Bob was raised primarily by a single mom who worked as a bartender to keep food on the table. By the time he turned 30, Bob had already held more jobs than most people do in a lifetime: dishwasher, short-order cook, bartender, landscaper, warehouse worker, pizza delivery driver, and more. He moved to Pennsylvania more than 30 years ago and never looked back.

Meet Bob | Bob Brooks for Congress

For over two decades, Bob has coached youth and varsity baseball at Nazareth Area High School.

Bob lives in Nazareth with his wife, Jen, with whom he has a family of four children – Keith (a volunteer firefighter himself), Austin, Hunter, and Mason – and is a proud grandpa to two granddaughters, Elliana and Lucy. Bob and Jen raise a bulldog named Aspen.

Bob Brooks moved to Pennsylvania more than 30 years ago. He has coached youth and varsity baseball at Nazareth Area High School for over two decades. He lives in Nazareth with his wife, Jen, and their four children, and has two granddaughters.

Always Hustling

Bob also runs Brooks Lawn Care, a small family-operated snow removal and lawn care business he started in 2013. Whether plowing driveways at 4 a.m. or mowing lawns after a firefighting shift, Bob has never stopped hustling to provide for his family.

Bob spent 20 years as a firefighter in the City of Bethlehem. He’s held nearly every position on the truck and every post in his union. As the union President of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, Bob took on the politicians for higher wages, better healthcare, and benefits for all workers.

Bob Brooks runs Brooks Lawn Care, a family-operated snow removal and lawn care business. He previously spent 20 years as a firefighter with the City of Bethlehem.

Bob Brooks (Pennsylvania) - Ballotpedia

Bob is a first-time candidate for political office.

2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

Cut the cost of childcare.

I’m lucky to spend time with my granddaughters and help out when I can. But not everyone has a grandpa nearby to pitch in. Families in the Lehigh Valley are struggling to find affordable, quality childcare, and that shouldn’t be the case.

Far too many working class Americans struggle to provide their children with care until they’re old enough to be enrolled in school. I support expanded childcare subsidies, restoring and expanding funding to Headstart, and providing universal kindergarten and pre-k.

On the Issues | Bob Brooks for Congress

Help young people afford college and trade schools.

I’ve seen too many kids bury themselves in student debt just to get a shot at a decent life. College shouldn’t leave you broke before you even start working. We need to bring down tuition and make sure financial aid works.

Trades matter too. I’ll fight to fund apprenticeships, vocational programs, and training that get young people into good-paying jobs in manufacturing, construction, and clean energy.

Help young people afford college and trade schools.

I’ve seen too many kids bury themselves in student debt just to get a shot at a decent life. College shouldn’t leave you broke before you even start working. We need to bring down tuition and make sure financial aid works.

Trades matter too. I’ll fight to fund apprenticeships, vocational programs, and training that get young people into good-paying jobs in manufacturing, construction, and clean energy. This is the kind of work that builds a real middle class.

Fund public schools.

Public schools and teachers are under constant attack by Republicans, scapegoating some of our most dedicated public servants and threatening their collective bargaining.

The federal government should step up and make sure every school in every corner of the district has the funding, staff, and support it needs so every kid gets a real education. And make no mistake: I will not support using federal money to hand vouchers to private schools while public schools are being starved. Our teachers deserve respect, our kids deserve opportunity, and I’ll fight for both.

Supports expanded child-care subsidies, increased Head Start funding, and universal kindergarten and pre-kindergarten.

Calls for lower college tuition and more effective financial aid.

Plans to fund apprenticeships, vocational programs, and job training in manufacturing, construction, and clean energy.

Opposes using federal funds for private-school vouchers while public schools lack adequate funding.

- Supports expanded child-care subsidies, increased Head Start funding, and universal kindergarten and pre-kindergarten.
- Calls for lower college tuition and more effective financial aid.
- Plans to fund apprenticeships, vocational programs, and job training in manufacturing, construction, and clean energy.
- Opposes using federal funds for private-school vouchers while public schools lack adequate funding.

Education

Protect social security and retirement benefits.

