138th: Incumbent Ann Flood faces political newcomer Eugene Hunter
A successful write-in campaign in May means voters will have a choice to make in the 138th state House district on Nov. 8.
Incumbent Republican Ann Flood of Moore Township is seeking a second term. She is facing Eugene Hunter of Forks Township, who won the Democratic nomination with 324 write-in votes, according to Northampton County election results.
The district leans Republican by 57%. It includes Bangor, Chapman, East Bangor, Pen Argyl, Portland, Roseto, Stockertown and Wind Gap and Bushkill, and Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Plainfield, Upper Mount Bethel and Washington townships, with parts of Moore Township.
Flood did not return phone calls for this post.
This is Hunter’s first try at elected office. He says he decided to run after learning the Democrats had no primary candidate. “I didn’t care for that at all,” said Hunter, 72.
“I hope I get elected so I can make things better for people in Pennsylvania,” said Hunter, not including some millionaires. “The will of the people is not being served.”
An environmental activist, Hunter’s top issue is citizens rights.
“In Pennsylvania, we have an amendment to the constitution that guarantees clean air, water and the preservation of scenic and beautiful places.”
However, he said it is not enforced because people are “in the pockets of big business.”
Flood’s June campaign finance report filed by Friends of Ann Flood showed a balance of $29,347. As of June, Hunter had not filed any campaign expense reports.
ANN FLOOD
Background
A Wind Gap native, Flood graduated from Pen Argyl Area High School and earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Moravian College. She and her husband, Daniel, have a son, Jake, and a daughter, Ella.
Flood is the founder of the nonprofit charity Lauren's Hope Foundation, which she started in 2008 in memory of her daughter, Lauren, who died at age 4 in 2007 as the result of a brain injury sustained at birth.
The charity raises money to help children with brain injuries and their families, providing services not covered by insurance. It has also enabled the purchase of therapeutic equipment to provide neonatal treatment at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
She is also president of the Greater Bath Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors and a member of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce board of governors.
Foray into politics
Flood won the 2020 election with 56% of the vote to represent the Northampton County district. She defeated Democrat Tara Zrinski, a Northampton County commissioner. Flood filled the seat vacated by state Rep. Marcia Hahn, who served in the House for 10 years.
Flood ran unopposed in the May primary.
Since taking office in 2021, Flood has served on the Aging & Older Adult Services, Children & Youth, Game & Fisheries and Human Services committees. She is chairman of the subcommittee on Care and Services of the Aging & Older Adult Services Committee and serves on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Children's Trust Fund, which supports community-based programs to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Issues
On her website, she says she is focused on protecting workers and enabling employers to sustain and grow their businesses in the wake of the Covid 19 epidemic. She says she is also focused on education funding for schools, colleges, trade programs and other schools and controlling the cost of health care while also expanding mental health services.
Voting: Flood supported the GOP's election reform bill that Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed in June 2021, saying it would make it more difficult for people to vote. The bill would have required voter identification at the polls, changed the voter registration deadline from 15 to 30 days before an election and created earlier deadlines for mail-in voting. A press release issued at the time quoted Flood saying, "We want to ensure elections are fair and the outcomes reflect the will of the people who legally cast their ballots. This has been one of the top issues for people I've talked with in our district since I took office." In April 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, a post on Flood’s Instagram account alerted voters to the ability to vote by mail.
Constitutional amendment: In July, Flood supported an amendment package that would have clearly stated that women have no guaranteed rights to abortion or public funding for abortion. The amendment would limit the ability to challenge laws restricting or outlawing abortions in the state.
The other amendments in the package would require voter ID, mandate the auditor general to audit elections, allow gubernatorial nominees to pick their running mates, and allow the Legislature to reject regulations, such as environmental rules, without facing governor vetoes.
According to The Associated Press, proposed amendments must pass both the House and Senate in a two-year legislative cycle, after which they must be advertised. The amendments must pass both chambers in the following two-year session before going to the voters.
