Pinsley bests Merkl-Gump in District 16 State Senate primary
With 100 percent of Lehigh County’s ballots counted, as well as 90.5 percent of Bucks County’s, it appears Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley won the Democratic primary for state Senate District 16.
Pinsley beat Bradley Merkl-Gump, a teacher and Pennridge School Board member.
Pinsley will challenge incumbent Republican Senator Jarrett Coleman in the fall. The district leans Republican, with some 46 percent Republican voters, 35 percent Democrats, and nineteen percent unaffiliated or minor-party, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Pinsley, who switched from running for Congress to running for the State Senate, said he believes that Harrisburg is a better fit for the skills he’s learned during his seven-year tenure as controller.
While money often talks in politics, Pinsley had only $72,984 in his campaign war chest at the end of April, compared to $192,906 for Merkl-Gump.
But one thing Pinsley had was geography. Lehigh County encompasses more of the senatorial district than Bucks County, where Merkl-Gump resides.
Merkl-Gump was endorsed by State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-Doylestown) and state representatives Brian Munroe (D-Warrington), Tina Davis (D-Bristol), Perry Warren (D-Newtown), Tim Brennan (D-Doylestown), and Jim Prokopiak (D-Levittown). He was also backed by Senate Democratic Leader Senator Jay Costa (D-Pittsburgh).
But earlier this month, Pinsley was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a superstar among progressive Democrats.
Santarsiero is the Bucks County Democratic Party chair. Though he personally supported Merkl-Gump, neither the Bucks’s Lehigh’s Democratic Party endorsed in the race.
Both candidates were also endorsed by various labor unions.
However, a mailer from a PAC ginned up some friction late in the race. Merkel-Gump posted to Facebook that “dark money” was “flooding the race” and noting his support from Santarsiero, who is Jewish. The mailer showed an Israeli flag and claimed the senator sponsored legislation that was “Israel-Before-Pennsylvania.”
In a Facebook post, Pinsley, who is Jewish, said Santarsiero accused him of being “soft on antisemitism,” a charge that Pinsley denied. Pinsley also said he had disavowed the flier several times.
Pinsley, 56, a South Whitehall resident, is married and has two kids. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in business administration. He served in the U.S. Army reserves and worked in the private sector for domestic and international corporations.
Editor’s note: This article’s headline was adjusted for clarity.
Linda Stein is an award-winning journalist who’s written for newspapers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Arizona. Before joining Fideri News Network, she was the news editor for Delaware Valley Journal. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Temple University and earned her undergraduate degree from Arcadia University. Contact her at [email protected].
