BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. – A Green Party candidate who previously ran as a Republican has entered one of America's most contested midterm races, adding a wrinkle to the Lehigh Valley's congressional contest.
Andrew Tupone filed his nomination petition on Wednesday. If it stands, he'll face Republican Ryan Mackenzie and Democrat Bob Brooks in the November election for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.
Tupone, who ran as a Republican for magisterial district judge in 2015 and 2021, said he joined the Green Party this spring, drawn by its environmental policies on water conservancy and opposition to data centers, after growing disillusioned with both major parties.
"My platform is to get the corruption out of the politics and actually represent the people of the 7th District," Tupone said.
But Green Party leaders warned in a statement this month that a wave of candidates may be posing as party members across the state. The party hasn't endorsed any congressional candidates in Pennsylvania and has never heard from Tupone, spokesman Chris Robinson said.
"The Green Party did not coordinate with the chap in the 7th District," Robinson said. "I looked at his Facebook page, and he seems like he's a nice Republican."
A race at a tipping point
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District is among the most coveted political real estate in the nation, one of the last toss-up districts in America where both parties pour money in to eke out narrow majorities in Washington. Expect another nailbiter this November.
The district may genuinely hold the key to power in the U.S. House. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the cornerstone of President Donald Trump's domestic policy, passed its initial House vote by a single margin last May, with Mackenzie among the majority.
The Green Party has been a non-entity in the Lehigh Valley: 0.1% of registered voters in the district are Greens, and an email to the local Green committee bounced back undeliverable Wednesday.
But a third-party candidate wouldn't need to move the needle much. Mackenzie beat Democratic incumbent Susan Wild by just 4,062 votes, or 1 percentage point, in 2024.
By comparison, Tim Silfies, the last third-party congressional candidate to appear on a Lehigh Valley ballot, earned 8,011 votes, or 3 percent of the vote, in 2018.
Tupone said he tried running as a Democrat in February but dropped out because "the fix was in": Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had waded into the crowded primary to endorse Brooks, who won the May primary by a 20-point margin.
Carol Obando-Derstine, one of Brooks' primary opponents, and Celeste Alio, a Democratic campaign manager, confirmed Thursday that Tupone did try to gather signatures for the Democratic primary this year.
Tupone said many voters have been turned off by the Democratic Party's heavy-handed practices, and that when he knocks on doors, people's eyes light up on learning he isn't affiliated with either party.
"I'm in it to win it," Tupone said of the November election.
A 'faux' candidate?
Under Pennsylvania law, the Green Party doesn't have enough registered members to qualify for its own congressional primaries.
Third-party candidates can still make the November ballot by gathering enough signatures, a process that can let people with few or no ties to a party become its official candidate.
Robinson said Green Party leaders grew alarmed this summer watching this play out statewide, and issued a statement last week after learning an unknown outside group was paying people to circulate petitions for candidates.
"It is apparent that an effort to achieve ballot access in an un-transparent manner is underway and that some unendorsed candidates have chosen to appear as representing the Green Party. The GPPA is warning the electorate of the commonwealth and is disclosing this information it has discovered. We affirm our values including a people powered democracy which is free of dark money influence," the statement read.
No endorsed Green Party candidate is running in any Pennsylvania congressional race this year. Robinson called Tupone a "faux Green Party candidate" but did not accuse him of accepting dark money assistance.
Tupone denied coordinating with outside groups, paying any circulators or letting dark money organizations help fund his campaign. He said he isn't a spoiler and that he tried and failed to reach the official Green Party earlier this year.
"People are fed up with both parties, and over 9,000 voters want to see another option on the ballot, and I am proud to give them that option, a true independent progressive voice to represent all of the district," Tupone wrote in an email Thursday.
Tupone, who hasn't yet registered his campaign with the FEC, said the 9,000 figure refers to signatures submitted for his ballot petition ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline.
The Brooks campaign noted the Tupone campaign didn't begin gathering signatures until July 5.
Jenna Kaufman, Brooks' campaign manager, said that conservatives have already tried to interfere. A pop-up Super PAC called Lead Left spent $1.7 million in the Democratic primary. Campaign finance reports eventually showed Lead Left was actually funded by a dark money group associated with former Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
"They know they can't beat [Brooks] fair and square after voting to unleash higher prices on Lehigh Valley families," Kaufman said of Republicans. "Voters deserve to know who is paying for this effort and whether Ryan Mackenzie and his Republican backers are involved."
The Mackenzie campaign didn't address questions about outside interference. In a statement, campaign manager Andres Weller instead touted the congressman's constituent services and efforts to fund housing, first responders and healthcare.
"We look forward to highlighting this successful record against any and all other challengers in the race," Weller said.