Democratic State Rep. Steve Malagari faces Republican Yanni Lambros in Pennsylvania’s 53rd House District on Tuesday, November 3, in a Montgomery County race between two candidates of Greek descent.
Both men grew up in Lansdale, one of the communities at the center of the contest. The district also includes Hatfield Borough and Township, Souderton, the Montgomery County portion of Telford, and parts of Franconia and Montgomery townships.
Malagari, 43, is seeking a fifth two-year term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. First elected in 2018, he previously served on Lansdale Borough Council and currently serves as a deputy whip for House Democrats.
His Greek roots trace to his mother’s family in Mytilene, on the island of Lesvos. In 2025, he joined the governing board of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association, which connects elected legislators of Greek descent from around the world.
Lambros, who owns Koffee Korner Cafe in Lansdale, previously ran unsuccessfully for Borough Council in 2021 and 2023 and for the North Penn School Board in 2025. He entered the House race through a write-in campaign in the May Republican primary, securing the party’s nomination after no Republican candidate appeared on the printed primary ballot.
The candidates offer different approaches to several issues facing the district. Malagari’s campaign priorities include lowering health care costs, supporting public schools, protecting reproductive rights, and funding public safety. Lambros calls for property tax relief, fewer regulatory barriers for small businesses, greater government transparency, and closer scrutiny of large-scale development projects, including data centers, in his campaign platform.
Malagari became the first Democrat to represent the 53rd District since 1972. His margin of victory has grown from approximately 1,000 votes in 2018 to more than 7,000 in 2024, when he defeated Republican Cheryl Bonavita by 21,057 votes to 13,912, according to Montgomery County’s official election results.
Regardless of the outcome, the district will be represented by a lawmaker of Greek descent.
Unofficial returns from Tuesday’s election will be available through Montgomery County’s election results dashboard as ballots are counted.