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Lehigh Valley Election News

Enid Santiago wins her signature challenge to stay on the ballot. Schweyer disagrees with the ruling

Enid Santiago, candidate
Enid Santiago speaks during a news conference March 18, 2022, to announce she's intends to run in the 2022 Democratic primary election for the 134th House District seat. (WLVR photo | Hayden Mitman)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The last contested primary race in the state appears to have been resolved. 

Enid Santiago is claiming she won her petition challenge and will appear on Democratic ballots against incumbent Peter Schweyer for the 134th state House district in the May primary election. 

Santiago took to Facebook Wednesday afternoon saying the effort to validate her signatures was exhausting. 

She called Schweyer’s claims “bogus.”

“There is a man, a white man, coming after the legitimacy of a candidate, a gay, poor candidate of color,” Santiago said.

Schweyer said he was within his legal rights to challenge Santiago’s signatures. 

“Simply stated, I disagree with today's ruling,” Schweyer said in a written release. 

Schweyer and others disputed hundreds of Santiago's signatures and her lawyers say over the past few days it came down to a handful of signatures that would decide if she could stay on the ticket.  

In his written statement Wednesday, Schweyer also said he looks forward to an “honest” campaign. 

This is the second time Santiago and Schweyer have faced off for a state House seat. 

Two years ago, Schweyer narrowly beat Santiago for the Democratic nomination in the 22nd District by a few dozen votes. 

Democrat Norberto Dominguez dropped out last week in the 22nd state House district saying he didn’t meet signature requirements in his new district.

Another Lehigh Valley state House candidate, Republican Bethney Finch, was removed from the ballot in the 132nd District, leaving only Democratic incumbent state Rep. Mike Schlossberg in the race. 

The Lehigh County GOP said it will run a write-in campaign to try to get Finch on the ballot for the November general election.