Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Organizers with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Democratic National Congressional Committee and several other groups invited U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie to a town hall event Thursday over proposed Medicaid cuts. Instead, the first-term Republican will hold his own telephone town hall.

Philip Ginder, 74, who served on the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners for 24 years, was appointed on Wednesday to fill the vacancy created when Commissioner Robert Piligian resigned in February.

Candidates for Northampton County Council, Allentown City Council, Allentown mayor and Parkland School Board are being challenged in court for allegedly failing to meet legal requirements to appear on the May ballot.

A Lehigh County judge ruled in favor of LoriAnn Fehnel, a Republican candidate for Whitehall Township Commissioner, who challenged that candidate Betsey H. Charles's nominating petition is invalid and should be set aside.

City officials voted in favor of raising the next council president’s salary from $7,600 to $11,400 a year and council members’ annual pay from $7,100 to $10,650. However, City Council decided against salary increases for the next mayor and controller.

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell speaks with Celeste Dee, owner of Lehigh Valley-based Advantage Political Strategies. The two talk about judicial campaigns.

The vacancy on the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners will be filled at a meeting on Wednesday night. The board interviewed three candidates on Monday night.

Whitehall Township treasurer/tax collector Tina Koren is asking the Lehigh County Court to reject Commissioner Thomas Slonaker's nominating petition for her job.

Whitehall Township commissioner Republican candidate LoriAnn Fehnel filed a challenge March 14 against fellow Republican candidate Betsey H. Charles, 3212 Chestnut St., based on deficiencies on the latter’s petition.

Gerald C. Yob has been mayor of Freemansburg for 44 years. He served on borough council 12 years before that. Yob turns 96 in August, and plans on running for a 12th term as mayor.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, spent more than $5.4 million in the past three months as she seeks a fourth term in Congress. Republican challenger Ryan Mackenzie spent just a fraction of that in his bid to win Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

This week on Political Pulse, politics reporter Tom and political scientist Chris Borick talk about what the stakes are looking like in the race for Pennsylvania's seventh congressional district.

Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz made a stop at a home in Easton on Monday to stir up support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Walz's husband, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, just a few weeks shy of Election Day.

Senator Bob Casey and representatives from the Pa. Treasury celebrated the progress of the state's ABLE program, which lets people with serious disabilities save money without jeopardizing their benefits.

The drop box at the Lehigh County Government Center is at the main entrance and is accessible around the clock. The other four locations are inside buildings and available during regular business hours.

A ballot question will allow Allentown residents to weigh in on whether city council should have the power to raise the deed transfer tax. The city's Home Rule Charter has locked the tax at its current rate for decades.

In an effort to keep the community informed and help stop the spread of misinformation, LehighValleyNews.com has partnered with the Center for Media Engagement to look out for — and call out — election misinformation.

Gwen Walz's visit to the Lehigh Valley on Monday is one of two stops that day that will kick off a tour of Pennsylvania. She and Gov. Tim Walz — the Democratic vice presidential candidate — have been married for 30 years.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries visited Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District Thursday to promote their parties candidates. Democratic incumbent Susan Wild and Republican challenger Ryan Mackenzie are locked in one of the tightest U.S. House races in the country.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild leads state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie by six points, according to a Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll released Thursday. However, the results are still within the margin of error for the toss-up district.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild hosted U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., for a tour of Center City Allentown on Wednesday. The local Latino community is growing up and could decide the course of the United States' political future, the pair said.

The leading lawmakers for the Democratic and Republican parties will hold competing events in Northampton County on Thursday.