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Susan Wild

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Susan Wild
Official portrait, 2019
Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byMichael Guest
Chair of the House Ethics Committee
In office
September 30, 2022 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byTed Deutch
Succeeded byMichael Guest
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 27, 2018
Preceded byCharlie Dent
Constituency15th district (2018–2019)
7th district (2019–present)
Personal details
Born
Susan Ellis

(1957-06-07) June 7, 1957 (age 67)
Wiesbaden Air Force Base, West Germany
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Russell Wild
​
​
(m. 1981; div. 2002)​

Kerry Acker
​
​
(m. 2003; died 2019)​
Children2
EducationAmerican University (BA)
George Washington University (JD)
WebsiteHouse website
Susan Wild's voice
Susan Wild speaks on legislation addressing mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recorded July 19, 2022.

Susan Wild (née Ellis; born June 7, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A Democrat, she is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. The district is in the heart of the Lehigh Valley, and includes Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and Bangor. Wild spent the last two months of 2018 as the member for Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district after Charlie Dent resigned in 2018. She also co-chairs the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force and is vice chair of both the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. Wild is the first woman to represent the Lehigh Valley in Congress.[1] Wild lost her re-election bid in 2024 to Republican Ryan Mackenzie.[2]

Early life

Wild is the daughter of Norman Leith and Susan Stimus Ellis.[3] Her mother was a journalist. Her father served in the United States Air Force during World War II and the Korean War. Wild was born at Wiesbaden Air Force Base, West Germany, while her father was stationed there. She also lived in France, California, New Mexico, and Washington, D.C.[4]

Early political career

Wild volunteered on Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign.[4] She graduated from American University in 1978.[5] She earned her Juris Doctor at George Washington University Law School in 1982.[6] She studied under John Banzhaf.[4] Wild became a partner at the law firm Gross McGinley in 1999.[7]

Wild ran for Lehigh County Commissioner in 2013, but lost.[8] She was appointed the first female solicitor of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in January 2015.[9] She served as Solicitor of Allentown starting on January 7, 2015, when she was confirmed by the Allentown City Council.[10]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018 general

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 7

On December 31, 2017, Wild resigned from office to pursue her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives to succeed retiring representative Charlie Dent (R) in 2018.[11] Dent's district had previously been the 15th, represented by seven-term Republican Charlie Dent. She won a six-candidate Democratic Party primary election with 33% of the vote, narrowly defeating Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, and faced Republican Lehigh County Commissioner Marty Nothstein in the November 6 general election.[12][13] She defeated Nothstein in the general election with 53.5% of the vote to Nothstein's 43.5%.[14][15]

2018 special

See also: 2018 Pennsylvania's 7th and 15th congressional district special elections § District 15

On the same day, Wild also ran in a separate special election for the balance of Dent's term; he had resigned in May after announcing the previous fall that he would not run for reelection.[16][17] On November 15, 2018, it was announced that Wild had won the 15th congressional district's special election, receiving 130,353 votes to Nothstein's 129,593 votes.[18][19]

There was a closer margin in the special election because that election was under the former 15th district, which had been thrown out by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in February 2018. The former 15th had stretched from the Lehigh Valley into heavily Republican territory between Lebanon and Harrisburg, by way of a tendril in Berks County. The new 7th district is a more compact district centered in the Lehigh Valley, and includes a sliver of the Poconos.[citation needed]

2020

See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 7

Wild ran for reelection to a second term. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary[20] and faced former Lehigh County Commissioner Lisa Scheller[21] in the general election. Wild defeated Scheller with 51.9% of the vote, less than was expected.[22]

2022

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 7

Following the 2020 census, Wild was redistricted into a more competitive congressional seat. She was criticized by some district residents when she said of her new district, "Carbon County has many attributes, but it is a county that—although it was once an Obama county—it since has become a Trump county. I'm not quite sure what was in their heads because the people of Carbon County are exactly the kind of people who should not be voting for a Donald Trump, but I guess I might have to school them on that a little bit. But most of all, it is a very rural county."[23]

In a rematch of the 2020 election, Wild narrowly defeated Scheller by 51% to 49%.[24]

2024

See also: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania § District 7

Wild ran for reelection in 2024. She lost to Republican State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.[25] Wild conceded the election at 10:00pm while it was still deemed "too close to call."[2]

Tenure

Wild speaking with press in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Wild (right) visiting Lehigh Heavy Forge with Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh

In 2021, Wild cosponsored a resolution to expel Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress, saying that Greene "advocated violence against our peers, the Speaker and our government".[26]