I’ll always defend Social Security and will sign on to the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act, which removes the cap on Social Security Payroll taxes and increases the net investment income tax by 1.2%. While Republicans gut American’s social safety net, I will work to protect the benefits tens of millions have worked hard to earn.

Make the rich pay their taxes.

We need to pass a billionaire minimum tax: a baseline tax rate the ultra-wealthy can’t dodge. In 2022, the 400 richest Americans paid an average federal tax rate of just 3.4% on their wealth, while ordinary workers paid 14% or more.

The 2017 Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act handed massive breaks to billionaires and big corporations, exploding the national debt and leaving working families to pick up the tab. Repealing those giveaways could raise over $1.5 trillion – enough to lower the debt, expand healthcare, and strengthen the safety net without raising taxes on working people.

Raise the minimum wage.

The last time we raised the minimum wage was 2006. We’ve fought three wars since then. We need to raise it, and tie it to inflation.

While CEOs rake in millions and pay wages that barely keep people alive, people like me have worked two or three jobs and still barely paid the bills. It’s time hard work actually pays and gives families a shot at not just existing, but living comfortably.

Strengthen unions.

I’ve seen it up close – unions are what built the middle class. They fought for fair pay, safe jobs, good benefits, weekends, overtime pay, and the 40-hour workweek.

I’ll make it easier to join a union by passing the PRO Act, crack down on bosses who punish workers, and make sure every worker can fight for a better future. Strong unions mean strong communities.

Bring housing costs down in the Lehigh Valley.

The Lehigh Valley has the second most competitive housing market in the nation. We’ve seen housing prices skyrocket, and families are getting pushed out of the communities they grew up in.

We need to build more starter homes, crack down on corporate landlords and rent gouging, and expand programs that help first-time homebuyers get their start. And yes, sometimes cut rules and red tape that make it harder and more expensive to get homes built. I mentioned the HELPER Act earlier – it would be a game changer and help millions get low interest VA-style mortgages. I will be a day 1 cosponsor.

Everyday Goods: Enact strong price-gouging enforcement, antitrust action, and transparency rules to protect ordinary people. Companies are using their market power to raise prices even when their own costs haven’t increased. We can stop them.

Plans to support the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act, which removes the Social Security payroll-tax cap and increases the net investment income tax.

Calls for a minimum tax on billionaires that establishes a baseline rate for the ultra-wealthy.

Calls for raising the minimum wage and adjusting it for inflation.

Plans to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would make union organizing easier and address employer retaliation.

Calls for more starter homes, action to address rent gouging and corporate landlords, and expanded first-time homebuyer assistance.

Calls for stronger price-gouging enforcement, antitrust action, and corporate pricing-transparency rules.

- Plans to support the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act, which removes the Social Security payroll-tax cap and increases the net investment income tax.
- Calls for a minimum tax on billionaires that establishes a baseline rate for the ultra-wealthy.
- Calls for raising the minimum wage and adjusting it for inflation.
- Plans to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would make union organizing easier and address employer retaliation.
- Calls for more starter homes, action to address rent gouging and corporate landlords, and expanded first-time homebuyer assistance.
- Calls for stronger price-gouging enforcement, antitrust action, and corporate pricing-transparency rules.

Economy

Protect reproductive rights.

The government has no business telling people what to do with their own bodies. Period. Your healthcare, your reproductive choices, and your personal health is yours. Not Ryan Mackenzie’s, not anyone else’s.

We need to codify Roe v. Wade and pass legislation to overturn Trump abortion bans in red states. If you need care, everyone deserves the same access, the same protections, and the same rights.

End the affordability crisis.

The number one issue I hear from my neighbors and friends is how unaffordable life is. Frankly, it’s the reason I got into this race. Working people can’t keep up with groceries, electricity bills, rent, healthcare, childcare, you name it. Wages aren’t keeping pace, and too many are working harder than ever for too small a paycheck.

Healthcare: Restore the cuts to Medicaid and provide Medicare for All. In the richest country in the world, we can give people healthcare. Simple.

Because of this, I support Medicare for All. You shouldn’t have to run into a burning building to get healthcare from your government or wait until you turn 65.

