Thomas has early cash advantage over incumbent Emrick in 137th House District
Unchallenged in Tuesday’s primary, they will face each other in November
With the Nov. 5 General Election seven months away, the race in the state’s 137th House District is shaping up to be a repeat of 2022 where more than $1 million in cash and in-kind donations were spent.
Democrat Anna Thomas had $303,970 in the bank as of April 8, giving her an early cash advantage over incumbent Republican Joe Emrick, who had $105,897, according to campaign finance reports filed by their committees with the Department of State.
When Thomas faced Emrick in the 2022, she lost by 703 votes to the then six-term representative.
Emrick, long experienced in fundraising, had an early cash advantage in 2022, carrying over $179,895 from 2021 and raising $108,607 in monetary donations. His infusion of $371,379 worth of in-kind donations started flowing in September 2022.
The bulk of Thomas’ 2022 donations came at the tail end of the race – between Sept. 20 and Oct. 24 – when she raised $284,891 in cash and $308,738 in in-kind donations.
Her loss by 703 votes was a surprising outcome for a political newcomer – but one aided by redistricting that turned the 137th from a Republican stronghold to one where the two major parties are split.
This time around, having come that close to defeating Emrick, her campaign attracted early donors interested in seeing Democrats gain firmer control of the House of Representatives, where they now hold a 102-to-100 majority.
With neither candidate facing an opponent in the April 23 primary, their contributions can be devoted to the fall election.
The 137th includes the townships of Bethlehem, Lower Nazareth and Upper Nazareth, most of Palmer Township, the 5th Ward in Hanover Township, Northampton County, and the boroughs of Nazareth and Tatamy.
Here’s a look at the candidates and their funding for 2024:
Joe Emrick
The Committee to Elect Joe Emrick had $105,897 in cash on hand as of April 8, according to the latest campaign finance report.
Emrick carried over $107,918 from 2023 and raised $1,370 between Jan. 1 and April 8, giving him $109,288 in available funds. His largest 2024 contribution was $500 from First PAC.
He spent $3,391, including $2,841 paid to RGB Politics of Camp Hill. He listed no loans or in-kind contributions.
In 2023, he brought forward $65,034 from money raised in his 2022 race. He also raised $56,355 in cash last year and spent $13,470.
The bulk of his donations in 2023 – $55,275 – came from political action committees and political committees of elected officials.
Donors included $6,000 from Mid-Atlantic Laborers Political League, $5,000 from Guy Saxon of Easton, $2,500 from Faust Capobianco of Easton; $2,000 from Wind Creek in Bethlehem and $1,000 each from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals PAC, Committee to Re-elect Julie Harhart (former state representative from the 183rd District), Pa Futures Fund, John Yurconic of John Yurconic Insurance, and Charles Tuskes of Tuskes Homes.
Expenditures went to political consulting and fundraising and included a $1,000 donation to the campaign of state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who is seeking the GOP nomination in the 7th Congressional District on April 23.
Anna Thomas
The Friends of Anna Thomas campaign committee had $41,272 left over from her 2022 race. Since September, she raised $292,031 and spent $29,332 (mostly on fundraising activities), leaving a balance of $303,971, as of April 8, according to her committee’s campaign finance report.
Five political action committees, which support liberal and progressive causes, gave her a total of $110,000:
$10,000 from Climate Cabinet, San Francisco, which supports candidates who support initiatives to combat the effects of climate change.
$50,000 from Leaders We Deserve, Washington D.C., which describes itself as a grassroots organization working to elect young progressives to Congress and state legislatures. The PAC was co-founded by David Hogg, who was a high school student in Parkland, Fla., when a gunman killed 17 students and staff and wounded 17 others in 2018.
$20,000 from Represent PAC, Philadelphia, which supports pro-choice women candidates who are Democrats seeking office in the state Legislature.
$5,000 from The Next 50 PAC, of New York, which supports the next generation of political leadership by selecting 50 people every two years.
$25,000 from Impact PA.
The committee received $170,953 from individuals, with a large number of contributors living outside the Lehigh Valley.