ALBURTIS, Pa. — Vice President JD Vance will swing through the Lehigh Valley on Tuesday as the Republican Party continues its charm offensive ahead of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
The Republican National Committee is allowing members of the public to apply for tickets to see Vance speak at 10 a.m. at the Uline Shipping Supplies facility on the Alburtis-Lower Macungie Township border.
The visit comes a week after President Donald Trump held a campaign rally at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County to fire up his MAGA base ahead of the midterms.
Republicans control the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and White House but polls show their popularity is waning as voters grow increasingly frustrated with the high cost of living. While Trump hammered that issue on the 2024 campaign trail while running for president again, office, housing, energy and food costs have remained stubbornly high even as inflation has eased.
The Lehigh Valley and its surrounding locales could prove critical to future control of the U.S. House. Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District is perhaps the nation's most competitive seat.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, squeaked out a one-percentage point victory over then-incumbent Susan Wild in 2024. Just north of the district, U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., will try to defend Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District for the first time. He won his swing district by 1.7 percentage points last year.
And just over the Delaware River from both districts is New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., will look to win his third term in the toss-up district this November. Republicans hold a narrow majority, and losing these three seats would all but sink their chances of wielding the Speaker's gavel in 2027.
Historically, the party in control of the White House sees its numbers slip in Congress. That's what happened in Trump's last midterm when Democrats rode a "Blue Wave" in 2018 to gain control of the U.S. House. But sweeping losses are not a guarantee.
Many political prognosticators expected Democrats to do equally poorly in 2022 as inflation spiked under President Joe Biden. And while Democrats did lose control of the House, it wasn't by the dramatic margins many anticipated. Political scientists chalked the surprising results to voters motivated by the Supreme Court's decision to reverse precedent on abortion rights that year.
