Steve Lynch among those from Northampton County seeking spot on Republican State Committee
Led effort last year to reverse mask requirements in schools
Steve Lynch, who last year called for “20 strong men” to attend school board meetings to force an end to mask requirements in schools, is seeking election to the Republican State Committee from Northampton County.
He was among 20 people from the county who filed candidate petitions with the Pennsylvania Department of State by Monday’s deadline.
In the May 17 primary, county Republican voters will elect seven people to serve on the state GOP committee. Democrats and Republicans in counties throughout the state will select their committee members in the primary.
Northampton County presently has six people who serve on the state committee. But the county delegation increased by one this year because of several factors, including higher Republican voter registration totals, said Lee Snover, who as Northampton County GOP chair oversaw the voter registration effort.
Snover is also seeking a spot on the state committee and said she will relinquish her duties as party chair.
She expects a few people to drop out of the race this week, resulting in a field of 16-18.
Lynch, who lives in Northampton Borough, was the Republican nominee for county executive in 2021, losing to Democratic incumbent Lamont McClure, who tallied 56% of the vote. Afterward Lynch questioned the validity of the vote in a Facebook post.
He earlier explained that his comments about bringing “20 strong men” to school board meetings was not intended as a threat.
Lynch said Tuesday he is running for the committee position “to make some real solid changes” in the GOP and “bring back the Republican Party to constitutional principles.”
Others from the county who filed to run for the state committee are Beverly Hernandez, Kristin Soldridge, Debra A. Biro, Matt Connolly, Joseph G. Moyer, Gerald L. Pritchard, Craig L. DeFranco, Margie Mandell, Matthew Flower, Katharina Morea, Annette Kuyan, Linda Gerenser Stubits, Richard Morea, Andrew Azan III, Melanie Heilman, Cindy O’Brien, Jimmy Zumba and John Brown.
Brown, DeFranco and Stubits presently represent the county on the state committee.