Last year, Maria Montero thought and prayed for weeks about the prospect of running for Congress in 2024, but one person’s encouragement solidified her decision.
Lisa Scheller, the Republican nominee in 2020 and ’22 who lost narrowly to incumbent Susan Wild in Pennsylvania’s Seventh District, told her, “If I couldn’t do it, I think you can.” Scheller and Montero are friends.
“It’s because of just my absolute love and concern for the 7th Congressional District,” Montero, an Easton resident, said of her candidacy. “I have roots and ties so deep here that these are like, my family and my friends.”
Born in working-class Carbon County to a Peruvian father and Irish-Italian mother, Montero grew up in Carbon County and Allentown, and attended Marian Catholic High School in Tamaqua and DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township. She was executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women under former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, and is a personal injury attorney with HGSK law firm in Allentown.
On April 23, she will face state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and businessman Kevin Dellicker in the Republican primary for the chance to run against Wild in the November general election.
SAFE campaign
In a refrain that echoes Scheller’s on the campaign trail, Montero said she decided to mount a campaign this year because she fears the “American dream” is far out of reach for many because of inflation, high cost of living and a perceived increase in crime.
“I want to do everything possible to make sure, No. 1, that we could put food on the table and you know, No. 2, that it’s safe for our kids to go and play in the streets like it’s just a very, like, basic motivating factor.”
Election 2024: Get to know the Republicans running for Congress in the Lehigh Valley
Her campaign slogan is the acronym “SAFE”: safety, accountability, family finances and education. She has aimed to focus on “kitchen table” issues and for the most part, avoided weighing in on hyper-partisan topics like abortion and election conspiracies that some in the Republican Party have embraced.
Like her fellow candidates, Montero has criticized major Democratic spending bills and advocated for cutting back spending and addressing national debt in order to curb inflation.
She has called for stricter policies to curb an influx of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. She has been a proponent of oil and gas drilling in Pennsylvania, and sees the industry, despite criticism from climate activists on carbon emissions, as a job creator.
That is not to say she has avoided partisanship entirely, however: In a February debate, she said she endorsed presumed Republican nominee for president Donald Trump and said he had “led our country to a position of strength.”
Asked if she was concerned about Trump’s impact on the election, she said she hopes to find “common ground” with any voter who may be hesitant about him.
“Whether it’s Biden or Trump that people might find controversial, [to be] someone who is talking about everyday issues, like how much groceries are, and how much fuel costs is something that can unify us, that’s always been my goal,” Montero said. “I pride myself in finding common ground with people, and if people want to go hard right or if they want to go hard left, I am going to talk about the issues that most people care about.”
Women’s empowerment has also been a cornerstone of her campaign: She has touted her experience as the former executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women and co-founder of the Lehigh Valley’s Power of Women Networking initiative. She has advocated on the campaign trail for education, specifically trade and tech school programs.
But on the topic of abortion, which Democrats have seized on as a key issue to appeal to women, Montero has avoided describing herself as anti-abortion or favoring abortion rights. When asked about her views on the procedure, Montero said she is pro-“women having options,” and recounted her own experience of an unexpected pregnancy at 18, and receiving support from her family to raise the child.
“Every woman who has been pregnant, no man will understand like what it feels like …. that you’re pregnant and you’re not married,” Montero said. “I’m really concerned for women who are in similar situations to me in not having that access, because I don’t think your level of income should determine whether you can have your baby or not.”
She said that the Dobbs Supreme Court decision “empowers” state legislatures to make decisions on abortion, and she would not support a national ban on the procedure.
Capturing the Latino vote?
Montero is part of a slate of Republican Latino candidates gunning for a nomination in several swing districts throughout the country. These candidates, who also include Kevin Lincoln in California, John Quinones in Florida and Mayra Flores in Texas, all are vying to win over voters in diverse, competitive districts where their identities could be an advantage, Montero believes.
Polling shows that Latino voters were more likely to support Republican candidates in the 2022 midterms than they were in the 2018 midterms. Although the majority of those voters are still Democrats, the Democratic advantage is shrinking, which GOP strategists and candidates see as an opportunity. The Lehigh Valley has a high concentration of Latino voters: the voting age population in the 7th District is 16% Latino, the second highest among Pennsylvania congressional districts.
Republicans like Montero, a fluent Spanish speaker, hope that a sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo could push more Latino voters to the GOP.
“It’s the first time that someone who’s a member of the Latino community is stepping up to represent us at a congressional level,” Montero said. “Lehigh Valley Latinos are really determining, ‘All right, well, maybe I’m not a Republican or a Democrat. Maybe I’m just, like, want a better life for my country, better life for my kids.’ … I know that the Latino community feels as though they’re forgotten.”
She hopes her emphasis on issues like crime and safety, family economics and education will resonate with voters throughout the district, but the Latino community in particular.
Her pitch to voters during the Republican primary is simple: She sees herself as the best-equipped candidate to appeal to moderate voters.
“I’m tired of the Republican Party losing,” Montero said. “And I want to give us a real option. All of the people in the 7th Congressional District, this is our chance.”
