Meet Meriam Sabih

Roots in Public Service

Meriam Sabih was born to Pakistani immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life — and found one through the quiet dignity of public work. Her mother spent her career as a pharmacy technician at a VA Hospital, serving the veterans who had given so much for this country. Her father worked in the New York State Court Administration, believing that a fair justice system is the foundation of a functioning democracy. Meriam grew up watching her parents show up — every day, without fanfare — in service of their communities.

That example never left her. It shaped the kind of journalist she became, the kind of school board member she is today, and the kind of state representative she intends to be.

A Journalist Who Went Looking for the Truth

Meriam earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from Rutgers University, then a Master of Arts in Political Science from Lehigh University — the institution she would return to again and again as her career deepened and her roots in the Lehigh Valley grew stronger.

She became a journalist because she believed, and still believes, that the public deserves honest information about the forces shaping their lives. Over her career she reported for Al Jazeera America, HuffPost, The Express Tribune (the International New York Times edition), SouthAsia Magazine, Dawn, and the Toronto Star. She covered stories that mattered — stories about power, about inequality, about communities often overlooked by mainstream American media.

In 2023, her expertise was recognized by the Atlantic Council, one of the country's most respected foreign policy institutions, which named her a Non-Resident Senior Fellow. She also completed a judicial externship with Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Daniel D. McCaffery — an experience that deepened her understanding of how the law works, and who it works for.

Coming Home to the Lehigh Valley

More than 15 years ago, Meriam and her family put down roots in Upper Saucon Township in Lehigh County — in the heart of what would become Pennsylvania House District 131. She is not a candidate parachuting into a district she doesn't know. She is a neighbor. A parent in the same school system. A person who shops at the same grocery stores, drives the same roads, and worries about the same things her neighbors worry about.

She is the mother of three boys, all of them in local schools. When she ran for Southern Lehigh School Board, she won. She has been doing the unglamorous work of local governance — budget meetings, curriculum debates, facilities planning — because she understands that democracy happens at every level, not just in Washington.

In 2024, she made her first run for state legislature. She won the Democratic primary with 72.2% of the vote. She outraised the three-term Republican incumbent, Milou MacKenzie, by nearly two-to-one — $145,342 raised against MacKenzie's $37,779 in the comparable period. She lost the general election 42.7% to 57.2%, in a presidential year in a Republican-leaning district. She is running again in 2026.

Why She's Running in 2026

Meriam Sabih is running for Pennsylvania House District 131 in 2026 because the issues on the ballot are the issues affecting her neighbors every day — and because the incumbent has a voting record that is out of step with this district.

MacKenzie voted against $1 billion in new school funding. She voted for a constitutional amendment that would have eliminated Pennsylvania's abortion protections. She voted against common-sense gun safety measures while earning a perfect rating from the Gun Owners of America. She sponsored a bill to open state parks and forests to oil and gas drilling.

Meriam believes in something different: that public schools should be funded fairly, that reproductive decisions belong to families and their doctors, that parks and farmland are worth protecting, and that a community's strength is measured by how it treats everyone — not just the most fortunate.

The 2026 election will be held under a Republican president, which historically produces strong Democratic performances in midterm races. Pennsylvania's House majority is razor-thin — 102 to 101, Democratic. Every seat matters. District 131 matters.

Meriam Sabih is ready.