A Republican congressman in a vulnerable seat quietly overhauled his campaign website to scrub MAGA talking points, including a reference to “forever wars.”
Pennsylvania Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, 43, has been endorsed by President Donald Trump in his bid to keep his seat in the swing state’s 7th district, which he won by a razor-thin margin in 2024. But as the president’s agenda runs into roadblocks and becomes unpopular with voters ahead of the midterms, Mackenzie has reworked his campaign website.
Archived versions of Mackenzie’s site reviewed by the Daily Beast show that his list of “12 priorities to get America back on track” had been untouched since 2024, when he first ran for Congress after more than a decade as a state legislator.
Mackenzie vowed to support the military “with the resources they need to ensure peace throughout the world through American strength and by focusing on direct American interests rather than forever wars.”
The site also echoed MAGA talking points, including withholding funding from sanctuary cities, deporting illegal immigrants, and cracking down on birth tourism and “policies that encourage anchor babies.” Mackenzie voiced support for merit-based legal immigration that “rewards connections to America like speaking English.”
In May, however, Mackenzie’s list of promises was overhauled as Trump’s war with Iran dragged on into its third month and polls showed resounding disapproval of the administration’s hardline immigration agenda.
The updated webpage has wiped out mentions of the word “war,” instead vowing more broadly to “support veterans and servicemembers” by passing bipartisan legislation “to improve early intervention for those in distress and streamline Veterans Affairs customer service.”
The harsh language around border security has also been softened, now largely focusing on human trafficking and drug smuggling to improve public safety.
Arnaud Armstrong, a spokesman for Mackenzie’s campaign, said campaign websites are regularly updated with “the most recent, relevant information that voters are talking about—whether that is between campaigns or even over the course of a campaign.”
“The current website reflects some of congressman Mackenzie’s recent work, including on issues like reducing the cost of living, supporting veterans and first responders, and reforming Washington,” he said. “Mackenzie for Congress will continue to update its website, when appropriate, in order to provide voters with a clear understanding of the congressman’s work.”
Armstrong also underscored that Mackenzie has repeatedly spoken out against the conflict in Iran and expressed support for a negotiated settlement.
Mackenzie has been opposed to regime change and bombing in Iran since his 2024 campaign, calling them the “wrong solution” that would lead to “forever wars.” In March, after Trump launched attacks in the Middle East, Mackenzie told NOTUS that he had heard concerns from constituents about “getting embroiled in another forever war.”
But his voting record doesn’t line up with his statements on the war. Mackenzie has voted four times to uphold the conflict, even as it sent gas prices soaring amid an affordability crisis. A plane sponsored by the Battleground Alliance Action Fund previously flew over Allentown, Pennsylvania, carrying a message that read, “Mackenzie: Your Iran vote = sky high $$$ gas.”
Mackenzie’s voting record has, at least, paid off in Trumpworld. The 80-year-old president threw his weight behind Mackenzie during a rally in Macungie last week, though he was hardly convincing as he appeared to blank on the congressman’s name.
“We got to get a certain—we got to get a certain very talented, uhh, congressman reelected,” Trump said, blinking and pausing as if searching for the name.
“You know that we got to get him—where are you? Where are you, Mr. Congressman?” he continued, before finding Mackenzie seated just feet away from him. “We got to get you back in,” he added before moving on without identifying Mackenzie by name.
