Republican incumbent state Rep. Zach Mako will face Democrat Jason Ruff Nov. 3 for the 183rd Legislative District seat.

The candidates were asked to answer the following question in 100 words or less:

“What issue on your agenda will you tackle first if elected or re-elected?”

Democrat

Jason Ruff

My Citizen First platform puts people first, and they’re demanding a state representative who can balance pre-COVID problems with new, post-COVID breakdowns for our Pennsylvania workers and families.

I’m committed to making a safe reopening and productive economic restart the top priority.

Making sure essential workers are taken care of, students and teachers are protected, workers can feed their families and pay their bills, business owners can get back to serving customers, seniors on fixed incomes are not at risk of losing their homes, and that any mental health issues exacerbated by the pandemic are abated.

Republican

Zach Mako

incumbent

I think the most important issue that we must continue to deal with is the coronavirus pandemic. We must look for ways to protect those who are most at risk, mainly our senior citizens and those with pre-existing conditions.

We also must work to get the commonwealth back to normal as soon and safely as possible.

Families, workers and businesses are hurting and we must begin to get our economy back on track so that we can continue to tackle other issues facing Pennsylvanians like property tax reform, access to health care and public safety.

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Editor’s note: The 183rd Legislative District includes Slatington, South Whitehall Township (Districts 5, 6 and 8); Washington Township, Whitehall Township (Districts 7, 10 and 11) in Lehigh County; and Walnutport, Allen and Lehigh townships, Moore Township (Districts Beersville and Klecknersville), North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport in Northampton County.