EASTON, Pa. — Representative Robert Freeman has secured another term for the 136th District, The Associated Press confirmed early Tuesday night.
With the lack of a Republican competitor to face off against come fall, Freeman is adding yet another term to his unbroken string of victories as representative since 1998.
Freeman, his campaign team, and supporters — both constituents and elected officials — were in good spirits at the Parkview Events Center on North Delaware Drive as they congratulated the win, with the representative cheerfully engaging with visitors throughout the evening.
The representative said that while he plans to celebrate the victory Tuesday evening, “the real work begins tomorrow,” noting he plans to focus on affordable housing, increasing the minimum wage, expanding health care options, and addressing climate change both within and outside his district, which includes Easton, Freemansburg, Glendon, Hellertown, West Easton, Williams Township, and portions of Lower Saucon Township and Palmer Township.
Challenger and Easton City Councilmember Taiba Sultana held a small gathering at Tandoor Grill shortly after the AP announcement, suggesting low voter turnout and the difficulty of facing off against established politicians as contributing factors to her loss.
Sultana did offer congratulations to her opponent for his victory, with Freeman expressing thanks for the message later that evening.
Mayor Sal Panto Jr., one of several elected city officials at Freeman’s celebration, was decidedly critical of Sultana, and enthusiastic for the representative’s latest victory.
“I believe anybody who runs a campaign like she ran would never win in this district, or in any district. I mean, I feel bad for her kids, but I don't feel bad for her at all. I'm glad she lost because Bob has been a very good state representative,” Panto said.
“He's worked with us. He's gotten us grants. He's brought money back home. He has seniority out there. We would be starting back all over again with Taiba, but we can't start at the bottom. We need continued support from Harrisburg.”
Freeman said it was an “amazing victory,” adding he was “pleasantly surprised” by the results.
“There's overwhelming vote of confidence in terms of my record, what I've been doing for the district, the things I've been fighting for – for working families, for senior citizens, to protect consumers to protect the environment, and to address a whole array of issues that I think the public really wants us to address,” Freeman said.
According to Freeman, he went from polling location to polling location throughout the day Tuesday, visiting numerous locations to evaluate turnout and greet voters.
“The work begins tomorrow – trying to continue to promote the agenda of issues I've always cared about- affordable housing, raising the minimum wage, expanding health care options, trying to deal with the very difficult problem of climate change,” Freeman said, adding “It’s not about getting a victory for the Democratic party, it’s getting a victory for what the Democratic party stands for- protecting working families, and ensuring that the quality of life for all the people who live in our communities is good.”
“It’s not about getting a victory for the Democratic party, it’s getting a victory for what the Democratic party stands for- protecting working families, and ensuring that the quality of life for all the people who live in our communities is good.<br/>And you have to be tenacious in that fight. That's something I'm anxious to continue to fight for,”Bob Freeman
“And you have to be tenacious in that fight. That's something I'm anxious to continue to fight for,” Freeman said.
The representative commended his campaign team for their grassroots support and coverage at the polls, noting “a lot of good people who were in our campaign worked very hard for this, and I’m grateful to them.”
Asked about the relatively low voter turnout for the primary, Freeman made a point that the oft-neglected election can often be one of the most important parts of the democratic process.
“In some cases, that becomes one of the most important races because it chooses the nominee for your party. And that determines a lot as far as the dynamics of the fall campaign in most cases,” Freeman said.
“It's one of our duties as citizens to get out and vote for an election. That's a very cherished right that we don't want to lose. And I think the national political scene has talked about how to promote better voter turnout, how to protect voting rights, and that's something we have to be diligent with.”
Sultana said one of the biggest issues for the primary was low voter turnout, particularly among younger voters, noting when she was at Lafayette College, “that they said no, they do not want to vote.”
“Primaries are so unpopular in our area. This is the first time somebody challenged my opponent, so for the primary, it’s so unpopular, people just think the primary is not important, because there's only one candidate always on the ballot,” Sultana said.
The city councilmember added she felt a sense of “distrust in politics” due to the large amount of support Freeman received from Democratic officials – “Political parties should be neutral, but this in not happening, it’s more about maintaining the status quo.”
Sultana also pointed out recent events – including the showing of bodycam footage of her arrest at an Easton City Council meeting – almost certainly played a part in her loss, even if her opponent never utilized those topics during his campaign.
Freeman first was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1982 and served six two-year terms before leaving after an unsuccessful 1994 campaign for State Senate.
From 1995-97, Freeman was executive director of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and Democratic executive director of the Senate Local Government Committee 1997-98.
After returning to the House of Representatives in 1998, Freeman has consistently won reelection to his seat.
Sultana has expressed that she was proud of her grassroots campaign going up against a juggernaut of an opponent such as Freeman, noting she does plan to run for the seat again in the future.
“I am still motivated. I am very tough. I'm very strong. How, I don't know. This is how I am – maybe just my personal life experience made me that way. But I am, and I'm not going anywhere,” Sultana said.
