Incumbent Zach Mako facing challenger in 183rd’s GOP primary
Zachari Halkias, a 22-year-old Slatington Council member, seeks to unseat the four-term lawmaker
In the 183rd House District race, four-term incumbent Republican Zachary Mako is facing a primary challenge on April 23 from Zachari Halkias, a 22-year-old member of Slatington Borough Council.
It’s Mako’s first primary challenge since 2018 when he defeated Cynthia Miller, a Lehigh Township supervisor, with nearly 73% of the vote.
Halkias was elected to Slatington Council at age 19 in 2021. He was the top vote getter among the three uncontested candidates for council.
Joseph Lenzi of Northampton is the only candidate seeking the Democratic nomination in the 183rd. Only Democrats and Republicans can vote in the primary for their respective party candidates.
The 183rd District is a Republican stronghold that crosses through northern Lehigh and Northampton counties, encompassing Slatington, Walnutport, Lowhill Township, North Whitehall Township, Lehigh Township, Moore Township, Allen Township, East Allen Township, Northampton and North Catasauqua.
State representatives serve for two-year terms. This year, they will earn $106,422.
Halkias sat down for an interview with Armchair Lehigh Valley in late February. He also responded in email to follow-up questions about his positions on key issues. Mako did not respond to repeated requests for an interview.
Zachari Halkias
Halkias is a third-generation resident of Slatington who graduated from Northern Lehigh High School in 2020 and studied business at Lehigh Carbon Community College.
He said he was inspired to get involved in local government after experiencing coronavirus policies, which included school closings and mandated masking, as a high school senior.
“Politics was the last field that I expected to get into, but I couldn’t see myself not getting involved when it became more about holding on to our normal way of life,” he said.
The next year, while a student at LCCC, he collected 100 signatures on a petition to end covid policies in effect at the time.
Halkias also became a member of the Lehigh County Republican Committee and won a seat on Slatington Council, capturing 440 votes.
In an interview on the American Grown podcast, he said he worked as a field organizer for the Pennsylvania GOP and canvassed for Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker in 2022.
During his time on council, Halkias said he helped pass legislation to assist the local police department in meeting the officer-to-population quota and end the community police shortage.
He said council is forming Beautification of Town and Economic Development committees to further the goals of beautifying the borough, maintaining and repairing local infrastructure, creating a more business-friendly environment and expanding the tax base to lower the individual tax burden.
Halkias said he’s running for the House of Representatives because he believes “the Lehigh Valley needs a legislator that focuses on the relevant issues affecting Pennsylvanians and who will stand firm for conservative values.”
He did not explicitly say why is taking on Mako, but mentioned his office was unresponsive when he “proposed a property tax incentive that would help solve the parking situation in [his] community.”
Halkias’ website said he created a proposal for consideration by state legislators for a property-tax incentive program that would help solve parking issues in Slatington and in similar Pennsylvania communities.
He defined himself as a “TRUE conservative for Pennsylvania.”
Calling the 2024 election “a turning point for Pennsylvania,” he has laid out a plan for a safer and more prosperous Pennsylvania.
Halkias is not required to file his first campaign finance report until April 12.
Issues
Elections
Halkias said he is running to “ensure we have a smooth election process” and opposes universal, no-excuse mail-in voting.
He said mail-in voting causes a large-scale concern to voter privacy and to the chain of custody of a voter's ballot. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, its SURE system tracks all mail-in ballots through barcodes, which electronically record when a ballot is sent to a voter and when it is received by a county election office. Voters who enroll in mail-in voting can sign up to receive emails on the status of their ballots, including when it is received by a county. The SURE system does not record votes.
Guns
Halkias said that he “would not support legislation that infringes on the second amendment or that restricts Pennsylvanians from being able to protect themselves, their family or their property.”
Abortion
On his website, Halkias said he wants to “protect the unborn and support pregnancy resource centers.” He declined to elaborate on where he stood on abortion access or whether he would support a ban of any timeframe. In Pennsylvania, abortions are not permitted after 24 weeks of gestation unless the mother’s life or health is in danger.
