Write-in victories mean November races for two Lehigh Valley incumbents
Also, a look at the full list of races in November.
Two incumbents will face opponents in November thanks to successful write-in campaigns in the May primary.
Republican Bethney Whitehill-Finch will square off against incumbent Democrat Mike Schlossberg in the 132nd state House race.
Democrat Eugene Hunter will face incumbent Republican Ann Flood in the 138th House District.
Write-in candidates needed a minimum of 300 votes to win the nomination for a state House seat, according to Tim Benyo, chief clerk of registration and elections for Lehigh County.
Finch had 764 votes, according to Benyo. Hunter had 324 votes, according to Northampton County election totals. Neither candidate could be reached for comment.
Finch is part of Moms for Liberty Lehigh County, a parental rights group that gained prominence as parents protested mask requirements in schools at the height of Covid, according to The Morning Call.
Last year she started a petition on change.org to show support for keeping masks optional in the Parkland School District. She unsuccessfully sought to be appointed to an open seat on the Parkland School Board in January, according to LVPNEWS.
Finch filed a petition to run in the May 17 primary under the name Bethney Q. Finch but withdrew it in the face of a petition challenge. She then won a write-in campaign.
Schlossberg of South Whitehall has been a state representative since 2012.
In 2020, he defeated Republican Michael McCreary, owner of Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, with 68% of the vote. McCreary also had won his primary as a write-in candidate.
Hunter of Forks Township is on the steering committee of The Alliance for Sustainable Communities–Lehigh Valley, a non-profit organization that promotes ways to make communities more sustainable. His Alliance bio also says he is chairman of Social Action for the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley.
Flood of Moore Township was first elected in 2020 with 56% of the vote, defeating Democrat Tara Zrinski, a Northampton County commissioner who recently lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for the state Senate’s 14th District.
Following is a list of the local congressional, state Senate and state House races. Minor political parties and bodies have until late August to circulate nomination papers, Benyo said. Candidates who lost in the primary cannot seek to run as minor political party members.
LOCAL CONGRESSIONAL RACE
7th District
Candidates:
Susan Wild, D, Allentown, incumbent
Lisa Scheller, R, Allentown
Municipalities: All of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties as well as Eldred and Polk townships and about half of Ross Township in Monroe County.
LOCAL STATE SENATE RACES
District 14
Incumbent: None.
Candidates:
Nick Miller, D, Allentown; Allentown School Board member
Dean Browning, R, South Whitehall; former Lehigh County commissioner
Municipalities: Lehigh County: Hanover, Salisbury and Whitehall Townships and Catasauqua, Coplay, Emmaus and Fountain Hill along with parts of South Whitehall Township and Allentown. Northampton County: Allen, Bushkill, East Allen, Hanover, Lehigh and Moore townships and Bath, Chapman, North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport.
District 16
Incumbent: None
Candidates:
Jarrett Coleman, R, Upper Macungie Township; Parkland School Board member
Mark Pinsley, D, South Whitehall Township; Lehigh County controller
Municipalities: Lehigh County: Heidelberg, Lower Macungie, Lower Milford, Lowhill, Lynn, North Whitehall, Upper Macungie, Upper Milford, Upper Saucon, Washington and Weisenberg townships, Alburtis, Coopersburg, Macungie and Slatington along with parts of South Whitehall Township and Allentown. Bucks County: Bedminster, Bridgeton, Durham, East Rockhill, Haycock, Hilltown, Milford, Nockamixon, Richland, Springfield, Tinicum and West Rockhill townships and Dublin, Perkasie, Quakertown, Richlandtown, Riegelsville, Sellersville, Silverdale and Trumbauersville along with the Bucks County portion of Telford.
District 18
Candidates:
Lisa Boscola, D. Bethlehem Township, incumbent
John Merhottein Jr., R, Bethlehem Township, township commissioner
Municipalities: Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Lower Nazareth, Lower Saucon, Palmer, Plainfield, Upper Mount Bethel, Upper Nazareth, Washington, and Williams townships and Bangor, East Bangor, Easton, Freemansburg, Glendon, Hellertown, Nazareth, Pen Argyl, Portland, Roseto, Stockertown, Tatamy, West Easton, Wilson and Wind Gap in Northampton County. The district also includes all of Bethlehem.
LOCAL STATE HOUSE RACES
District 22
Incumbent: None
Candidates:
Joshua Siegel, D, Allentown, member of Allentown City Council
Robert E. Smith Jr., R, Allentown, former Allentown School Board member
Municipalities: Parts of Allentown and Salisbury Township.
District 131
Candidates:
Milou Mackenzie, R, Lower Saucon Township, incumbent
Kevin Branco, D, Upper Saucon Township; owns Main Street gym in Hellertown
Municipalities: Lehigh County: Lower Milford, Upper Milford and Upper Saucon townships and Coopersburg with part of Salisbury Township. Montgomery County: Marlborough, Salford and Upper Hanover townships and East Greenville, Green Lane, Pennsburg and Red Hill. Northampton County: Parts of Lower Saucon Township.
District 132
Candidates:
Michael Schlossberg, D, Allentown, incumbent
Bethney Whitehill-Finch, R, South Whitehall
Municipalities: South Whitehall and parts of Allentown and Upper Macungie Township.
District 133
Candidate: Jeanne McNeill, D, Whitehall Township, incumbent
Municipalities: Catasauqua, Coplay, Fountain Hill; Hanover Township (Lehigh County) and Whitehall Township plus the Lehigh County portion of Bethlehem.
District 134
Candidates:
Peter Schweyer, D, Allentown, incumbent
Brent Labenberg, R, Emmaus; president of Emmaus Borough Council
Schweyer currently serves in the 22nd. But his residence became part of the reconfigured 134th.
Municipalities: Emmaus and parts of Allentown and Salisbury Township.
District 135
Candidate: Steve Samuelson, D, Bethlehem, incumbent
Municipalities: Northampton County portion of Bethlehem and parts of Hanover Township (Northampton County).
District 136
Candidate: Robert Freeman, D, Easton, incumbent
Municipalities: Easton, Freemansburg, Glendon, Hellertown, West Easton, Wilson and Williams Township along with parts of Lower Saucon and Palmer townships.
District 137
Candidates:
Joe Emrick, R, Upper Nazareth Township, incumbent
Anna B. Thomas, D, Bethlehem Township
Municipalities: Nazareth, Tatamy and Bethlehem, Lower Nazareth and Upper Nazareth townships along with portions of Hanover and Palmer townships.
District 138
Candidates:
Ann Flood, R, Moore Township, incumbent
Gene Hunter, D, Forks Township
Municipalities: Bangor, Chapman, East Bangor, Pen Argyl, Portland, Roseto, Stockertown and Wind Gap and Bushkill, Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Plainfield, Upper Mount Bethel and Washington townships with parts of Moore Township.
District 183
Candidate: Zach Mako, R, Walnutport, incumbent
Municipalities: Lehigh County: Lowhill Township, North Whitehall Township and Slatington. Northampton County: Bath, North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport and Allen, East Allen and Lehigh townships along with parts of Moore Township.
District 187
Candidate:
Ryan Mackenzie, R - Lower Macungie Township, incumbent
Mackenzie is the incumbent in the 134th. He now lives in the reconfigured 187th when Lower Macungie was moved to that district.
Municipalities: Heidelberg, Lower Macungie, Lynn, Washington and Weisenberg townships and Alburtis and Macungie along with parts of Upper Macungie Township.