Defeated NorCo Council Candidate Sam Elias Was Featured at Trump Rally

I thought Sam Elias, a Bethlehem police officer and a member of the Lebanese diaspora here in NorCo, had a very good shot at winning one of the five at-large seats up for grabs last year. But when the votes were tallied, he ran a distant 6th. He was nearly 10,000 votes behind Nadeem Qayyum, the fifth-place finisher. But yesterday afternoon, during a Trump rally at Mack Truck, he got rock star treatment from none other than the President himself. 

According to Trump, Elias has named his youngest child Melania. 

I hope it's a girl. 

For his part, Elias thanked Trump, Congressman Ryan Mackenzie and the entire white house for helping him as a father of six in a single-income household. "Hard work should pay off, not get punished with higher taxes," he said. He lauded Trump for severely curtailing tax on tips and overtime. 

He also praised Trump for his approach to Lebanon. "The Lebanese people finally have an American ally who advocates for a sovereign and independent Lebanon governed by the Lebanese people." 

Israel thought it had a great American ally in Trump, too. 

So did Italy ... and Britain ... and Canade ... and Mexico ... and Denmark.

Ukraine was a bit smarter and started making its own drones. 

UPDATED: Following the Money - Sam Elias Has More Grassroots Support than Anyone in NorCo Races

I've written about the campaign finances of the five Democrats running for NorCo Council. Five Republicans are in the hunt, too. What about their campaign finance reports? I'll start with Sam Elias, a Bethlehem police officer seeking office for the first time. His job alone makes him popular. So does his Lebanese heritage. There are only about 700 Lebanese families in the county, but they are very vocal and very persuasive.  Sam's report (you can see it here) reveals that he's raised more money, not counting in-kinds, than any of the other County Council candidates. Moreover, he's received more of the smaller ($250 or less) donations than any of the candidates running, including Tara Zrinski. Does this mean he's going to win? No, but it is a very positive sign.

According to his report, Elias started with $2432.52 in June and raised $17,775.00 through June 20, giving him a total warchest of $20,207.52. He's kept $12,164.26 for the final push, which makes sense because many Republicans and independents wait to vote until election day. 

He received $2,000 in donations of $50 or less, and $9,825 in 73 individual contributions of $250 or less. That's two more than Tara Zrinski, who's leading the charge for county Dems as the Exec candidate. 

Elias was the top vote getter in the Republican primary, and I think it is highly likely he wins a seat on Council.  

Updated 9:35 am: In my original version, I reported some large contributions that actually went to another candidate, not Elias. He actually rejected a contribution from the realtors because of their affiliation with and endorsement of Josh Siegel, whose anti-police rhetoric was a staple of his agenda as a member of Allentown City Council.