LGBTQIA+ issues
Halkias declined to provide a position on LGBTQIA+ issues.
Education
On his website, Halkias said he wants to “enhance education quality and transparency.” His website said he is pro-school choice, and pro-parental rights. He did not offer a position on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed overhaul of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or his proposal to make funding to public schools more equitable.
Taxes
On his website, Halkias said he wants to “reduce state taxes with responsible budgets” and “slash unnecessary taxes such as the gas tax and the inheritance tax.” The gas tax in Pennsylvania decreased from 61.1 cents per gallon in 2023 to 57.6 cents in 2024. The money goes to the Motor License Fund, which is used to fund repairs on roads and bridges. The state police also receive funds, though the amount of money the agency received was decreased last year. The inheritance tax contributes to Pennsylvania’s General Fund.
Inflation/economy
Halkias said he “will fight to cultivate a state economy that can offset the raging inflation that is forcing hard-working Pennsylvanians to downgrade their livelihoods.” He noted that it is difficult for younger generations to afford homes. He also said he “advocated for business friendly legislation” as a borough council member and understands the importance of protecting small businesses.
Zachary Mako
Mako, 35, of Lehigh Township graduated from Northampton Area High School in 2007. He joined the Pennsylvania National Guard in 2008 and became a Chinook helicopter pilot in 2011.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 for nine months. While in office, he was deployed to the Middle East in the fall of 2019, returning to Harrisburg the following September. He remains in the National Guard Reserve.
Mako told an appropriations committee panel that he joined the National Guard to be able to pay for Northampton Community College, where he graduated from in 2013. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University and a master’s degree in business administration and international affairs from Penn State University.
Mako is currently a member of the House Appropriations, Finance, Professional Licensure and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees. He is co-chair of the House Community College Caucus.
His website said he has stood up to the special interests in Harrisburg and supports eliminating property taxes.
Mako’s website lists him as being honest, a conservative and a patriot.
Foray into politics
On his website, Mako said he first ran for office in 2016 because he was “tired of career politicians looking out for themselves.” After defeating Miller in the primary, he took on Democrat Phil Armstrong, now the elected Lehigh County executive, winning the seat with nearly 58% of the vote.
In 2018, Mako bested Miller again in the primary then defeated Democrat Jason Ruff in the general election with nearly 57% of the vote. Unopposed in the 2020 primary, he defeated Ruff, then a Slatington Council member, again with 61% of the vote. Mako was unopposed in the 2022 general election.
Mako started the 2024 campaign season with $28,807 cash on hand, which was carried over from previous election cycles.
Issues
Mako did not respond to repeated interview requests for this story. His positions are taken from official statements, legislative votes, prior interviews and his campaign website.
Elections
Mako was not in Harrisburg when a bipartisan group of legislators passed 2019’s Act 77, which allowed no excuse, mail-in voting.
He was a part of the group of Republican Pennsylvania legislators who filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court expressing interest in a lawsuit Texas filed against Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin over changes to voting procedures in the 2020 presidential election. In Pennsylvania, the changes included extending the deadline to return mail-in ballots because of pandemic-related mail delays.
Mako met with Commonwealth Secretary Al Schmidt following issues with Northampton County voting machines in the 2023 November election. In response to the errors, which printed an incorrect ballot for voters splitting their answers on two state judicial retention questions, Mako co-sponsored an election package along with fellow Northampton County Republican Reps. Ann Flood and Joe Emrick. One bill would prohibit counties from purchasing — and the Department of State from certifying — the type of machines used in Northampton County, called “ballot marking.” Voters using a ballot marking machine make selections on a touchscreen and the machine prints a ballot for voters to review.
Other bills in the package would require counties to have enough emergency ballots on hand and provide private areas for those filling them out, if counties use ballot marking machines. The bills have not yet been brought to floor for a vote. On his official state representative Facebook page, he wrote that in response to the issues in Northampton County, there are “major concerns with the upcoming presidential election this year.”
