Though a majority of Allentown's population is Latin or Hispanic, they have usually stayed home on election day. They have never flexed their muscles at the voting booth, where it matters most. That appears to be changing. The top two candidates in Allentown's Mayoral race are Dominican (Guridy) and Cuban (Tuerk). This Spanish influence has also extended to the City Council races.
The leaders in this race are Cynthia Mota (2,788), Natalie Santos (1,891), Daryl Hendricks (1,637) and Erik Rodriguez (1,585). Three out of four are Spanish. Business owner Santo Napoli (1,503), incumbent Ed Zucal (1,494) and activist Patrick Palmer (1,485) are within striking distance. This is because only a small number of an estimated 2,200 mail-in ballots have been counted. Black Lives Matter activist Justan Parker Fields (1,001) and businessman Tino Babayan (822) appear to be out of the hunt.
Very good point, as an active Democrat in Allentown, I didn't even recognize Rodriguez and Santos names, never saw a single mail flier or yard sign for them. Amazing. If not for an extraordinary door to door effort by Tuerk, Guridy almost pulled off a stunning and unexpected win. Can Tim Ramos ride this new wave of voting to a win in November? I now believe it can't be ruled out.
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