I’ll also go to bat to bring down drug prices like insulin and beta-blockers, expand coverage, and make sure every town has the doctors and clinics people actually need. No more lining the pockets of insurance and drug company bosses. Healthcare should work for people.

Stop bullying LGBTQ people.

Republicans seem more interested in bullying kids than fixing real problems. I’ll always stand up for LGBTQ people by protecting anti-discrimination laws, defending marriage equality, and making sure everyone can live comfortably as themselves.

It’s not the business of the government to dictate who people love and how they live.

Calls for codifying Roe v. Wade and federal legislation to overturn state abortion bans.

Supports restoring Medicaid cuts and establishing Medicare for All.

Plans to lower prescription drug prices, expand coverage, and increase access to doctors and clinics.

Pledges to protect anti-discrimination laws and marriage equality for LGBTQ people.

- Believes in abortion access.
- Supports restoring Medicaid cuts and establishing Medicare for All.
- Plans to lower prescription drug prices, expand coverage, and increase access to doctors and clinics.
- Pledges to protect anti-discrimination laws and marriage equality for LGBTQ people.

Healthcare

End and expose government corruption.

Washington’s full of people rigging the system while working families get crushed:

Trump accepting a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar
Members of Congress day trading stocks while writing the rules
Cozy deals with big corporations
Firing inspectors general who are supposed to keep them honest

It’s all corruption. It’s the most corrupt administration in American history.

I’ll fight in Congress to hold people accountable, pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, ban members of Congress from trading stocks, and make sure our government is working for us.

Plans to pursue a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United and to ban members of Congress from trading stocks.

- Plans to pursue a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United and to ban members of Congress from trading stocks.

Voting & Elections

Secure the border and build a working immigration system.

In America, we don’t send masked men to kidnap people off the street and throw them into unmarked cars. It’s bullshit and un-American.

We need an immigration system that deters illegal entry and secures our border, while treating people humanely and give law-abiding folks a shot at earning citizenship.

Russia and China are real threats, and we need a plan to deal with those threats without dragging us into another endless war. That means supporting Ukraine and our NATO allies, paying attention to Asia, and rebuilding trust with the international community.

End the illegal war in Iran.

Ryan Mackenzie promised to end costly wars and bring down your costs. Then he did the opposite.

Five times, he had the chance to end the unauthorized war in Iran. Five times, he voted to keep it going. The result: gas and fertilizer prices spiking, inflation hitting a four-year high, and working families in the Lehigh Valley paying the price for a war that should’ve never been started.

I will always stand against pointless wars that cost American lives and hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.

Serve those who have served our country.

We should serve those who served us. I’ll work to make sure every veteran in the Lehigh Valley, Carbon County and across the country gets access to quality healthcare, mental health services, job training, and housing. I’ll also work to stop the disastrous mass firings at the VA and bring those people back.

Calls for border security and deterrence of unlawful entry alongside humane treatment and a path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants.

Supports Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, increased attention to Asia, and rebuilding international trust.

Opposes wars he describes as pointless and costly in American lives and taxpayer dollars.

Plans to expand veterans' access to healthcare, mental-health services, job training, and housing.

- Calls for border security and deterrence of unlawful entry alongside humane treatment and a path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants.
- Supports Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, increased attention to Asia, and rebuilding international trust.
- Opposes wars he describes as pointless and costly in American lives and taxpayer dollars.
- Plans to expand veterans' access to healthcare, mental-health services, job training, and housing.

Foreign Policy and Immigration

Protect local control over the data center industry.

The federal government should never take the power to decide where a data center gets built out of the hands of the residents who have to live near them. I oppose all legislation that hampers local control, like the ten-year ban on state AI regulation Ryan Mackenzie voted for in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Utility costs are already too high. The last thing we need are data centers raising our energy costs while an out-of-state corporation gets rich.

I'm grateful Governor Shapiro is taking steps like his recent executive order to protect regular Pennsylvanians and allow communities to veto data center proposals in their backyard. We must pass national legislation that makes these protections federal law, and in Congress, that is what I'll fight for.

Power the Lehigh Valley.

