| Zach Mako | |
| State House: | Pennsylvania |
| District: | 183rd |
| Predecessor: | Julie Harhart |
| Birth Date: | 17 December 1988 |
| Birth Place: | Walnutport, Pennsylvania |
| Residence: | Lehigh Township |
| Party: | Republican |
| Alma Mater: | Kutztown University B.A. Pennsylvania State University M.B.A. |
Zach Mako (born December 17, 1988) is an American politician who has served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 183rd district since 2017.[1] [2]
Mako was born on December 17, 1988, and was raised in Walnutport and graduated from the Northampton Area High School.[3] Mako is also a veteran of the Pennsylvania National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. During his time in the army Mako earned an bachelor's degree in finance from Kutztown University in 2015.[4] Later in 2023 he earned a master of business administration from Pennsylvania State University.[5]
Following the retirement of Julie Harhart, Mako was one of two Republicans to attempt to succeed her in the 2016 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election, running a close race with Cynthia Miller, supervisor of Lehigh Township.[6] Mako would win the primary with 3,614 votes to Miller's 3,418. Mako would go on to defeat Democrat Phillips Armstrong, a Whitehall Township commissioner with 17,481 votes to Armstrong's 12,700.[7] [8] After less than two months serving in the House Mako was called to Fort Rucker for air combat operations training as he is still an active member of the army reserve, as a Chinook pilot.[9]
During the 2018 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election Mako would face off against Democrat Jason Ruff, a small business owner from Slatington and vice president of their borough council.[10] Ruff would center his campaign on Mako's refusal to support anti-gerrymandering efforts, while Mako would largely ignore Ruff's campaign, refusing to attend a debate hosted by the League of Women voters. Ruff would lose with just 10,731 votes to Mako's 14,020.[11]
Mako and Ruff would have a rematch in the 2020 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election.[12] Mako centered his campaign on lifting COVID-19 restrictions, while Ruff supported further shutdowns. Mako also expressed opposition to introducing vote by mail saying it could "potentially allow for fraud" while Ruff supported the practice saying it would "ensure a fair election." Both Mako and Ruff supported reforms to property tax to reduce the burden on the district's elderly. Mako would beat Ruff by a wider margin, earning 22,294 votes to Ruff's 14,233.[13]
Mako would run unopposed in the 2022 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election. At that time, Mako introduced an amendment to a Pennsylvania law outlawing the use of ATVs and dirt bikes within city limits so that the vehicles can be used in boroughs and townships.[14] Mako also secured $150,000 for the refurbishment of the Slatington municipal pool, which had been closed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and had fallen into disrepair.[15]
Mako would see his first primary challenge during the 2024 Pennsylvania House of Representatives election, running against Zachari Halkias, the president pro tem of the Slatington Borough Council and a member of the Lehigh County Republican Committee. Halkias accused Mako of not being a "true conservative", for not being more supportive of Donald Trump, and for being out of touch with his constituency's residents. Halkias specifically targeted Mako's support of a bill which would protect non-Pennsylvania residents traveling to Pennsylvania to get an abortion. Mako would soundly defeat Halkias, 5,216 votes to 1,997 votes, to go on to the general election where he will face off against Democrat Joseph Lenzi.[16]