BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Republican state Rep. Zachary Mako late Tuesday defeated Democratic challenger Joseph Lenzi for a fifth term representing the 183rd House District.
Mako held a 20,999-10,977 vote lead in incomplete and unofficial results.
The Associated Press late Tuesday called the race for Mako.
Mako, 35, of Walnutport, serves on the state House Appropriations, Finance, Professional Licensure, Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees.
Lenzi, 62, of Northampton, is a truck parts salesman who campaigned on property tax reform and increasing the minimum wage.
He had hoped his door-to-door campaign would accentuate his working-class persona and help him overcome running in a heavily Republican district.
Mako also campaigned on property tax reform. He favors legislation that would give residents who are at least 65 years old and earn less than $60,000 per year a $5,000 break on their school property taxes.
Such a rebate would be made possible with the Senior Citizen Additional Property Tax Rebate Fund.
Mako also is focused on job creation and infrastructure improvements.
He also hopes to pass legislation that improves parental rights when their child is hospitalized for a mental health issue.
Mako was raised in Walnutport and graduated from Northampton Area High School.
He enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard following high school and learned to fly Chinook helicopters. He twice was deployed to Afghanistan during the Gulf War.
Mako received a bachelor's degree in finance at Kutztown University and a master’s in business administration with a concentration in International Affairs at Penn State University.
The 183rd Legislative District consists of parts of Lehigh County (Lowhill and North Whitehall townships and Slatington) and parts of Northampton County (Allen, East Allen, Lehigh and parts of Moore townships; and Slatington, Bath, North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport).
