ALLENTOWN, Pa. — State Rep. Michael Schlossberg, who has represented the 132nd state House District, will face two opponents on the ballot this year.
Schlossberg, a Democrat, has held the seat since 2012. He faces Republican Beth Finch, who is a co-founder of Freedom for Choice PA, and Libertarian Matthew Shutter, who was an auditor in Penn Forest Township, Carbon County.
The 132nd House District used to cover only part of Allentown and South Whitehall Township, but now covers all of South Whitehall Township and part of Upper Macungie Township as well.
- Incumbent 132nd state House District Representative Michael Schlossberg (D) will face challengers Beth Finch (R) and Matthew Schutter (Libertarian)
- Finch is a co-founder of Freedom for Choice PA, a group that advocated against mask and vaccine mandates
- Schutter was a Penn Forest Township auditor for four years and a judge of elections in South Whitehall for four years
- The three candidates have different positions on the economy, education, healthcare, voting administration and climate change
As the 132nd District representative, Schlossberg is co-chair and co-founder of the Mental Health Caucus and the Democratic chair of the Manufacturing Caucus. Before becoming state representative, he served on Allentown City Council for almost three years.
Finch's Freedom for Choice PA is a grassroots group that advocated against the mask mandate in schools and the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Her website says she is “community and constitutionally centered,” and her goals include protecting individuals’ freedoms, offering common sense solutions and “remain[ing] awake, not woke.”
Finch won the primary through a write-in bid after withdrawing a petition to run. She did not respond to requests for an interview for this article.
Schutter served as an auditor in Penn Forest Township for four years and as a judge of elections in South Whitehall for four years. He ran unsuccessfully for state representative from Carbon County’s 122nd District in 2016, Lehigh County commissioner in 2019 and South Whitehall commissioner in 2021. He now is a petition circulator.
The 132nd district used to be 57.91% Democratic, 23.26% Republican and 18.84% Other, according to Spotlight PA. It's now 48.20% Democratic, 34.38% Republican and 17.42% Other.
The Candidates On The Issues
ECONOMY
Schlossberg said he thinks inflation is “minimally related” to government spending, but instead comes from supply and labor shortages. He thinks the government needs to fix supply chain issues and make it easier for people to get into the workforce by funding training initiatives and childcare.
“I think you get people into the workforce, you wind up decreasing the demand to drive up wages through the roof, and that in turn can bring down inflation,” Schlossberg said.
He said there isn’t much the state government can do to help the supply chain, but he thinks boosting manufacturing in the state could help. Schlossberg also supports raising the state minimum wage.
Finch does not mention inflation on her website but says she supports lowering taxes, including the state’s gas tax.
Schutter thinks the state government should control spending to address inflation. He thinks all candidates should be good stewards of state money and spend wisely.
“You and I have to regulate our checkbook, and we only can spend what's in our checkbook," he said. "Same thing, I believe, should be done with our state legislature, and Congress and the U.S. Senate.”
As for worker shortages and supply chain issues, Schutter said he thinks the state should let the private sector compete and not intervene. He also doesn’t believe the state government should raise the minimum wage, saying it would raise prices and prevent people from entering the workforce.
EDUCATION
Schlossberg wants more funding for struggling public schools. He said he thinks when parents decide to send their children to a nontraditional school, money shouldn’t be taken out of the public schools.
“What is happening in our schools is kids are being taught about what racism is, the impact it has had on our society, and how to not be racist. Kids should be taught that."Michael Schlossberg, Representative for the 132nd House District
Schlossberg wants charter schools to get more funding from the state so they don’t take funding from public schools, and he wants more accountability for charter schools.
As for teaching about race in schools, Schlossberg said a lot of the controversy around it exaggerates what is actually being taught.
“What is happening in our schools is kids are being taught about what racism is, the impact it has had on our society, and how to not be racist," Schlossberg said. "Kids should be taught that."
Schlossberg said teaching children to make moral judgments should be up to parents, but schools should teach kids about racism and LGBTQ issues. He said transgender girls competing in girls' sports at school is “as non-issue as a non-issue gets,” since advocates for a state ban couldn’t find examples of it happening in Pennsylvania.
Finch says on her website that she supports parents’ rights and school choice. She says she has “defend[ed] our children at Parkland school board meetings on topics like CRT, illegal mandates and medical freedom.”