Guns: Flood voted against allowing a floor vote on House Bill 770, which would ban semi-automatic weapons. She voted in favor of Senate Bill 565, which would allow anyone who wanted to carry concealed firearms to do so without going through a background check or having to get a permit. She voted yes to House Bill 979, which would restrict the ability of local municipalities from regulating firearms. None of the measures have become law.
Transgender sports: Flood also joined fellow Republicans in April in a vote to prohibit transgender girls from competing in girls' school sports. Wolf also vetoed that bill.
State budget: In July, she supported the bipartisan state budget bill that increased school funding by $850 million and the Rainy Day fund to $5 billion and saves $3.6 billion of the general fund surplus for the future. The budget also increased contributions to mental health services, infrastructure and property tax rebates for seniors and reduced the corporate net income tax.
"We are repaying our debts while at the same time reducing the Corporate Net Income Tax by reducing it from 9.99% to 8.99% next year. This will bring more business into Pennsylvania," she said in a press release published on her website.
Mask mandates: In September 2021, Flood opposed Gov. Wolf's plan to implement a statewide mask mandate for kindergarten through 12th-grade students, calling it "another example of overreach, with the governor in Harrisburg telling local officials how to run local schools."
Opioid abuse bill: Flood's bill to extend an opioid abuse program became law in September 2021. Instead of expiring June 30, 2022, the Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions program will now operate through Dec. 31, 2028. The program allows prescribers to access patients' prescription histories through an electronic system and identify signs of abuse or doctor and pharmacy shopping.
Drug/alcohol testing: A bill introduced by Flood to allow county agencies to seek a court order for drug or alcohol testing for parents or guardians under investigation for child abuse passed the House and sits with the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Girls wrestling: Flood also supports girls wrestling programs in schools, sending a letter signed by 70 other House and Senate members to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association asking it to sanction the sport. The PIAA, while supportive, has not sanctioned the sport because it requires 100 member schools to have teams, a rule not yet met.
EUGENE HUNTER
Background
Hunter came to the Lehigh Valley in 1972 from New Jersey, where he graduated from St. Peter’s Preparatory School in 1971, according to his Facebook profile. He earned an associate degree in electronics from Lincoln Technical School and was employed by Bethlehem Steel and M&M Mars, where he was the lead electronics technician before retiring. He and his wife have three children.
Activism
Hunter is on the steering committee of The Alliance for Sustainable Communities–Lehigh Valley, a nonprofit organization. According to its website, “The alliance is dedicated to working for community sustainability. This will involve holistic approaches to the environment, social justice, health, participatory democracy, and local economies.”
Hunter is the social action chairman for the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley in Bethlehem, which has arranged free meeting rooms for groups including Clean Water Action, Gas Truth, Occupy, Penn Environment and Transition Towns.
Abortion: Hunter believes in women's right to choose and said he does not support the GOP’s proposed constitutional amendment that would clearly state that women have no guaranteed rights to abortion or public funding of abortion. The amendment would not ban abortions in the state but would limit the ability to challenge laws restricting or outlawing them. He said late-term, or third trimester, abortions should only be allowed when needed to save women's lives.
Gun control: Hunter said residents should have to register all guns and any loopholes should be closed. He said he would support gun control legislation.
Voting: Hunter supports giving voters access to ballot drop boxes, saying citizens should be encouraged to vote. He says Pennsylvania residents should be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18. Hunter sees voter ID as a made-up issue by the GOP, noting that claims of widespread voter fraud have been unfounded.
Environment: According to the House Democratic Campaign Committee website, Hunter is a “fierce advocate for climate protection, green energy, and ensuring that our communities are safe for our children in the years to come.”
Other issues: Supports lower health care costs, lower tuition, and subsidizing college students, holding corporations responsible for prices they charge to prevent gouging and making warehouse owners responsible for state roads their trucks use to get to interstates.
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