Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

In the Pennsylvania Capitol, no other issue defines the legislative career of newly minted state House Speaker Mark Rozzi more than helping survivors of decades-old sexual abuse.

Some are hopeful the chamber will finally pass rule changes aimed at giving all lawmakers a say in making policy, but there’s reason to be skeptical.

"It causes me a lot of concern about how anything gets done. Is this just going to be two years of paralysis, which is a horrifying thought," said Wild, a Democrat who is still waiting to be sworn into her third full term representing the Lehigh Valley.

The two Pennsylvania Republicans are key figures in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to the House Jan. 6 Committee.

A Democrat who promised to govern as an independent was elected speaker of the narrowly divided Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday on the strength of about a dozen GOP votes.

The new lawmakers from the Lehigh Valley joined more than 50 other new faces who were ceremonially sworn in to the General Assembly in Harrisburg.

More than a dozen conservative Republicans rebelled against Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, preventing a House speaker from being elected on the first two rounds of votes.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s state House are scheduled to elect a new speaker Tuesday.

The new Congress, including Rep. Susan Wild and Senator-elect John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, will be sworn into office at noon on Jan. 3, 2023.

Jarrett Coleman initially planned to stay on as a Parkland School Board member while simultaneously serving in the state Senate. He changed course last month. Good government advocates say such an arrangement creates the potential for conflicts of interest.

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.

The bunch, joined by a dozen more people with signs at nearby intersections, lay along the sidewalk for a “die-in” at Third and Wyandotte Park along Route 378 North.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

Pennsylvania's 137th District is among the most competitive state House races in the commonwealth. It's based in the swing suburbs of Northampton County.

President Donald Trump campaigned on immigration enforcement and recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have gained national and local attention. This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick look into the public's reaction to these raids.