EASTON, Pa. — A former City Councilwoman’s bid for higher office was brought to an end Thursday by the state Supreme Court.
Taiba Sultana will not appear on Democratic primary ballots as a candidate for the state Senate’s 18th District, after the state’s top justices upheld a lower court’s ruling.
Commonwealth Court Judge Anne Covey on April 1 ruled Sultana violated state election law by listing her occupation as "self-employed" on her statement of financial interests filed in March.
“I took this fight all the way to the Supreme Court because I believe voters — not technicalities, not money, not insiders — should decide elections."Taiba Sultana
“Self-employed” is a job description but not a job — it’s an adjective, not a noun — Covey ruled. Sultana’s “failure to specify … the occupation in which she is self-employed had the potential to mislead electors, according to Covey.
That invalidated Sultana’s financial-disclosure form and forced her off the ballot, barring a successful appeal.
Sultana urged the Supreme Court to reverse Covey’s ruling, arguing she should have been allowed to amend her financial statement and not thrown off the ballot for a minor issue.
Her appeal failed Thursday as the Supreme Court upheld Covey’s ruling.
“Let me be clear — this was not a political challenge. It was a legal one. And the law requires honesty, clarity, and full compliance from anyone seeking public office.”Attorney Ray Lahoud
Sultana in a statement Thursday hit out at the courts, saying their decision to strike her from the ballot upholds “a broken system” — one “that protects insiders and punishes outsiders.”
“I took this fight all the way to the Supreme Court because I believe voters — not technicalities, not money, not insiders — should decide elections,” Sultana said.
‘Legal challenge’
The former Easton City Councilwoman, who lost her re-election bid in 2025, was vying to unseat seven-term state Sen. Lisa Boscola in the May 19 Democratic primary.
Four Lehigh Valley women — including Boscola’s campaign manager, Celeste Dee — challenged Sultana’s nominating petitions.
That group also included Pamela Panto, the wife of Mayor Sal Panto, who frequently clashed with Sultana during her tenure on city council.
“What I can say is this: I’m still in this fight. Whether through continued organizing, advocacy, or exploring all available options, I am committed to making sure the voices of working people in this district are not ignored.”Taiba Sultana
The legal challenge was led by attorney Ray Lahoud, who two years ago funded a political action committee working against her campaign for the state House.
Lahoud on Thursday celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling, calling it “a complete and unequivocal victory for the rule of law.”
“Let me be clear — this was not a political challenge," he said. "It was a legal one. And the law requires honesty, clarity and full compliance from anyone seeking public office.”
Sultana said she believes Lahoud challenged her candidacy “because I spoke out against the genocide in Palestine.”
“At the same time, my opponent [Boscola] supported Senate Bill 1260, which bars state divestment from Israel and restricts funding for higher education institutions that engage in boycotts of Israel,” Sultana said.
‘Still in this fight’
Sultana’s campaign was brought down by her failure to disclose how she is self-employed, but she disclosed that information Thursday after her appeal failed.
“I work as a political consultant, a caterer and an online seller,” she said.
She told LehighValleyNews.com she is “not going anywhere” but did not directly address whether she would launch a write-in campaign to continue her challenge against Boscola.
“What I can say is this: I’m still in this fight,” she said.
“Whether through continued organizing, advocacy, or exploring all available options, I am committed to making sure the voices of working people in this district are not ignored.”
The 18th District covers the Easton, Bethlehem and Slate Belt areas of Northampton County plus the neighborhoods of Bethlehem in Lehigh County.
