Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

At a debate in Allentown on Thursday, candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Lehigh County Executive gave virtually the same answers to every question.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, defended the Trump administration's tariff policy and DOGE cuts during the 90-minute CNN "Town Hall: America Asks Congress" on Thursday night.

More eyes are on local and international races, especially with billionaire Elon Musk becoming more politically active. Why should anyone care about smaller elections? This week on Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick dive into those details.

Multiple sources tell LehighValleyNews.com that Carol Obando-Derstine is expected to launch a campaign for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The battleground seat is held by freshman U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, will be one of four House members from battleground districts to take questions from a bipartisan audience and CNN anchors.

Lehigh Valley Public Media comprises LehighValleyNews.com, PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR. Debates to be held in advance of the May 20 primary election include Allentown mayor, Bethlehem mayor, Northampton County executive and Lehigh County executive.

Lehigh Valley business experts said it's too soon to determine how President Donald Trump's across-the-board tariffs of 10% or more will affect the economy but acknowledged that stakes are high.

Candidates for Lower Saucon Township Council and Stockertown Borough Council will remain in their races after Northampton County Judge Craig Dally dismissed or overruled efforts to kick them off the ballot for technical grounds.

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell is joined by political scientist Chris Borick to talk about the department, its standing in American politics and its future.

Easton United for Democracy, an advocacy group less than a month old, held a protest in the city's Centre Square Sunday to push back against the Trump Administration.

Democrat Anna Thomas is taking another shot at incumbent Rep. Joe Emrick for House District 137 in an election that may be decided by how the candidates handle warehouses.

Politics reporter Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick examine the results from the latest Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in this week's Political Pulse. It found Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a virtual tie for Pennsylvania's 19 Electoral College votes.

Former Gov. Tom Corbett and two former federal judges said that petitions for recounts and other litigation could cause some Pennsylvania counties to miss the deadline to certify results of the November election.

Allentown officials are asking voters to authorize them to one day raise the tax rate paid when properties are bought and sold in the city.

It was a packed house at the Emmaus Theatre for a special early screening of the documentary film "War Game" starring former government officials Wednesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump were locked in a 48% to 48% tie in a poll of likely voters released Wednesday by Muhlenberg College's Institute of Public Opinion.

A state appeals court is upholding a lower court's finding that a Republican-controlled county in Pennsylvania violated state law when election workers refused to tell voters whether their mail-in ballot in April's primary election would be counted. The case is one of several election-related lawsuits being litigated in Pennsylvania, a hotly contested presidential battleground state. Tuesday's decision by a Commonwealth Court panel upheld a Washington County judge's month-old order.

The film "War Game," produced by an Emmaus High School graduate, simulates what it would be like if a full insurrection really came to pass.

This week on Political Pulse, Tom and Chris discuss what makes a poll scientifically accurate, including a breakdown of how political polls are conducted.

Republicans have seen their numbers swell in Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, but they still lag behind the total number of registered Democrats in the state and region.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his first campaign stop in the Lehigh Valley, addressing more than 1,500 people at Freedom High School's gymnasium Saturday afternoon.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz wowed the crowd with a campaign speech at Freedom High School in Bethlehem on Saturday afternoon.