Guns
Mako has voted for bills that would protect gun owners and against bills that would make it harder to obtain firearms. In 2021, he voted against a procedural vote on House Bill 770 which would have banned owning, selling or making high-capacity, semi-automatic weapons. The bill did not go to the Senate. He voted yes on Senate Bill 565 that would have allowed anyone to conceal-carry a weapon without a background check or permit. It passed the legislature but was vetoed by then-Gov. Wolf. Mako voted for House Bill 979 that would have restricted municipalities from regulating firearms and allow aggrieved parties to sue municipalities. It was also vetoed by Gov. Wolf. He voted against 2024’s House Bill 777, which would ban the purchase, sale and production of untraceable gun parts, so called ghost guns. It passed the House 104-97 on on March 27. It has not gone to the Senate.
Abortion
Mako has supported pro-life bills introduced in the House. In 2017, he voted for a bill that would have prohibited abortions after 20 weeks, which Gov. Wolf vetoed. In 2019, he voted for House Bill 321, which would prohibit an abortion because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The measure was vetoed by Wolf, reintroduced and then tabled in the Senate. In 2021, Mako voted yes on House Bill 118, which would have allowed parents to collect fetal remains of unborn children because of miscarriage, stillbirth or ectopic pregnancy. The bill passed the House but was tabled in the Senate. In 2022, he voted yes on a proposed constitutional amendment package that would state that “there is no constitutional right to a taxpayer-funded abortion or other right relating to abortion.” It would not have outright banned abortions. The amendment package became moot when Democrats took control of the House in 2023. Mako has attended the March for Life Pennsylvania in 2022 and 2023.
LGBTQIA+ issues
Mako voted against House Bill 300 in 2023, which would expand protections for LGBTQIA+ people. It would “amend the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender expression or identity,” according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. It passed the House 102-98 on May 2, 2023, but was not taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate.
He voted in favor of House Bill 972, which sought to ban transgender girls from female sports teams in public schools, colleges and universities. It passed the House 115-84 on April 12, 2022, and the Senate 30-20 on June 29, 2022. It was vetoed by Wolf.
Education
Mako voted in favor of House Bill 1332, which would require public school districts to publish on their websites the curriculum for each grade and subject area for parental review of lessons and textbooks. It passed the House 112-83 on Dec. 15, 2021, and the Senate 28-21 on Dec. 13, 2021. It was vetoed by Wolf.
In a recent press release, Mako said he opposed Gov. Shapiro’s proposed overhaul of the higher education system in Pennsylvania, which would combine community colleges and state universities into one system. Mako said the plan to merge community colleges and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education “makes no sense.” He said community colleges would not be able to adapt to “workforce development needs” if they were merged with state universities.
Mako did not specifically weigh in on Shapiro’s proposal to change the funding of K-12 public schools to make it more equitable.
Taxes
According to Mako’s campaign website, he wants to “eliminate property taxes” and “fight radical tax increases.”
In the current legislative session, he voted for House Bill 1100, which expanded the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program for renters and homeowners ages 65 and older, widows and widowers age 50 and older, and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The bill went into effect in 2024.
Mako co-sponsored a package to further decrease property taxes for seniors. House Bill 442 would expand the Property Tax Rent Rebate to $5,000 for seniors with an annual income of $60,000 or less. The current limits are $250 and for household incomes less than $35,000. The second bill, House Bill 443, would increase the Sales and Use Tax by one-half percent to pay for the rebates for eligible senior citizens. Neither has not been brought to the House floor for a vote.
Inflation/economy
Mako co-sponsored legislation to amend the Price Gouging Act of 2006, which permits price restrictions in times of disasters and emergencies. The bill, which has yet to be brought to the floor for votes, would limit the duration of pricing restrictions to 15 days (with extensions up to 60 days).
Taylor Swift
Mako voted no on HR282, recognizing the year of 2023 as the “Taylor Swift Era” in recognition of the Wyomissing-native’s selected as Time’s Person of the Year. The measure also acknowledged her impact on Pennsylvania’s economy through her Eras tour stops, the increase in voter registration, consumer protections and pro-labor practices.
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