As of November 2022, Wild had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[27] In the 117th Congress, Wild voted with Speaker Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time.[28]

Elder policy

In 2020, Wild co-sponsored a bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act for five years with a 35% increase in funding. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law in March 2020.[29]

Firearms

In 2022, Wild voted for H.R. 1808: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022; this bill would ban, among other guns, AR-15s.[30][31]

Foreign affairs

Wild has been critical of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro for holding views she characterized as "far-right", "misogynistic", "homophobic" and "anti-immigrant". In March 2019, she and 29 other Democratic lawmakers wrote U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a letter that read in part, "Since the election of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro as president, we have been particularly alarmed by the threat Bolsonaro's agenda poses to the LGBTQ+ community and other minority communities, women, labor activists, and political dissidents in Brazil. We are deeply concerned that, by targeting hard-won political and social rights, Bolsonaro is endangering Brazil's long-term democratic future."[32]

In 2023, Wild voted against H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[33][34]

In February 2023, Wild signed a letter advocating for President Biden to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.[35]

Healthcare

On January 31, 2023, Wild voted against H.R.497:Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill that would lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.[36][37]

On February 1, 2023, Wild voted against a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.[38][39]

Immigration

In 2019 Wild voted against allowing victims of crimes by illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities to report the incident to the Department of Homeland Security.[40]

On February 9, 2023, Wild voted against H.J.Res. 24: Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 which condemns the District of Columbia's plan that would allow illegal immigrants to vote in local elections.[41][42]

Impeachment of Donald Trump

On December 18, 2019, Wild voted for the first article of impeachment, "abuse of power", and the second article of impeachment, "obstruction of Congress", against President Donald Trump.[43]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

Democratic primary results (2018)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan Wild 15,001 33.3
Democratic John Morganelli 13,565 30.1
Democratic Greg Edwards 11,510 25.6
Democratic Roger Ruggles 2,443 5.4
Democratic Rick Daugherty 1,718 3.8
Democratic David Clark 766 1.7
Total votes 45,003 100.0
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan Wild 140,813 53.5
Republican Marty Nothstein 114,437 43.5
Libertarian Tim Silfies 8,011 3.0
Total votes 263,261 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
[52]
Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district, 2018 (special)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Susan Wild 130,353 48.54% +10.52%
Republican Marty Nothstein 129,594 48.26% −10.13%
Libertarian Tim Silfies 8,579 3.19% −0.40%
Total votes 268,526 100.0% N/A
Democratic gain from Republican
Democratic primary results (2020)
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan Wild 76,878 100
Total votes 76,878 100.0
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan Wild 195,713 51.9
Republican Lisa Scheller 181,569 48.1
Total votes 377,282 100.0
Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Susan Wild 151,364 51.0
Republican Lisa Scheller 145,527 49.0
Total votes 296,891 100.0

