In 131st House District, new school board member faces freelance journalist in Democratic primary
Jay Santos and Meriam Sabih want to unseat incumbent Republican Milou Mackenzie
In the 131st state House District, Jay Santos is facing Meriam Sabih for the Democratic nomination in the April 23 primary election.
The seat is held by Republican Milou Mackenzie, who is seeking a third term in the House of Representatives. She is not facing a primary opponent.
Only Democrats and Republicans can vote in the primary for candidates in their respective parties.
Santos, 32, who lives in Lower Saucon Township with his fiancée, stepson and a 9-month-old, is a technical solutions engineer who was among four Democrats who ousted four incumbent Republicans in the Saucon Valley School Board race in November. He said he believed any mixed feelings he might have about leaving the school board for state office would be offset by the opportunity to advocate for public education at that level.
In running for state office, Santos said he wants to “get back to normal” and bring “excellence back to Pennsylvania’s political environment.” He wants to continue the work he has done on the school board on the state level.
Sabih, 44, of Upper Saucon Township, is a freelance journalist who is active in local Democratic politics. She has lived in the Lehigh Valley for two decades.
“I believe strongly in protecting our values and believe we all need to do our part in any way we can and cannot just sit back as our rights are being attacked,” she said.
Both candidates believe that Mackenzie is not the right person to represent the 131st.
“We also need more pro-choice and pro-public education female candidates in office to protect women’s rights and our children’s futures,” Sabih said.
Santos expressed concern that Mackenzie and her son Ryan Mackenzie, who serves in the 187th District and is seeking the GOP nomination in the 7th Congressional District, are both House members.
Like most Republicans in Harrisburg, the two vote along party lines and, at times, have co-sponsored or sponsored the same piece of legislation.
“This type of stranglehold on our politics by one family is exactly what's been wrong with this country for decades,” Santos said.
Neither of the Democratic candidates thinks the other is qualified to be a state lawmaker.
Sabih called Santos “a nice person” but said he “seems to be lacking the passion for democratic values that I am passionate about.”
About Sabih, Santos said, “I've met her on many occasions, and I think she's a nice person, but I'm not sure if she has the experience or background like I do to win this seat.”
State representatives serve two-year terms and will earn $106,422 this year.
The 131st straddles three counties. In Lehigh County it includes Lower Milford, Upper Milford and Upper Saucon townships and Coopersburg with part of Salisbury Township. In Montgomery County, it covers Marlborough, Salford and Upper Hanover townships and East Greenville, Green Lane, Pennsburg and Red Hill. In Northampton County, it includes parts of Lower Saucon Township.
Information is based on interviews, campaign websites, Facebook pages, Linkedin sites and other online sources.
Meriam Sabih
Sabih is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants who was born in Queens and raised primarily in New Jersey by parents who worked in New York City. She said her grandparents, and her father as a young boy, lived through the Pakistan-India partition and “escaped unbelievable horrors.”
She has a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in political science from Lehigh University.
Sabih is a freelance journalist who has written about the Middle East. According to her Linkedin account, her articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Al Jazeera, and South Asia magazine.
She and her husband moved to Upper Saucon Township more than 15 years ago because of its “great public schools and beautiful green spaces.” They have three sons.
“I care very deeply about our democracy and freedoms we hold dear. I am so grateful to be born in the United States and I do not take our freedoms for granted,” she said. “Jan. 6 taught us that we cannot do that and that we need to elect public officials that will protect our democracy and rights.”
Foray in politics
Sabih has been a longtime volunteer, committee precinct person, poll greeter, community organizer, canvasser and outreach coordinator for the Southern Lehigh Democrats.
She said she was not planning to run “right now” but felt the 131st needed a strong candidate to challenge Mackenzie. She also feels more women need to be in elected office.
“Politics has for too long been dominated by men and we need more women to contest in elections. We also want to work together to build momentum and flip this seat blue,” she said.
Sabih has been endorsed by the Montgomery County Democratic Committee and Planned Parenthood. Lehigh Valley for All, a progressive grassroots group, gave Sabih a three-star rating, the highest.
