Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick discuss how President Trump is attempting to redefine citizenship, including challenges to century-old legal findings.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Join Megan Frank every Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week she talks with Allentown reporter Jason Addy and East Penn reporter Jay Bradley.

A tour group consisting of Europeans interested in the American political system stopped in Northampton County to see the spectacle of election season this week.

A video shot at the Northampton County Courthouse has gotten millions of views on social media with suggestions voter fraud is at play. The county executive says it's anything but.

"A Community Conversation: Protecting Your Vote" aired Wednesday on PBS39 and will be rebroadcast at 6 p.m. Thursday. It's hosted by LehighValleyNews.com politics reporter Tom Shortell.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Maya Harris and Luis Miranda Jr. attended a campaign party at the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society to help rally the Latino vote for Democrats.

More than 2.1 million Pennsylvania voters have been approved for a mail-in ballot this election, down from the 3 million ballots requested in 2020. Democrats saw the steepest drop, allowing Republicans to increase their share of mail-in ballots.

Over-the-counter voting continued in Lehigh County on Wednesday after a judge granted a motion by the Lehigh County Board of Elections to extend in-person voting at the elections office until 5 p.m.

The party Wednesday night is being held at the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society in Bethlehem, organized in conjunction with the Latino Victory Fund. It comes three days after a comedian's remark at a Donald Trump rally in New York City drew outrage.

Donald Trump held a campaign rally before a packed house at the PPL Center in Allentown — a city with a large Puerto Rican population. He said he had done more for Puerto Ricans than any president in American history.

Former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the PPL Cener in downtown Allentown

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey held a campaign event at Cedar Crest College, urging support for women’s reproductive rights. He highlighted the need for legislation that ensures access to fertility treatments and family planning.

Thousands came to downtown Allentown for former President Donald Trump's campaign rally — exactly one week before Election Day.