Personal life

Wild married Russell Wild in 1981. They divorced in 2003 after 22 years of marriage. They have two adult children. Following her divorce, Wild reunited with Kerry Acker, who remained her life partner until his death by suicide on May 25, 2019.[53] She lives in South Whitehall Township, located west of Allentown.[4] She is Jewish.[54]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Susan Wild wins PA-7; Lehigh Valley sending region's first woman to Congress". The Morning Call. November 7, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Weber, Lindsay; Pelekis, Andreas. "2024 Lehigh Valley Congress election results: Susan Wild concedes to Ryan Mackenzie". The Morning Call. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  3. ^ "Susan Stimus Ellis". Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d "Five things you probably don't know about the Lehigh Valley's first congresswoman – The Morning Call". Mcall.com. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  5. ^ Veitch, Abbie (February 21, 2018). "Alumna Susan Wild runs for Pennsylvania congressional seat". Theeagleonline.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  6. ^ Baskerville, Jessica (March 5, 2018). "Inspired by her classes, law school alumna runs for House seat – The GW Hatchet". Gwhatchet.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. ^ "Allentown solicitor plans congressional bid in 15th District – The Morning Call". Mcall.com. November 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  8. ^ "Susan Ellis Wild to serve as Allentown's next solicitor – The Morning Call". Mcall.com. November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Allentown solicitor plans congressional bid in 15th District – The Morning Call". Mcall.com. October 2, 2017. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  10. ^ Sieger, Edward (January 8, 2015). "Allentown City Council appoints new city solicitor". The Express-Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  11. ^ Opilo, Emily (November 22, 2017). "Allentown Solicitor Susan Wild resigning as congressional campaign heats up". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  12. ^ "How Susan Wild went from a relative unknown to PA-7 primary winner – The Morning Call". Mcall.com. May 16, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  13. ^ "Susan Wild claims Lehigh Valley's Democratic primary for Congress". lehighvalleylive.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  14. ^ Ellis, Niv (November 7, 2018). "Democrat Susan Wild wins House race in Pennsylvania". The Hill.
  15. ^ "Pennsylvania Election Results: Seventh House District – Election Results 2018 – The New York Times". The New York Times. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "Marty Nothstein leads in race to finish Charlie Dent's term – The Morning Call". Mcall.com. November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  17. ^ "15th District candidates set for special 2018 election". lehighvalleylive.com. July 31, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  18. ^ "Susan Wild wins special congressional election to finish Charlie Dent's term – The Morning Call". Mcall.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  19. ^ 69 News (June 23, 2016). "Susan Wild announces victory in 15th district special election". WFMZ. Retrieved November 18, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Boockvar, Kathy. "Pennsylvania Elections – Office Results | Representative in Congress". electionreturns.pa.gov. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  21. ^ Radzievich, Nicole; Olson, Laura (October 14, 2019). "Republican Lisa Scheller announces congressional bid for Lehigh Valley based district". The Morning Call. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  22. ^ "2020 Presidential Election - Representative in Congress". Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  23. ^ "Carbon reacts to Wild's remarks about Trump vote | Times News Online".
  24. ^ Hughes, Travis (November 9, 2022). "Pa. Election Results: Rep. Susan Wild Projected Winner vs. Lisa Scheller". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  25. ^ Cole, John. "Susan Wild raises three times as much as challenger Mackenzie in Q2". Penn Capitol Star. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  26. ^ "72 House Democrats Support Resolution to Expel GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene". CBS News. March 19, 2021.
  27. ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  28. ^ "Head to Head: Compare Voting Records".
  29. ^ "President Donald Trump signs bill from Lehigh Valley Rep. Susan Wild boosting funding for Meals on Wheels, other older adult services". The Morning Call. March 26, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  30. ^ "House passes assault-style weapons ban | CNN Politics". CNN. July 29, 2022.
  31. ^ "H.R. 1808: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 -- House Vote #410 -- Jul 29, 2022".
  32. ^ "Brazil's far-right president tweeted out a pornographic video to condemn Carnival". Vox. March 6, 2019.
  33. ^ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023".
  34. ^ "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". Associated Press. March 8, 2023.
  35. ^ "Seven more lawmakers — including six Democrats — have signed on to a letter pushing Joe Biden to send F-16 jets to Ukraine". Politico. February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  36. ^ "Seven Democrats join Republicans in vote to lift vaccine mandate for healthcare workers". January 31, 2023.
  37. ^ "On Passage - H.R.497: To eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on". August 12, 2015.
  38. ^ "House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency". February 2023.
  39. ^ "On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by". August 12, 2015.
  40. ^ "Here's how Lehigh Valley lawmakers voted this week in Congress".
  41. ^ "House votes to overturn D.C.'s illegal immigrant voting plan". The Washington Times.
  42. ^ "H.J.Res. 24: Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia … -- House Vote #118 -- Feb 9, 2023".
  43. ^ "Here's how the House voted on Trump's impeachment". Politico. December 18, 2019.
  44. ^ "About Climate Solutions Caucus". Climate Solutions Caucus. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  45. ^ "Leadership | New Democrat Coalition". newdemocratcoalition.house.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  46. ^ "Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus - Summary from LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  47. ^ "Members". LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  48. ^ "Congressional Ukrainian Caucus - Summary from LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  49. ^ "Caucus Members". Black Maternal Health Caucus. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  50. ^ a b "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Susan Wild. December 13, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  51. ^ "Members". August 19, 2021.
  52. ^ Olson, Laura (November 16, 2018). "Susan Wild wins special congressional election to finish Charlie Dent's term". mcall.com. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  53. ^ Kate Sullivan (June 27, 2019). "Rep. Susan Wild reveals partner's recent death was suicide | CNN Politics". CNN.
  54. ^ "Democrat Holds Slim Lead In Jew vs. Jew Race For Pennsylvania Swing Seat". Jewish Daily Forward. September 17, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Susan Wild.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district
2019–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Chair of the House Ethics Committee
2022–2023 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Mary Gay Scanlon
 United States representatives by seniority
222nd 		Succeeded by
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