ALLENTOWN, Pa. — City Councilman Ed Zucal came up short again in his bid to unseat Mayor Matt Tuerk after losing by a 60-point margin in May’s Democratic primary.
But he said he’s proud of his campaign despite Tuesday’s outcome.
“I got an opportunity to run again, and I have no qualms and no disappointments about it,” Zucal told LehighValleyNews.com on Wednesday night.
He got 28% of all votes as more than 16,000 people cast ballots in the city’s mayoral contest, according to unofficial results.
That was a marked improvement from Zucal’s primary performance, which saw him pick up less than 20% of Democratic votes in May.
His 4,644 votes as a GOP mayoral candidate topped the mark set by Republican Tim Ramos — 4,299 votes — four years ago.
Zucal, a two-term councilman, credited his “more positive” campaign messaging after the primary as a key reason he was able to eat into Tuerk’s first-round win.
Tuerk criticized Zucal in May for using “MAGA-style politics” after he sent out inflammatory mailers leading up to the primary.
The mayor thanked his challenger Tuesday for running a “much more gentlemanly campaign” since.
“It's been a good ride, and like any other circus, the ride comes to an end.”Ed Zucal
Zucal said he may have fared better in the primary if he had refrained from mudslinging.
“I still don’t think I would have beat him, [but] maybe it would have made a difference,” he said.
Zucal, who serves as an Allentown school resource officer, said he’s ready to enjoy a break from city government. His second term on council is about to end, but he pledged he’ll still “be around.”
“I don’t know what my future looks like for politics,” he said. “It's been a good ride, and like any other circus, the ride comes to an end.”
Zucal said he called Tuerk on Tuesday night to congratulate him and “wish him the best.”
As he prepares to leave his seat on council after eight years, Zucal said he would urge the mayor to “try to control spending” and look to cut before raising taxes.
Tuerk is proposing a 3.96% property tax increase in his 2026 budget, a measure Zucal has said he will oppose with one of his final major votes as a councilman.
