Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Operations at Lehigh Valley International Airport have not suffered from the government shutdown to date, according to Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority officials. However, an increase in air traffic controllers calling out sick during the last shutdown spurred a deal in 2019.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure released a statement Tuesday explaining he would not take a loan to pay the county's bills during the state budget impasse. He urged legislators to adopt a budget and restore the flow of funds.

“We were looking for answers that aligned with our vision as an association for the work that we want to do in the district,” said Allentown Education Association President Leslie Franklin.

Lehigh Valley Political Pulse host Tom Shortell wants to hear from you. Readers are encouraged to submit questions through the link in the article. They may be addressed on a future episode of the program.

Political scientist Chris Borick joined Tom Shortell again this week to try to make sense of the government shutdown and what it all means.

Senate Democrats have refused to fund the federal government unless Republicans agree to extend tax subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. U.S. Ryan Mackenzie supports the tax subsidies but echoed Republican demands that no deal can be struck until the federal government is funded.

Candidates for Southern Lehigh School Board participated in a forum Tuesday at the Univest Public Media Center organized by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County. There are seven candidates on the ballot, vying for four seats.

Candidates for Parkland School Board will participate in a forum tonight at the Univest Public Media Center organized by the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County. There are six candidates on the ballot, vying for four seats.

Northampton County Council voted down a measure Thursday that would have required administrators to seek the council's approval before spending money on planned satellite voting offices in Bethlehem and Washington Township.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure released his proposal Thursday for the 2026 county budget. The proposal keeps taxes flat.

This week on Political Pulse, Tom and Chris discuss the latest trends emerging from science-based polls to break down local, state and national campaigns and issues.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, both seeking the Lehigh Valley's seat in the next Congress, each cast themselves as a moderate facing a radical in a debate Sunday.

The League of Women Voters of Lehigh County will hold a meet-and-greet from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Active Life Center senior center at 1633 Elm St. in Allentown.

The program of mental health professionals and trained volunteers makes contact with families reeling after a loved one's suicide. The group has responded to 20 of 22 suicides in Lehigh County so far in 2024.

What feels like a local housing crisis is actually a “global phenomenon” across all income levels, state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh, said at a housing summit Friday.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on procedural grounds that a lower court should not have taken up the case because it did not draw in the election boards in all 67 counties.

State Rep. Siegel, 29, became the first candidate to publicly disclose plans to run for Lehigh County executive. The 29-year-old Democrat previously served on Allentown City Council and worked for Lehigh County government for five years.

Democrats said they wanted Vice President Kamala Harris to provide more details about her policies while Republicans acknowledge she presents a more serious challenge to former President Donald Trump.

U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick held a meet and greet at the Syrian Arab American Charity Association on Tuesday. He's challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.

American investors are endangering national security by empowering adversaries like China and Russia to develop technology such as artificial intelligence and quantum information science, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said. He's looking to limit how American companies invest in key industries in "countries of concern" and how they can in turn invest in American businesses.

This week on Political Pulse, Tom and Chris talk about public opinion polling at a state and national level — and what that means to voters.

A microcosm of Pennsylvania, Northampton County's urban areas, rural farms and middle-class suburbs make it a melting pot of different political stripes.