Issues
Sabih said she has researched the issues at hand in this election, using her skills as a journalist.
“I am committed to responding to these challenges with meaningful action,” she said. “From promoting education and good governance to creating policies that support women's rights and diversity, my focus is on helping Pennsylvania thrive as a state that works for everyone.”
Sabih said she will defend democracy and freedom and speak up to election deniers. She considers herself an “unwavering supporter of rights and freedoms” who can strengthen public education, protect the environment and support smart growth for the Lehigh Valley.
Abortion
Sabih said the majority of people she has met going door-to-door told her they “want to see a Democratic pro-choice woman on the ballot against Milou Mackenzie.”
Sabih said she supports the protection of women's reproductive rights in Pennsylvania, which includes ensuring that all women can safely access the care they need.
Digital safety
As a mother, Sabih would like to know that children are safe online and says the government has a responsibility to keep children safe.
“We have to be careful of what we are bringing into our homes and careful of the access social media and other apps may have on us and our families and neighbors,” Sabih said.
Elections
Sabih said she is “deeply grateful to be born in the United States of America, a country that is known around the world for democracy and freedom.”
“Yet today there are election deniers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. We must elect people in public office who respect those American values. I will be an unwavering supporter of those rights because I know what it means for those around the world who do not have them,” she said.
Environment
Sabih supports smart-growth policies that protect the environment while fostering a strong local economy.
“My mother who has never smoked was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. We do not yet know all the consequences that pollution has but we know it is affecting us and our world in far too many ways,” she said. “I am committed to addressing climate change and preserving a cleaner world for our families both today and for generations to come. I believe in protecting our air, water, and greenspaces, and in promoting responsible stewardship of our natural resources.”
She said smart growth can attract businesses to the district while still respecting the environment and green spaces.
“My vision includes preserving our beautiful parks and recreational spaces, preserving our farmland, protecting the rights of all individuals to a clean and sustainable living environment, and keeping Pennsylvania beautiful,” she said.
Guns
Sabih said she would support an assault weapon ban and that elected officials have a responsibility to prevent gun violence, especially in schools.
Health care
Sabih would like to ensure that all people, including senior citizens, have access to quality health care, saying it is key to success in the personal and professional lives of Pennsylvanians.
“I am committed to increasing access to mental health services and preventative care,” Sabih said.
Infrastructure
Sabih would like to expand major roadways to ease congestion and increase funding to public transportation.
Education
Sabih listed poor school building conditions, outdated textbooks and disparities between school districts as situations throughout the state that put some students at a disadvantage. “I would support the initiative to increase school funding so students have the chance they deserve to succeed irrespective of where they reside,” she said.
Jayharon “Jay” Santos
Santos, 32, moved to Pennsylvania as a preschooler. His parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic in the early 1980s. He is a graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School.
After two years at Penn State Lehigh Valley, he became a paralegal at Dun & Bradstreet and then a litigation research analyst before moving to the department of defense division.
Santos now works as a technical solutions engineer for Coface, a French company involved in credit insurance, debt collection and information services.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Western Governors University, an online college.
Foray into politics
Santos said his desire to get involved dates to his childhood.
“Since I was around 7 years old I've wanted to help our community, I would give speeches to my family all dressed up in a suit, with no shoes, talking about helping all of the hungry children by providing them candy and clothes from my closet,” Santos said in a recent interview.
He has worked with the Northampton County Democratic Committee on their precinct committee.
In November, Santos was elected to the Saucon Valley School Board as part of a slate called Saucon School Board Choices for Change. The others were Democrats Bill Broun, Donald L. Carpenter III and Vivian Demko.
“I then ran for school board to bring change to a very stagnant board,” Santos said. “I've stressed our need for fiscal responsibility.”
In running for state office, Santos said he wants to continue the work he has done on the school board on the state level.
“I want to effectuate this – and more change – at a higher level for more people. I'm bringing a whole host of experience and background and I want to use it to protect our citizens from unfair decisions like a massive tax hike,” Santos said. “I believe in evolution, not revolution. We should start where we are, and work with what we have, keeping Pennsylvanians first.”
