Freeman faces first ever Democratic primary challenge in 136th
Easton council member Taiba Sultana wants to unseat the longtime lawmaker
Long-time state Rep. Robert Freeman for the first time will face a challenger in a Democratic primary for the 136th District from Easton City Council member Taiba Sultana.
This is not Sultana’s first time running in a primary against an entrenched incumbent. She unseated 20-year city council veteran Sandra Vulcano in 2021. This year’s primary will be April 23.
Sultana entered the state House race to build “a brighter future where all working people can thrive” and specifically because, as an immigrant and a first-generation college graduate, she “has experienced firsthand the inequalities that many residents in the 136th face daily,” according to her campaign announcement last week.
Those concerns are not that different from Freeman’s, as he said in his recent announcement, “I have dedicated myself to representing the needs and concerns of everyday people of Pennsylvania. My record is one of fighting for working families, senior citizens, consumers, and our environment.”
In an interview, Freeman named school funding and reform as a major issue he supports.
Both Sultana, 40, and Freeman, 67, have worked on education issues at the state level: Freeman through sponsoring and voting for legislation; Sultana as a member of Commonwealth Commission of Higher Education and the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.
Both candidates also support increasing affordable housing. Freeman is a proponent of Easton projects like The Mill at Easton and his proposed Lease to Purchase legislation to make homeownership more viable for working-class families. Sultana, who has experienced homelessness and once lived in public housing, serves on the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and as vice president of HOME, a new nonprofit formed in June to create affordable housing opportunities in Easton.
Freeman was first elected in 1982 and remained in the state House until an unsuccessful run for state Senate in 1994. Freeman returned to the House in 1998, serving consecutively since.
“I have a good track record and good experience, and I put that experience to work for the people of my district,” Freeman said in a recent interview.
“I have proven to be an effective legislator. My record, and my reputation, is well-received. I have always conducted myself with integrity and I have a good temperament. I represent the needs and aspirations of the everyday people of my district who don’t have some powerful monied lobby to look out for their interests.”
Sultana was born in Pakistan but emigrated to the United States as a teen. She has lived in Easton since 2010. She joined Easton City Council in 2022.
“Our democracy can only thrive if we have a true meritocracy, which is why I am proud to run as the first woman to seek this office. We need more women in the state House to ensure fair representation on women’s issues such as reproductive healthcare and decreasing infant mortality rates,” Sultana said.
“Our youth has lost trust in our government. There's a lack of civic engagement … We are still stuck on a $7.25 minimum wage, we are still marching for women's rights, we are still marching for black lives, we are still fighting for equitable school funding, and we are still struggling to provide a quality Medicare system for our elders. Now it is time for us to speak up and work towards fixing the issues that the community of the 136th face every day.”
Before entering politics, Freeman worked as a shop steward and was a union member with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Sultana worked as a substitute teacher in the Phillipsburg Area School District before running for public office.
Both candidates have local higher education. Freeman graduated from Easton Area High School and studied at Moravian University (history and political science) and on the graduate level, Lehigh (history). Sultana studied at Northampton Community College (political science) and then East Stroudsburg University (pre-law).
In July 2023, Sultana was arrested by Easton police on simple assault and harassment charges regarding a domestic situation. In a recent interview, she declined to comment on the current status of the case except to say that it was a family matter and that she loves her children dearly.
The 136th District includes Easton, Wilson, parts of Palmer Township, Williams Township, Glendon, West Easton, Freemansburg, Hellertown, and parts of Lower Saucon.