Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

The Allentown School District said it will dismiss students early Friday because of the potential for road closures Friday in connection with vice presidential candidate Tim Walz's campaign stop in Allentown.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump will rally supporters Tuesday at the PPL Center in Allentown. It's his second campaign visit to the Lehigh Valley this year.

Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled people whose mail ballots are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law can cast provisional ballots. The decision is sure to affect some of the thousands of mail-in votes experts say are likely to be rejected this fall for not following all of the mail-in voting procedures required.

Another visit from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is in order for the Lehigh Valley. The Democratic vice presidential candidate will make his second trip to the area this Friday in Allentown.

Mayor Matt Tuerk told LehighValleyNews.com in February he would seek a second term, but he's set to officially announce his campaign in mid-November.

This week on Political Pulse, politics reporter Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick discuss why politicians make public appearances, both alone and with well-known figures.

Over 100 people showed up to show support for allies of former President Donald Trump. Two stops were made locally — in Allentown and Bethlehem.

The deadline for Pennsylvanians to register to vote in the 2024 general election is Oct. 21 — just 15 days before Election Day on Nov. 5.

Pennsylvania law requires voters deposit only their own ballot and prohibits people from returning other voters’ ballots — including a spouse's — to a drop box on their behalf. Enforcement is another issue.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain visited Allentown on Sunday to rally union members for the Harris-Walz ticket and other Democrats on the ballot ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The Lehigh Valley’s James Lawson Freedom School is a six-week summer program that uses a multicultural literacy curriculum and an intergenerational teaching model.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, said Congress should intervene if the Trump administration fails to release details of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. The sex offender and financier's death in custody in 2019 has sparked years of speculation and conspiracy theories.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the Lehigh Valley's first-term Republican lawmaker, will hold his second telephone town hall Wednesday evening. It comes after Congress passed the controversial One Big Beautiful Bill and amid turmoil over the Jeffrey Epstein fallout.

Last month's campaign finance report shows Roger MacLean had just $2,666 on hand, compared with the $200,403 that Josh Siegel had in the bank.

Thursday marked five years since U.S. Rep. John Lewis' death from stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old.

The rescission bill affects public media and foreign aid and now heads back to the U.S. House, which previously passed a different version of the funding cuts. President Donald Trump must sign the legislation before midnight Friday to eliminate the previously approved funding.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie is sitting on $1.19 million in his campaign coffers. Meanwhile, Democratic hopefuls Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure and Carol Obando-Derstine raised a combined $616,675 toward their own campaigns in the past three months.

Pennsylvania state lawmakers have failed to pass a spending plan for the year ahead — more than two weeks past the deadline. This week's Political Pulse looks at what the holdups are.

All three of the Lehigh Valley's state senators backed a bill that would make cities liable if they don't clear out homeless camps deemed to be public nuisances. However, House consideration of the measure seems unlikely, according to one lawmaker.

Two local state representatives co-sponsored House Bill 17, which passed out of the chamber last month. It was referred to the state Senate's education committee for further review.

State Senators were urged to vote to fully fund public transportation in the state budget during a rally on Thursday in Bethlehem.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk won the Democratic Primary in May, while Councilman Ed Zucal claimed victory on the Republican ballot. The contest has yet to kick back into gear.