Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

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.

County Executive Lamont McClure on Friday accepted the resignation of Charles Dertinger, his director of administration and a longtime political ally. As director of administration, Dertinger oversaw the county elections division, which came under scrutiny in the wake of widespread voting machine problems in the Nov. 7 election.

The Northampton County Republican Committee's legal team is in discussions with the Pennsylvania Republican Committee's legal team on how to proceed toward decertifying the county's election machines.

By a 4-1 vote, the Northampton County Election Commission certified the Nov. 7 election results, despite widespread problems with its voting machines.

A federal court has directed Pennsylvania counties to accept mail ballots that a voter has failed to date or misdated, a long-awaited decision that could affect thousands of ballots in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

The debate will be held in Kirby Sports Center on the Easton campus. Additional details, including the format and moderators, will be announced as they are identified, college officials said.

Widespread errors in Northampton County's voting machines need to be investigated before results from Nov. 7 are certified, according to the chair of the Northampton County Republican Committee.

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild tangled over Medicare, foreign affairs and Social Security during an hourlong debate Friday at WFMZ's Salisbury Township studio.

Dozens of individuals from a variety of organizing groups assembled in Allentown Thursday to rally for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, motivating the crowd to join in the fight.

Debra Biro, Melanie Heilman, Steve Lynch and Richard Morea face charges of harassment following a raucous Northampton County Republican Committee meeting involving pornographic images.

The visit will be Doug Emhoff's second to Allentown as second gentleman. He visited the region in May 2021 to promote the Biden administration's infrastructure plan.

This week on Political Pulse, Chris and Tom move away from talk of the presidential race and shift gears to focus on statehouse races.

Pennsylvania's 137th House District, based around Bethlehem Township and the Nazareth area, is one of the biggest toss-up legislative districts in the state. Democratic challenger Anna Thomas is embroiled in a rematch with Republican incumbent state Rep. Joe Emrick.

Following a Commonwealth Court ruling Friday, Pennsylvania counties cannot throw out mail-in votes over incorrect envelope dates.

The Northampton County Elections Office said it has gotten several reports of county voters receiving text messages from "AllVote.com." It's at least the second text-based scam in the Lehigh Valley that county officials are aware of.

State and local lawmakers on Thursday talked up a $25 million program to install solar power at Pennsylvania schools. That program could be implemented at Allentown public schools.

Elected officials are taking steps to adjust development laws that some see as unfair, but they face an uphill battle. (Fourth of 5 parts)

In this episode, Chris and Tom talk about the general election and the sprint to November now that the presidential race is officially between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Thirteen speakers urged a packed house of Lehigh Valley Democrats in Bethlehem on Monday night to go to the mat for their candidates in state and federal races this November.