Taiba Sultana, who served on Easton City Council from 2022 to 2026, is running a write-in campaign to unseat Democratic incumbent state Sen. Lisa Boscola after being removed from the ballot last month.
“My campaign has always been about affordability and accountability,” Sultana said. “That doesn’t stop because of a better challenge. If anything, it shows how difficult it can be to challenge political power and why it’s so important to try.”
Sultana’s nomination petition was challenged for an address listed by a campaign organizer, allegedly invalid signatures and her job description of “self-employed.” Commonwealth Court Judge Anne Covey dismissed the former two but upheld the latter, ruling that “self-employed” was an adjective rather than a noun.
The challenge was filed by Pamela Panto, Patricia Hitzel, Patricia Bruno and Celeste Dee. Pamela Panto is married to Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr., who clashed repeatedly with Sultana during her time on the city council.
Sultana’s senate campaign has focused heavily on supporting working families and minority communities in the state’s 18th District. Focal points of her campaign include securing more affordable housing in the district, raising the state’s minimum wage and addressing discrimination against Black and brown communities.
Sultana argued that Boscola does not represent the working families of the district.
“Anybody can run a write-in campaign for any position at any time,” a spokesman for Boscola wrote in an email. The spokesman did not respond to additional questions.
Despite Sultana’s removal from the ballot, she continued to highlight her campaign and push for voters to write her in on the ballot.
“Too often politics are about press releases and headlines,” Sultana said. “I’m focused on results people can feel in their homes, and I have never been afraid to speak up, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
“That means asking hard questions and sometimes standing alone,” she continued, highlighting her background as the first woman of color and Muslim-American city council member. “Leadership isn’t about staying quiet. It’s about standing up for your community, even when it comes with criticism.”
Sultana is no stranger to running outsider campaigns or courting controversy.
In 2024, Sultana said she felt “demonized and marginalized” by Panto and other members of the council. Sultana ran against Panto in the 2019 Easton mayoral election and lost. Panto could not be reached for comment.
Sultana also ran in 2024 for state representative in Pennsylvania’s 136th District, losing to state Rep. Robert Freeman.
During her single term on Easton City Council, a petition was created calling for Sultana to step down. Easton resident Chris Philips started the petition, claiming that 250 residents had signed it.
Philips alleged that Sultana missed multiple council meetings for reasons that included a protest in Bethlehem and an event for her campaign against Freeman. Sultana disagreed, claiming that she had only missed one meeting due to a family emergency.