife Susan and I raised our boys here. We need a voice in Washington who is one of us and will represent all of us.
"I’m excited to connect with the remarkable individuals, families, and small businesses that make our region the great place that it is. I look forward to having real conversations on the issues that matter to us all: strong families, good jobs, and safe communities.”
