Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

This week on Political Pulse, Chris Borick and Tom Shortell talk about local off-year elections and how their impacts are often more personal than the results of presidential elections, despite having lower voter turnout.

Lehigh and Northampton county officials participated in a risk-limiting audit that confirmed the results in the state treasurer race. That audit came in addition to a statewide statistical audit.

The Lehigh Valley's LGBTQ community is looking for ways to move forward in the wake of election campaigns that used sharp rhetoric, leaders say.

Local LGBTQ activists have fears following rhetoric by President-elect Donald Trump and many conservatives during the election season and at Trump's Allentown rally.

Nadeem Qaddum, the husband of Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, will run for one of five at-large seats on Northampton County Council in the 2025 election.

Democrats in Pennsylvania lost its 19 presidential electoral votes, a U.S. Senate seat, three other statewide races, and two congressional seats.

What can we expect from a second Donald Trump presidency? This week on Political Pulse, Tom Shortell and Chris Borick talk about Trump's plans for his second term.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, will close her third term in Congress on Jan. 3 after being defeated in the election by Republican Ryan Mackenzie. From the inside, Wild has been a witness to major swings in American politics in her six years in Washington.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey conceded to Republican challenger David McCormick on Thursday night. The Pennsylvania Department of State ended the automatic recount in the unusually close race since the result was no longer contested.

Join Megan Frank every Friday at 9:30am and 6:30pm for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, Brittany Sweeney takes her place, joined by politics reporter Tom Shortell and Easton reporter Brian Myszkowski.

Northampton County held a swearing-in ceremony for recently elected council members, others on Tuesday.

Gavin Holihan took the oath of office Tuesday morning as Lehigh County's new district attorney. He said he'll divert resources away from penny-ante issues to focus on battling violent crime.

The 20-year-old is a youth director with Promise Neighborhoods of Lehigh Valley. She graduated from William Allen High School in 2021 and won election to the school board in the November general election.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Lafayette College will host the 2024 vice presidential debate this coming September, drawing the world's eyes to its Easton campus. Nicole Hurd, the college's president, hopes it will be an opportunity to highlight the liberal arts school and the greater Easton community.

In a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Rep. Milou Mackenzie asked the Department of State to provide Northampton County with instructions on how to avoid more Election Day mistakes with their voting machines.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure on Friday named a human resources department manager as his acting director of administration. She joined the county in May 2022.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Mark Pinsley announced Friday, Dec. 1, that he will run for auditor general in 2024. The position oversees financial and performance audits of Pennsylvania state government.

County Executive Lamont McClure reiterated Thursday he will not step down after the county experienced widespread problems with its voting machines on Election Day. Despite the problems, the county's Election Commission certified the results last week.

Republican Kat Copeland is hoping her experience as a federal and local prosecutor will help her become Pennsylvania's next attorney general.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.