The Republican field for the 7th Congressional District nomination grew by one on Monday as Maria Montero officially announced her candidacy for the U.S. House position.

An Easton resident, Montero is an attorney and former Executive Director of both the Pennsylvania Commission for Women and the Pennsylvania Latino Commission.

“Never in my lifetime have I been more concerned about the direction of our country,” said Montero. “We need to right the ship and take action now to restore the American Dream not just for ourselves, but for future generations.”

The daughter of an immigrant and granddaughter of Carbon County Irish coal miners, Montero was born in Pennsylvania’s coal region. She was a co-founder of the Lehigh Valley’s Power of Women Networking Initiative and has lived or worked in every county in the 7^th Congressional District. Montero is on the board of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation as well as the board of directors of her alma mater at Marian Catholic High School.

During her announcement, she said her campaign would be built on four key cornerstones – Safety, Accountability, Family Finances, and Education (SAFE).

“We need to work to improve safety in our communities by cracking down on the brazen crime and flow of dangerous drugs like fentanyl across our porous borders,” said Montero. “Our elected officials need to be held accountable for amassing $33 trillion in national debt, a fiscal and budgetary nightmare that we are leaving for our children and grandchildren.

“We need to provide relief to families and seniors who are struggling to make ends meet due to rising inflation and a tax burden saddled on them by their own elected officials who refuse to tighten their own belts,” said Montero. “And I am committed to improving our educational system so that our young people are best prepared to pursue their chosen paths after high school, whether it be entering the workforce, learning a trade, or attending college.”

Montero received her undergraduate degree at Saint Joseph’s University and her law degree from the Widener School of Law. She previously worked as the editor of the now-defunct El Torero newspaper in Allentown and has served on DeSales University’s Board of Trustees for nearly a decade.

The 46-year-old mother of one joins a growing GOP field that includes Kevin Dellicker and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie that hopes to unseat Democratic incumbent Rep. Susan Wild.