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.

While moderate Republicans and Democrats prevailed in most races, two Moms for Liberty candidates won seats on the Nazareth Area school board in Northampton County.

The township appears to have voted all Democrats into three open seats on its council. Come 2026, the board will likely start adhering to term limits following unofficial results from a ballot question.

With a contentious presidential election on the horizon, Northampton County officials are working with their voting machine contractor to prevent errors like those in Tuesday's general election.

Check out this roundup of Lehigh Valley election races, where voters cast ballots for candidates at the county and local levels on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.

Unofficial results show Democrats with decisive leads in both contested races for Northampton County Council late Tuesday, setting up a 6-3 Democratic majority come January.

Democrat Brian Panella declared victory in the race for Northampton County judge late Tuesday, likely securing a 10-year term on the Court of Common Pleas.

School board races were among the most prominent contests Tuesday across the Lehigh Valley.

Zrinski had a more than 6,000 vote lead, according to unofficial election returns, with an unspecified number of provisional ballots remaining to be counted.

Colleen Laird, a lifelong Bethlehem resident and Democrat, brought in 8,336 votes across Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Check out searchable, unofficial returns for contested school board races in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Preliminary results show a Democratic sweep in the hotly contested East Penn School Board race, over Republican challengers by over 1,000 votes each in the hotly contested and controversy laden race

These are searchable, unofficial results as reported by the Lehigh County elections office on Tuesday night. Provisional ballots are not included. The vote will remain unofficial until certified in several days.