Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Justin Simmons, who served a decade in the Pennsylvania House, is the first Republican to announce a bid for the county’s top job.

Ron W. Beitler is seeking reelection to the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners, he announced in a news release Tuesday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is scheduled to deliver his budget proposal for 2025-26 to a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He is expected to seek more money for public schools and public transit.

A lifelong Bethlehem resident announced her run for City Council Monday. With strong city ties and a commitment to inclusiveness, she said, she aims to build on Bethlehem’s growth and address key local issues.

Rachel Leon, a member of Bethlehem City Council, will run for another term in office, she said Thursday.

The Trump administration directive, rescinded Wednesday, could have put tens of millions of dollars at risk across the Lehigh Valley, speakers said Friday outside the Lehigh County Government Center.

Democrat Geoff Brace, who represents the county’s 4th District, announced his plans to seek another term.

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week Megan talks to environment and science reporter Molly Bilinski and Northampton County reporter Ryan Gaylor.

In a speech in Bethlehem on Thursday, Northampton County Controller Tara Zrinski formally announced her run for county executive. The county's incumbent executive endorsed her for the post, and will help fund her campaign.

Crampsie Smith said she will focus on fiscal management, smart growth, neighborhoods, infrastructure.

Northampton County officials will sort through nearly 4,000 provisional ballots. A significant portion of them came from the polling places serving Lehigh University and Lafayette College.

This week on Political Pulse, Tom and Chris talk about the outcomes of the general election — including Northampton County's significance in elections.

Since the start of the 20th century, Northampton County has backed the winning president all but three times. It lived up to its bellwether status again by narrowly backing President-elect Donald Trump over Kamala Harris in last week's 2024 presidential election.

Councilman Ed Zucal is set to be the first person to announce a challenge to Mayor Matt Tuerk's re-election bid.

None of the state House's 203 districts are changing hands in 2025. A race called on Friday for state Rep. Frank Burns, a Johnstown-area Democrat, gave Democrats a 102-101 margin and dashed Republican hopes of returning to control after two years in the minority.

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, she's joined by politics reporter Tom Shortell and digital managing content producer Stephanie Sigafoos.

After a polling place in South Bethlehem saw a six-hour wait to vote on Tuesday, Northampton County officials blame an unexpected jump in student turnout compared with 2020.

Beating U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is earth-shaking for Pennsylvania’s Democratic establishment. He's the state's longest-serving Democrat ever in the Senate. Casey had won six statewide general elections going back to 1996.

The Pennsylvania Senate contest between Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick was inside the automatic recount threshold on Thursday morning.

State Sen. Jarrett Coleman challenged over 500 mail-in ballot applications of former Lehigh County voters. Coleman said in a text that he will pursue other ways to challenge how counties register voters living abroad.

State Rep. Joe Emrick won Pennsylvania's 137th House District in his battle against Democratic challenger Anna Thomas.

Unofficial results from the Pennsylvania Department of State show U.S. Rep. Susan Wild trailing Republican Ryan Mackenzie by about 1 percentage point in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.