Simmons drops out of Lehigh County executive race
Republican Justin Simmons has dropped out of the race for Lehigh County executive.
The former state representative was among three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the post in the May 20 primary.
The remaining two are Mike Welsh, a former Allentown School Board member, and Roger MacLean, a former Allentown police chief. The only Democrat in the primary is Josh Siegel, a state representative in the 22nd House District.
“I did file to withdraw today and am no longer a candidate for this race,” Simmons said in an email to Armchair Lehigh Valley on Thursday.
Simmons told Armchair Lehigh Valley that he initially decided to run for the four-year seat when he thought the Republican ballot for county executive would be blank. He was the first of the three to announce in February.
“Months ago, it looked like Josh Siegel was going to go uncontested for County Executive as no Republicans were interested in running for the position and I wanted to give voters a choice because Josh Siegel is a radical and not in the mainstream,” Simmons said.
Simmons said he felt having three Republicans on a ballot worked against the party’s chances to win in November.
“Quite simply, the situation has now changed and two Republicans are on the ballot. Three just makes it messier and easier for Siegel to win,” he said in his email.
Simmons said he felt he had support in running for the seat now held by Democrat Phil Armstrong, who is prevented by the county’s Home Rule Charter from seeking a third consecutive term.
“I knocked on a lot of doors and got over double the amount of signatures than necessary,” Simmons said. “People cannot afford a county tax increase right now. Josh Siegel will increase your county taxes. We must defeat Josh Siegel.” (In his campaign, Siegel has not called for raising taxes.)
Welsh, when contacted by Armchair Lehigh Valley, said he was shocked to hear of Simmons’ decision.
“I thank Justin for his willingness to be part of the conversation and his years of service in Pennsylvania as a state representative,” Welsh said.
He said Simmons’ decision makes for “an interesting race” between him and MacLean. “But it’s really about making sure that radical Josh Siegel is not representing the county in November.”
MacLean said he wishes Simmons the best. “It sounds like he gave it careful consideration and made a personal decision,” he said.
Siegel, when reached for comment, said he’s not worried about who ends up winning the GOP nomination.
“We’re making the case to voters of all parties that are alarmed by the dangerous, radical and extreme policies of the Trump MAGA majority in D.C. and rightfully upset with a broken political system that isn’t always responsive to people’s needs,” he said in a text message.
“Republicans can see the tide growing against them and their plans to cut Medicaid, SNAP and hurt our seniors and children,” he said.
“Now more than ever we need a new generation of local leadership that is committed to unifying our region around affordable housing, protecting our seniors, protecting open space and fighting back against the chaos in Washington,” Siegel said.
Simmons’ announcement to run for county executive marked his return to politics after announcing in 2019 that he would not seek reelection in 2020.
Simmons, 38, of Upper Saucon Township, was first elected to the 131st House District in November 2010 at age 23, defeating incumbent Republican Karen Beyer in the primary election. He subsequently won reelection.
His decision not to seek reelection came after he posted a video on his Facebook page in 2018 in response to media reports that, since taking office, he missed 28 roll call days where votes had been taken.
In the video, which he provided to Armchair Lehigh Valley, Simmons said that nearly a third of the missed days were due to his wedding and the birth of a daughter. Another 11 days were sick days for the flu and bronchitis or were excused absences.
He said he missed the remaining eight days so he could seek residential treatment for a flare-up of obsessive compulsive disorder, an infliction that he said he first experienced as a child. In the video, he explained the disorder and how it affected him personally.
The year he released the video, Simmons won reelection to the state House, defeating Democrat Andrew Lee with 52.8% of the vote.
Simmons’ campaign announcement said he has successfully overcome “the health issues that his previous opponents used as political fodder against him because he missed some time to seek treatment for his health.”
Simmons is a senior associate at Hawk Strategies, a business consulting firm in Somerville, N.J. He is a graduate of Southern Lehigh High School and St. Joseph’s University.