Democrats Oust Republican Incumbents to Gain Seats in State House, Senate

Tuesday’s election delivered impressive results for Democrats, who seized control of Congress at the federal level. That pattern extended through both statewide and state-level races in Pennsylvania, where incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro beat Republican challenger Stacy Garrity to win a second term and Democrats both flipped control of the state Senate and expanded their majority in the state House of Representatives.

A number of incumbent Republicans from the Lehigh Valley area were ousted amid the seismic shift that occurred Tuesday, including state Rep. Milou Mackenzie, who has represented the 131st District that includes parts of Northampton, Lehigh and Montgomery counties since 2020. According to data on the Wikipedia entry for the district, the last time the seat was in Democratic hands was 1994.

According to unofficial results, Democratic challenger Meriam Sabih captured the seat in a narrow victory, capturing approximately 51.1 percent of the vote to Mackenzie’s 48.9 percent. County-level unofficial results show that Sabih won a majority of the vote in Lehigh and Northampton counties, while Mackenzie won a majority in the Montgomery County portion of the suburban district.

Mackenzie’s son, first-term U.S. Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, also lost to Democratic candidate Bob Brooks in the 7th District race Tuesday.

“I’ve spent my life working to hold the government accountable, and I started this campaign because I knew this community deserved better,” Sabih said in a statement Wednesday. “As a mother, advocate and community organizer, I know we cannot wait around to build the community our children deserve.”

“I promise to fight for full and fair educational funding, so our students can have the opportunity they need; for affordable housing, so our families can stay in the communities where they grew up; and for big tech regulations, so we can keep our state beautiful for generations to come,” she added.

On her campaign site, Sabih identified herself as an advocate for education, women’s rights and government accountability.

“With a Master’s in Political Science from Lehigh University, all three of her boys in public schools and now as a Penn State mom, she champions a strong public education system,” it said. “Her journalism career has focused on women’s education, peace talks and combatting extremism both here and abroad.”

Another seat which flipped from Republican to Democratic control Tuesday for the first time in many years was the state Senate seat held by Republican Jarrett Coleman, who according to unofficial results narrowly lost to Democrat and former Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley.

The 16th state Senatorial district includes parts of upper Bucks and western Lehigh counties and was last occupied by a Democrat nearly 30 years ago, according to the list of past state senators on the Wikipedia entry for it.

Unofficial results show that Pinsley received roughly 51 percent of the vote, compared to Coleman’s 49 percent.

Incumbent Democrats throughout the area, not surprisingly, fared well in Tuesday’s election.

State Rep. Bob Freeman (D-136) easily defeated Republican challenger Pilar Cavallo-Campisi by nearly 9,000 votes, or roughly 40 percent, according to unofficial Northampton County results. The 136th District includes Hellertown borough and part of Lower Saucon Township.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18), who likewise represents Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township and other parts of Northampton County, also easily won re-election by defeating Republican challenger Scott Janney. According to the county’s unofficial results, Boscola received approximately 64 percent of the vote compared to Janney’s 35.8 percent and won the race by approximately 27,000 votes.

In another closely-watched race, Democratic state Sen. Nick Miller (D-16) beat Republican challenger Omy Maldonado by a significant margin, according to unofficial results. The 16th state Senate district includes parts of Lehigh and Northampton counties.

To view additional general election results from Northampton County, click here. For additional Lehigh County election results, click here. Bucks County election results may be found here, and Montgomery County election results may be found here.