Lehigh Valley for All, a progressive grassroots group, gave Santos a two-star rating with three being the highest.
Issues
According to his campaign website, Santos wants to propose policies to ensure affordable health care for all, including expanding Medicaid and lowering prescription drug costs. He believes in economic initiatives that focus on job creation, workforce development, and support for small businesses. He also advocates for renewable energy investment and conservation efforts to combat climate change and protect our natural resources.
“My life goal is to restore hope through hard work and ingenuity, to restore the American dream like my generation was promised, and to have a torch to pass to future generations so we can honor our former generations.”
Abortion
Santos supports a “pro-liberty, pro-freedom approach when creating laws.”
“I want more freedom in this country, not less. Also, I believe this issue is too narrow and this issue is truly women's rights,” Santos said. “I want to enfranchise more women and do more, like provide support for single mothers, like my own mother who raised me. I saw her struggle.”
Santos would introduce more state-sponsored child care, expand before- and after-school care programs, and ensure all children have access to nutritious meals for breakfast and lunch.
Santos wants to repeal parental consent laws and believes the right to abortion should be codified into the state constitution.
Digital safety and privacy
Santos’ team has drafted three bill proposals on digital safety, which are listed on his website. One is similar to California's data protection law.
“We want to prevent companies from selling our data, and by proxy or directly our children's data,” Santos said. “Our children deserve a safe and private online environment.”
He pledges to protect children from online threats and safeguard his constituents against surveillance.
Elections
Santos would like to increase voter confidence in elections and make voting easier.
“We need to make sure not to disenfranchise any citizen who wants to vote. We can't make voting harder, we need to make it more secure,” Santos said.
Environment
Santos considers himself an advocate for renewable energy investment and for conservation efforts that combat climate change and protect natural resources.
Health care
Santos proposes policies to ensure affordable health care for all, including expanding Medicaid and lowering prescription drug costs.
Education
As a local school board member, Santos said he is concerned about Mackenzie’s support of school vouchers. She is among the sponsors of House Bill 1432, which would create a school voucher program. The bill was referred to the House Education Committee last year, where it remains.
“We need to figure out a way to lower our taxes for public schools, but if we expand these voucher programs, that’s going to increase taxes for regular taxpayers,” Santos said.
He supports legislation to reform Pennsylvania's school funding system.
“This includes implementing a fair funding formula based on student needs, increasing overall funding for public education, addressing systemic inequities, and promoting transparency in funding decisions,” he said.
Guns
Santos wants to uphold the Second Amendment rights of Pennsylvanians while prioritizing safety.
“I'm a sensible American, and as a pro-liberty advocate deeply committed to safeguarding the rights of law-abiding citizens, I prioritize safety in the discourse surrounding guns, gun rights, and gun control,” he said. “Pennsylvania's rich tradition of hunting underscores the importance of respecting our citizens' freedoms while also prioritizing the safety of our communities.”
Santos believes issues like mental health care and facilities overlap with gun rights. He has written a draft bill that would allocate necessary funds to reopen and revitalize state mental health facilities, fostering an environment conducive to effective mental health care.
Pennsylvania operates six psychiatric hospitals, down from a high of more than 20 in the 1940s. Many closed and were demolished as trends favored an outpatient approach to treatment.
“[We need] robust measures in place to prevent gun violence and promote public safety. Enacting this bill would greatly help provide resources to identify and handle issues before they occur,” he said.
Santos supports universal background checks and said that “sensible gun policies strike the right balance between protecting our freedoms and promoting public safety.”
Transportation/Infrastructure
Santos’ website cites roads as “the veins that connect our neighborhoods, schools, and businesses.” He is proposing a "Homeless Employment and Infrastructure Repair Act,” which would provide training and job placement services to those seeking a path out of homelessness.
“This initiative is a testament to my commitment to practical, bipartisan solutions that directly impact our everyday lives,” he said.
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