Update: New campaign finance details in Lehigh Valley state House races
Editor’s note: Armchair Lehigh Valley provides an update based on campaign finance reports in state House contests that appeared on the Department of State’s website after our origional story was published April 19. Campaign finance reports can take a few days to appear in the state’s database even when filed on time.
House District 131
Meriam Sabih raised $30,111 in her race against Jay Santos for the Democratic nomination in the 131st House District, according to a campaign finance report filed by the Friends of Meriam Sabih report for the period of Jan. 1 to April 8.
Sabih, a freelance writer who is mounting her first run for office, spent $9,162 and had $662 in in-kind contributions. She listed zero debts and obligations. Sabih had $20,948 left over to mount a campaign against Republican incumbent Milou Mackenzie should she win on Tuesday. Among her large donors were Emgage PAC ($1,000), which describes itself as "the nation’s largest Muslim American bipartisan political action committee" that supports candidates with a vision of an inclusive and pluralistic America; Zaki Sabih of New Jersey ($1,100); Shaheen Sabih of New Jersey ($4,050 plus $662 in in-kind services for mailers); and Razi Sami Syed of Conneticut ($3,200). Meriam Sabih herself contributed $5,000. Her expenditures included fundraising events, yard signs, printing and photography.
House District 187
Republican Zachari Halkias raised $7,914 in his campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Zack Mako, according to the Team Halkias report filed for March 5 to April 8. He spent $3,599 and had $3,705 in in-kind services. His mother Barbara Halkias contributed most of the in-kind donations, including $2,333 for a billboard.
Half of his cash donations – $4,000 – came from Bill Bachenberg, co-owner of Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays in North Whitehall. In December 2020, Bachenberg served as chairperson of the so-called alternate Pennsylvania Electoral College members who stood ready to cast their votes for Donald Trump if he prevailed in his lawsuits claiming he, not Joe Biden, had won the state. Halkias also received $100 from Paul Moat of Whitehall Township, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Lehigh County commissioner last year.
House District 136
Democrat Taiba Sultana, who is running against incumbent Robert Freeman, filed a late contribution 24-hour report that shows her raising $17,500 in-kind contributions on April 16. Of that amount, $10,000 came from Steel Pixel Studios and $7,500 from Mub Media, both of which are listed as having donated services in other campaign finance reports filed by the Friends of Taiba Sultana committee.
Meanwhile, PA Citizens PAC emerged in the final weeks of the campaign with a sole mission of spending $70,000 to defeat Sultana. The PAC is solely funded by Raymond G. Lahoud, an immigration attorney and a Republican who lives in Upper Saucon Township, which is not part of the 136th.
Armchair Lehigh Valley’s April 19 story:
Incumbent Robert Freeman and Taiba Sultana have spent more than $50,000 in their battle to win the April 23 Democratic primary in the 136th state House District.
The bulk of the spending by Freeman and Sultana came from in-kind contributions with Freeman receiving $23,870 and Sultana bringing in $21,324 in donated services, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Department of State.
The Committee to Elect Robert Freeman raised the most in cash donations, bringing in $45,946 between March 5 and April 12, according to campaign finance reports. Friends of Taiba Sultana raised $6,787 between Jan. 1 and April 8, her campaign finance reports show.
In 136th's Democratic matchup, Taiba Sultana looks to unseat Robert Freeman
This is the first primary challenge that Freeman is facing since he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1982.
Sultana was elected to Easton City Council in 2021 after defeating longtime incumbent Sandra Vulcano in the primary election.
There are no Republicans on the April 23 primary ballot in the 136th.
Here is a look at their campaign finance reports.
Freeman
Freeman carried over $22,707 from 2023 and raised $43,946 between March 5 and April 8, giving him a total of $66,653 for his primary challenge. He spent $3,896 and received $23,870 in in-kind services. He ended the first quarter with $62,757.
The bulk of Freeman’s donations – $28,750 – came from political action committees and political committees of other candidates/elected officials. They included BFB PAC ($3,000); LAWPAC ($5,000); Friends of Mike Schlossberg (D-132) ($1,000); Friends of Steve Samuelson (D-135) ($500); Friends of Matt Bradford (D-70) ($5,000); Friends of Sal (Democratic Easton Mayor Sal Panto’s committee) ($1,000); 1776 PAC ($3,000); IBEW Local Union 375 PAC ($1,000). He raised another $2,000 on April 12, according to a late contribution report.
Large individual donors included $5,000 from Robert J. Sun of Easton, CEO of Suntex International, founder of the 24 Game! and 24 Challenge school tournaments, and $1,000 from Musikfest founder Jeffrey Parks and his wife, Susan Parks, of Bethlehem.
Freeman’s in-kind donations included $19,960 worth of mailers from the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee, $1,000 in for photography from Amy Wolff, $1,500 worth of photography from Henry Hung and $1,500 in social media from Peter Karam.
Freeman listed $2,000 in unpaid debt to Richard Wilkins for field services.
Sultana
Sultana spent $25,312 mostly from in-kind contributions between Jan. 1 and April 8, according to two campaign expense reports filed.
She carried over $1,100 from 2023, raised $6,787 in cash donations and $21,324 in in-kind donations. She spent $3,988 from her cash funds and ended the reporting period with $3,806. She had no unpaid debts or obligations.
Cash donations included $1,000 from her husband Nadeem Qayyum, $1,000 from Shabana Pathan of New Jersey and $500 each from Rubina Ali and Nagi Latefa, both of New Jersey. Sultanta donated $200 to her campaign.
Sultana’s in-kind donations included $10,000 from Steel Pixel Studios, a Bethlehem content production and digital marketing company, $5,500 from Lehigh Print and Data, $3,400 from Mub Media and $424 from her husband for printing.
Most of her expenditures went to NGP Van Inc., a Democratic campaign software company.
Other primary matchups
The Freeman-Sultana matchup is among three contested state House primary races in the Lehigh Valley.
In the 131st state House District race, where Jay Santos is facing Meriam Sabih for the Democratic nomination, campaign expense reports did not turn up on a search. Candidates are not required to file a report if they raise less that $500.
Incumbent Republican Milou Mackenzie carried over $20,130 and raised $500 between Jan. 1 and April 8, according to her campaign finance report. She spent $6,582 and had $14,048 in cash left over. She has $25,100 in loans from her 2020 campaign – $20,100 from herself and $5,000 from Kevin D. Brown of Bethlehem.
In the 183rd House District race, incumbent Republican Zachary Mako filed a report saying he carried over $20,130 from 2023, raised $500 between Jan. 1 and April 8, spent $6,522 and had $14,048 left over.
The Department of State’s online database of campaign finance reports indicated his opponent Zachari Halkias had filed a report but it was not yet uploaded. Halkias, whose year-end report for 2023 showed $281 in the bank, did not respond to a phone call and a text message seeking current information about his campaign finances.