Pennsylvania
Meet new and familiar faces from throughout Pennsylvania region being sworn in to Congress
The new year brings a new Congress to Washington after the contentious 2024 elections.
Republicans will control the U.S. House, Senate and White House when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20. But the GOP captured a narrow lead in the Senate, and it holds on to one of the smallest House majorities since the Great Depression [219-215 with the resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz.]
Our area is seeing some new faces taking the oath of office in Washington, and some are changing titles.
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7)
A former State Representative since 2012, Ryan Mackenzie was one of two Republicans to flip Democratic-controlled House seats in Pennsylvania. Mackenzie narrowly ousted incumbent Democrat Susan Wild to represent parts of the Lehigh Valley, Carbon County and a small portion of Monroe County.
Republican Rob Bresnahan also defeated Democratic incumbent Matt Cartwright in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Mackenzie ran a campaign focused on the economy, inflation and border issues. He represents one of the most purple districts in the commonwealth, having topped Wild in the November election by a little over 4,000 votes.
Rep. Herb Conaway (D-NJ-3)
A longtime lawmaker, Herb Conaway has represented New Jersey’s 7th District in the state assembly since 1998, most recently serving as deputy speaker since 2022. Conaway won the Garden State’s 3rd District Congressional seat [vacated by Andy Kim who won one of the state’s Senate seats] with 53.2% of the vote in November.
According to his campaign website, Conaway holds a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College and a law degree from Rutgers Camden.
Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE)
Sarah McBride makes history, becoming the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress. A member of the Delaware State Senate since 2021, McBride won the First State’s only congressional seat with nearly 58% of the vote in November.
A Wilmington native, McBride worked in the Obama White House and later served as the national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign. Her priorities laid out in her campaign were expanding access to health care, tackling economic issues and ensuring access to reproductive healthcare.
But McBride’s initial reception in Congress has already been rocky, as transgender rights have become a flashpoint in several Republican-led states.
Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, proposed banning transgender people from U.S. Capitol bathrooms.
McBride brushed off the situation, saying in a statement, “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms.”
“This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn’t distracted me over the last several days, as I’ve remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January,” McBride wrote in a November post on X.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA)
Republicans were able to retake control of the U.S. Senate due to some key flipped seats, including Dave McCormick‘s win in Pennsylvania. The West Point graduate ousted longtime incumbent Democrat Bob Casey for his Senate seat in November, winning an extremely narrow election by just 0.2%.
It was McCormick’s second time running for a U.S. Senate seat in the commonwealth. McCormick lost to Mehmet Oz in the GOP Senate primary during the 2022 election, a race ultimately won by Democrat John Fetterman.
“The one message we heard over and over again was ‘we need change,’” said McCormick while declaring victory in the tight race in November. “We need leadership to get our economy back on track, to get this horrific inflation under control. We need leadership to secure the border, to stop this scourge of fentanyl.”
McCormick campaigned heavily with President-elect Trump in the key battleground state throughout the 2024 cycle. His campaign featured several top Trump priorities, including issues related to inflation, and securing the U.S.-Mexico border. As a veteran, McCormick, on his campaign site, says it’s also a priority for him to “restore America’s military might.”
Changing Roles
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ)
Andy Kim of New Jersey isn’t new to Washington, but he’ll be taking on a new role starting in 2025. The three-term congressman in November became the Garden State’s first Asian American senator. Kim will also be the first Korean American to serve in the U.S. Senate.
The former congressman will also be the first senator from South Jersey in 70-plus years.
Kim won the seat vacated by longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez following his conviction on federal corruption charges. The former congressman garnered 53.6% of the vote, topping Republican businessman Curtis Bashaw.
Kim ran on a platform of supporting small businesses and growing jobs, expanding access to health care, making raising a family more affordable and restoring faith in government following the Menendez indictment.
“It’s important to make sure we step in quickly and to be able to show that we are moving in a different direction, that this is a new era of politics in New Jersey,” Kim told CBS News Philadelphia in December.
The senator was sworn in early, on Dec. 9, after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appointed him to the seat following his election certification. He replaced George Helmy, who served for several months after Menendez resigned.
Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
Another local member of Congress is moving across the U.S. Capitol and is making history in the process.
Lisa Blunt Rochester, who held Delaware’s lone congressional seat since 2017, becomes the state’s first woman and first person of color elected to the U.S. Senate. Blunt Rochester defeated Republican Eric Hansen in November, garnering 56.6% of the vote.
She takes over for longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Carper who opted not to seek reelection.
Blunt Rochester’s campaign focused on health care reforms, economic issues and social equality. But the lawmaker has also put a focus on bipartisanship, and in her exit from the House, put out a call for legislators to work together to get things done.
“If we are to build a democracy, a planet, and a future that endures, it will take each and every one of us doing our part,” said Blunt Rochester in her farewell remarks on the U.S. House floor in December.
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Believe it or not, the pretzel capital of the world is not in Munich or Würzburg, but rather in the small Pennsylvania city of Reading. In the 1700s, German immigrants who moved to Pennsylvania brought with them a love of soft, lye-boiled, hand-twisted breads. These immigrants settled in areas like Lititz and Lancaster, where early bakers laid the foundation for large-scale commercial pretzel making.
According to the Berks History Center, Julius Sturgis opened a commercial pretzel bakery in Lititz, near Reading, in 1861, widely credited with being the first. However there are also reports that a man named Benjamin Lichtenthaler built the first such bakery in 1860, or that a baker named John Sauermilch set up shop even earlier, around 1846.
Regardless, what is certain is that the city attracted a host of pretzel makers, and by the late 19th century, dozens of bakeries operated across the city, producing everything from traditional twists to innovative pretzel sticks. According to a local history website, at one point, Reading was home to 26 different bakeries, which earned it the nickname “Pretzel City.” By the 1940s, Reading was responsible for producing one-third of all pretzels baked in the United States. According to a local tourism guide, Pennsylvania continues to dominate the pretzel industry today, with about 80% of U.S. pretzels made in the state.
Read more: Foods Anthony Bourdain Hated With A Passion
From pretzel twists to pretzel sticks
A bunch of salty pretzel sticks. – Bhofack2/Getty Images
Prior to ever reaching U.S. shores, pretzels were popular in western Europe as soft breads, with that characteristic twist. But once they reached the U.S. their form and texture began to shift. The Tom Sturgis company (operated by descendants of the original Julius Sturgis) states it produced the first crisp, hard pretzels in the U.S. While soft pretzels remain beloved, hard pretzels became the industry standard as they are easier to store and ship.
Other companies such as Unique Snacks, and Faller’s Pretzels established themselves in Reading and surrounding Berks County and similarly began experimenting with these hard pretzels. Faller’s Pretzels became known for thin crunchy pretzel sticks, cut to snacking size.
From pretzel twists dipped in chocolate or pretzel nuggets stuffed with peanut butter, Pennsylvania bakeries keep reinventing a centuries-old snack. Today’s pretzel aisles are filled with modern spins, like pretzel sandwich buns, and super light extra thins. And let’s not forget, the introduction of the butter pretzel — which adds shortening to the dough for a richer, more indulgent taste — is a distinctly modern twist on the original austere recipe.
Ways to enjoy your salty Reading treat
A handful of crunchy pretzel twists. – New Africa/Shutterstock
The enduring appeal of pretzels lies in their remarkable salty flexibility. If you’re seeking a traditional, hands-on experience, you can easily make soft pretzels at home, using a bit of lye to achieve that fresh chewy taste.
However if you want to enjoy the crunchy hard-baked Reading speciality, there are endless options. Try crushing hard pretzels for a salty pie crust that goes great with a creamy pumpkin cheese cake and delivers an unreal sweet-and-salty combo. Or crumble some pretzel sticks on top of a rich baked mac and cheese right before you put it in the oven for a crispy crust. Similarly add a fine layer of crushed pretzel dust to your next shepard’s pie for a crunchy finish. Of course, the simplest and perhaps most authentic way to enjoy this Pennsylvania specialty remains enjoying them in their purest form: straight from the bag as a perfectly portable and satisfying snack.
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Read the original article on Food Republic.
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