Democratic Rep. Susan Wild (Pa.) admitted during a congressional debate Sunday that she failed to "think" before disparaging her conservative constituents. She also offered an unusual defense for sending an anti-Israel letter to a constituent asking her to support the Jewish state.
Republican representative Ryan Mackenzie brought up both issues during the debate to portray Wild as a "radical partisan" who wavers in her support for Israel.
Mackenzie, who narrowly trails Wild in the race, referred to a Washington Free Beacon report that found Wild sent dueling letters to two Jewish constituents—a mother and daughter—who sought her support for Israel. In one letter, Wild said, "Israel has a right to defend itself" and pledged to "do everything I can" to ensure Israel’s security. In the other letter, Wild struck an anti-Israel tone, accusing the Israeli government of "inflicting devastation" on civilians in Gaza.
"She was caught red-handed, taking both sides of a serious issue like this to her constituents. That kind of deception should not be allowed, and I think it’s reprehensible," Mackenzie said during the debate.
Wild addressed the accusation, though she didn't explain how an anti-Israel letter was sent to a pro-Israel constituent.
"We don’t have a one-size-fits-all letter that we send to all constituents on any given subject. We try to address the concerns that are actually being voiced in whatever communication that we get," Wild said.
Mackenzie used the location of the debate, Carbon County, to address how Wild disparaged voters in the Republican stronghold.
In 2022, Wild said she would have "to school" her conservative constituents, and in a leaked conference call earlier this year, she lamented that voters in Carbon County "drank the Trump Kool-Aid."
Wild apologized for the remarks and said she had failed to "think" before speaking.
"I’m glad my opponent brought up comments that I made about Carbon County because it gives me an opportunity again to apologize for them," said Wild. "I always taught my kids to think before they speak, and obviously, I need to take my own advice."
Wild touted her "actions" to support Carbon County. She said she opened an office there with a full-time congressional staffer.