Freedom for Choice rallied against the mask mandate in schools in 2021. Her organization raised funds for its lawsuit against the state government for imposing the mandate. In December 2021, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled that the mask mandate was unconstitutional.
Freedom for Choice’s website links to resources to help teachers opt out of unions.
Schutter said he believes in choice for all things, and that includes schools. He thinks schools should not be a one-size-fits-all model for kids whose parents do not have money. He is a big supporter of vouchers and thinks they would reduce education inequality.
“No child should be ripped off of a good education because the parents live in a certain ZIP code. I think that's wrong. I think it's discrimination. I think it's racist, and it's improper. So school choice I’m for; it brings equality, it brings opportunity, and it brings hope.”Matthew Schutter, Libertarian candidate for the 132nd House District
“No child should be ripped off of a good education because the parents live in a certain ZIP code,” Schutter said. “I think that's wrong. I think it's discrimination. I think it's racist, and it's improper. So school choice I’m for; it brings equality, it brings opportunity, and it brings hope.”
Schutter said he thinks when teachers want to teach about any controversial issue, they should send home a permission slip. He also thinks schools should go more in-depth on American history, and all sides of issues should be taught in a way that is not divisive.
As for transgender girls playing on girls' sports teams at school, Schutter said libertarians believe in equality and fairness, but equality comes first. He said people have the right to transition, but people born as males are stronger.
HEALTHCARE
Schlossberg said he is pro-choice and endorsed by Planned Parenthood. He thinks the government shouldn’t have a say in reproductive health decisions. He said he has no problems with late-term abortions if a doctor thinks it is necessary.
Schlossberg does not think the state government can do much about the rising cost of medicine. He supports the state government capping the cost of drugs — for example, he supports a current bill to cap insulin at $35. But he thinks long-term solutions have to come from the federal government.
Finch does not mention her thoughts on abortion or lowering the cost of medicine on her website. Freedom for Choice has advocated against vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.
Schutter said he has conflicting feelings about abortion. He is anti-abortion and thinks it is murder, but also thinks abortion should be legal during the first trimester and only legal later in a pregnancy if the life of the mother is at risk. He said that if he were to be elected, he would hold town hall meetings and listen to all perspectives.
Schutter thinks the government should not intervene with the rising cost of medicine and let the private sector regulate itself. He thinks the government should lessen regulation on pharmaceutical companies so they can bring medicines to consumers faster.
VOTING ADMINISTRATION
Schlossberg said he supports voting by mail and drop boxes.
Schlossberg and other lawmakers introduced a bill that would let spouses and blood relatives drop off each other’s ballots at drop boxes. He also said he supports approving ballots that don’t have dates on the outside of the envelope because both the drop boxes and the post office stamp the ballots with the date.
Schlossberg thinks one way the state government can reinstate trust in the election process is by letting counties start counting votes before election day.
Finch does not mention voting by mail, drop boxes or reinstating trust in elections on her website.
Schutter said that while he personally has no problem with mail-in voting, he thinks the Pennsylvania constitution is very clear about who can and cannot absentee vote. He thinks if the state legislature wants to implement mail-in voting, it should do so through a constitutional amendment.
Schutter said the best way the state government can reinstate trust in the election process is by letting people watch votes being counted, both in-person and through a livestream. He also thinks the state should have ranked-choice voting, both because it would be fairer and because people would be less likely to think voting for a Libertarian candidate is a waste.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Schlossberg said the state should increase funding for the state Department of Environmental Protection because it is underfunded and unable to enforce regulations. He thinks the state should incentivize solar energy and build more electric car charging stations.
Schlossberg said flooding is happening in the Lehigh Valley because developments have taken up too much green space that would absorb the floodwater.
“Nobody wants to stop development,” Schlossberg said. “But we need to redo the way that we develop so that we're not taking up as much green space, so that we're putting more funding into adaptive reuse of space.”
Finch does not mention climate change on her website.
Schutter said he thinks the government should not do much to prevent climate change because the government is the biggest polluter worldwide. But if the government officials do get involved, he thinks they should consult conservation groups, scientists and others in the private sector, then act in a nonpartisan and nonpolitical way.
“As a legislator, I should actually listen to what these people say, not play politics with our climate,” Schutter said.
