Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Democrat Brian Panella declared victory in the race for Northampton County judge late Tuesday, likely securing a 10-year term on the Court of Common Pleas.

School board races were among the most prominent contests Tuesday across the Lehigh Valley.

Zrinski had a more than 6,000 vote lead, according to unofficial election returns, with an unspecified number of provisional ballots remaining to be counted.

Colleen Laird, a lifelong Bethlehem resident and Democrat, brought in 8,336 votes across Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Follow along with LehighValleyNews.com to get the latest in breaking Election Night news for the 2023 Pennsylvania general election.

Check out searchable, unofficial returns for contested school board races in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Preliminary results show a Democratic sweep in the hotly contested East Penn School Board race, over Republican challengers by over 1,000 votes each in the hotly contested and controversy laden race

These are searchable, unofficial results as reported by the Lehigh County elections office on Tuesday night. Provisional ballots are not included. The vote will remain unofficial until certified in several days.

These are searchable, unofficial results as reported by the Northampton County elections office on Tuesday night. Provisional ballots are not included. The vote will remain unofficial until certified in several days.

Four incumbents could have much higher pay rates when they start new terms next year than when they won re-election Tuesday night, according to unofficial results.

Today, voters in 10 states will cast their ballot for the presidential primary. Vice President Joe Biden currently has more delegates than Senator Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has been busy after a tape emerged of him telling wealthy donors that nearly half of Americans see themselves as victims dependent on the federal government. Now he's trying to make those remarks part of a broader argument: What is the proper role of government and who should pay for it?

Fundraising reports filed Thursday night by the presidential campaigns look a lot like recent public opinion polls. They show President Obama with a slight advantage in monthly fundraising last month — while Republican Mitt Romney has the edge by some other measures.

In the coming weeks, candidates will bombard your mailboxes with ads. It may seem old-fashioned, but the consultants who devise direct-mail campaigns have become sophisticated about knowing whom to reach and what to say.

President Obama says he hasn't given up on overhauling immigration law despite opposition from Republicans in Congress. Obama faced some tough questions during a forum on Univision including what would be different if he won four more years in the White House.

The former Massachusetts governor has been unofficially running for president for the better part of five years, and in that time, he has been asked about immigration over and over. Now some of Mitt Romney's rivals are arguing that his answers to the question have been inconsistent.

When it comes to abortion, the former governor of Massachusetts appears to have changed his position, from being in favor of abortion rights to being opposed. But now some are asking if Romney ever supported abortion rights at all? Backers of abortion rights don't think so.

From health care to climate change to immigration, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has found himself at odds with conservatives over the years. But will Republican voters overlook those issues if they think he can beat President Obama?

Thursday in Pittsburgh, Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appeared to shift his position on climate change. Speaking at the Consol Energy Center, he said, "My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet." In his book No Apology and in earlier public appearances, Romney has said that he believes climate change is occurring — and that humans are a contributing factor. At a campaign appearance in New Hampshire back in August, Romney emphasized questions about the extent of the human role. But his remarks in Pittsburgh represent a clear shirt toward a skeptical position on the causes of climate change.

Recent polls have shown that while most Latinos still support President Obama's re-election, that support is waning. But while Republicans in Las Vegas see an opening to persuade Nevada Latinos to their party, they're having trouble exploiting it.