In 131st, newcomer Sabih outraising, outspending incumbent Mackenzie
Democratic newcomer Meriam Sabih has been outraising and outspending incumbent Republican Milou Mackenzie by nearly twice as much in the 131st State House race, new campaign finance reports filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State show.
Sabih, 44, of Upper Saucon Township, raised $69,725 between May 14 and Oct. 21, according to a report filed by Friends of Meriam Sabih.
With money carried over from the spring, she had $100,429 at her disposal in her bid to unseat Mackenzie.
Sabih, a freelance journalist, local political volunteer and mother of three, spent $30,705 in that period, leaving her with $69,725 in the final stretch of the campaign.
Mackenzie, 73, of Lower Saucon, who is seeking her third term, brought in $37,779, according to a Friends of Milou Mackenzie report, which was due on Oct. 25. With money carried over from the spring, she had $51,828 to spend.
In 131st matchup, incumbent Republican faces Democratic newcomer
She listed $38,191 in expenditures but the bulk – $23,000 – went to the House Republican Campaign Committee in the form of a contribution. She ended the period with $13,636 in the bank.
The 131st is comprised of Lower Milford, Upper Milford and Upper Saucon townships and Coopersburg with part of Salisbury Township in Lehigh County; Marlborough, Salford and Upper Hanover townships and East Greenville, Green Lane, Pennsburg and Red Hill in Montgomery County; and part of Lower Saucon Township in Northampton County.
Republicans make up the majority of voters with 23,787 versus the Democrats’ 17,267. Independents and third party candidates make up 8,776 voters.
Here is a breakdown of the candidates’ campaign finance reports.
Meriam Sabih
Sabih had $30,454 left from her successful primary matchup against Jay Santos, a Saucon Valley School Board member. She raised an additional $69,975 from May 14 to Oct. 21. She received $7,210 in in-kind contributions from the House Democratic Campaign Committee in the form of staffing. She spent $30,705 and had $69,725 left over.
Individual contributors included Umar Farooq of Bensalem, $2,500; Shaheen Sabih of New Jersey, $2,500; Steve Poses of Philadelphia, $2,500; Tomas Torres of Houston, $2,500; Shakil Syed of Center Valley, $1,500; state Rep. Mike Schlossberg (D-132) as an individual, $750; Roberta Barnes of Center Valley, $500, and Dr. Areesha Ahmed of Orefield, $300.
Political committee contributions include Represent PAC, which supports pro-choice female candidates, $10,000; Planned Parenthood, Camp Hill, $200; Change PA, $1,000; Friends of [state Rep.] Joshua Siegel (D-22), $500; IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund, $2,500; Friends of [state Rep.] Napoleon Nelson (D-154), $1,500; and Montgomery County Democratic Committee, $2,500.
Sabih’s biggest expenditures went to Change Research ($7,500) and Berlin Rosen ($3,904) for consulting and Lehigh Valley Print Center ($13,168).
Sabih loaned her campaign $5,000 in the spring, which was listed on her latest report as being unpaid.
Milou Mackenzie
Mackenzie’s report lists a reporting period of Sept. 17 to Oct. 21. However, contributions and expenses listed in the new report began after the post-primary report, which was due on May 13.
Mackenzie started 2024 with $20,130 already in the bank. Unopposed in the primary, she spent $6,582 in the spring, leaving her with $14,048 as of May 14.
She raised $37,779 with most of that – $26,799 – coming from political committees. Among those committees, Mackenzie received $10,000 from Friends of [state Rep.] Bryan Cutler (R-100); $2,500 from the Pa Future Fund; $2,000 from the PAC for Wind Creek Bethlehem, the casino resort located in Mackenzie’s district, and $1,800 from the PA Realtors PAC.
Individual contributors included Laurence and Susan Karper of Zionsville, each of whom gave $1,000; Joe Uliana, a former state lawmaker from Bethlehem, $750; Joe Vichot, chair of the Lehigh County Republican Committee, $200; Charles Mackenzie, a former party chair in Lehigh and Milou Mackenzie’s ex-husband, $200; Curtis “Hank” Barnette, chairman emeritus of Bethlehem Steel Corp., $250, and Jennifer Mann, a former Democratic state representative in Allentown, $300.
Mackenzie received $829 from Citizens for Mackenzie, the state campaign finance committee for her son State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (187th), who is running against Democrat incumbent Susan Wild in the 7th Congressional District race.
Mackenzie’s biggest expenditure came in the form of a $23,000 contribution to the House Republican Campaign Committee. Incumbent lawmakers often contribute to their party’s state campaign committee. Mackenzie’s amounted to more than half of her $38,191 in expenditures. Other expenses included $6,000 to Matthew Szuchyt of Door Knocking Consulting.
The report listed $25,100 in loans to her campaign from her first run for state representative in 2020. That includes a $20,100 loan from herself and a $5,000 loan from her husband Kevin Brown.