We need energy that works for working families, not just big oil companies. That means creating good-paying union jobs in clean energy, protecting our air and water, taking on the climate crisis, and investing in the industries of tomorrow. Pennsylvania can lead the way by building wind, solar, and power projects that put people to work.

But we need to be serious about capacity building. Nuclear power is clean, safe and underutilized. I’ll work to approve new nuclear and natural gas power plants while we build up renewables.

Fighting for Carbon County.

The issues facing Carbon County are not the same issues facing the Lehigh Valley. They’re distinct regions, and too many politicians forget that.

I’ll work to curb the growth of warehouses and support our local elected officials here who want to ensure these corporations give back to the communities they profit off and preserve our farmland. My part of Northampton is facing similar issues with these warehouses and data centers being built too close to homes and schools.

I’ll make sure to hold the EPA accountable and push for stricter federal oversight for pollution like sewage sludge and mine refuse. Ryan Mackenzie’s destruction of the Clean Air and Water Act is a betrayal of Carbon County residents and their history of dealing with pollution.

Opposes federal policies that limit local authority over data-center locations and calls for federal protections allowing communities to veto proposals.

Plans to approve new nuclear and natural-gas power plants while expanding renewable energy.

Plans to curb warehouse growth, preserve farmland, and support local officials seeking community benefits from warehouse corporations.

Plans to seek stricter federal oversight of pollution from sewage sludge and mine refuse.

- Opposes federal policies that limit local authority over data-center locations and calls for federal protections allowing communities to veto proposals.
- Plans to approve new nuclear and natural-gas power plants while expanding renewable energy.
- Plans to curb warehouse growth, preserve farmland, and support local officials seeking community benefits from warehouse corporations.
- Plans to seek stricter federal oversight of pollution from sewage sludge and mine refuse.

Energy & the Environment

End gun violence.

I’m a firefighter who owns guns and grew up around guns. I respect the Second Amendment. But guns are now the leading cause of death for American kids, and in 2024 there were 332 school shootings.

We need common-sense laws: universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, and enforcing waiting periods so dangerous people don’t get their hands on guns. This wouldn’t change things for responsible gun owners, but it would for kids who are afraid to go to school.

As a first responder, I know what it takes to keep people alive when the call comes in. In the Lehigh Valley and Carbon County, we’ve got growing communities, busy highways, aging infrastructure, and first responders stretched too thin. Public safety is about making sure our neighborhoods are safe, our families are looked after, and our firefighters, EMTs, and police have the resources to do the job.

It means roads and bridges that let ambulances and fire trucks get there fast. It means making sure firehouses, EMTs, and police have the training and equipment they need, and that communities trust the people sworn to protect them. It means investing in mental health and addiction services so our ERs and firehouses aren’t the only safety net. It means defending the collective bargaining right of first responders.

Calls for universal background checks, closing the gun-show loophole, and waiting periods for gun purchases.

Calls for training and equipment for firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and police, while strengthening community trust.

Calls for investment in mental-health and addiction services to reduce reliance on emergency rooms and firehouses.

- Calls for universal background checks, closing the gun-show loophole, and waiting periods for gun purchases.
- Calls for training and equipment for firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and police, while strengthening community trust.
- Calls for investment in mental-health and addiction services to reduce reliance on emergency rooms and firehouses.

Public Safety

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Bob Brooks

- Calls for a minimum tax on billionaires that establishes a baseline rate for the ultra-wealthy.
- Calls for raising the minimum wage and adjusting it for inflation.
- Plans to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would make union organizing easier and address employer retaliation.
- Calls for more starter homes, action to address rent gouging and corporate landlords, and expanded first-time homebuyer assistance.
- Calls for stronger price-gouging enforcement, antitrust action, and corporate pricing-transparency rules.

- Supports restoring Medicaid cuts and establishing Medicare for All.
- Plans to lower prescription drug prices, expand coverage, and increase access to doctors and clinics.
- Pledges to protect anti-discrimination laws and marriage equality for LGBTQ people.

Isaac Brickman

Buket Urgen

Ryan MacKenzie

- Your US Representative represents the interests of your district in the US House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Pennsylvania currently has 19 US Representatives.
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