Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

More than 150 people turned out to Cedar Crest College to hear Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure and Carol-Obando Derstine square off at a debate organized by the Lehigh County Democratic Committee.

Bob Brooks, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, is due in Northampton County Court this month over a $162,000 debt owed to his former mother-in-law.

Former Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana listed her job as "self-employed" on a candidate form. The lack of detail about her occupation violated state law and was grounds to remove her from the Democratic primary, Commonwealth Court Judge Anne Covey ruled.

Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure and Carol Obando-Derstine recorded their first debate Wednesday for WFMZ's Business Matters program. They are vying to earn the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, one of the country's most contested battlegrounds.

The episode examines how a partial funding standoff in Washington is contributing to delays at airport security checkpoints, with TSA staffing strained as the Department of Homeland Security remains caught in a broader political fight.

Without enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, Lehigh Valley residents have seen their Pennie premiums climb more than $300 a month on average.

Jessica Ortiz and Paulette Hunter withdrew their objection to state Rep. Ana Tiburcio's candidate petition Tuesday, clearing the way for a Democratic primary battle between Tiburcio and Allentown City Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach.

With primary petitions now filed, the Lehigh Valley’s election season is coming into clearer focus, with several races likely to be more competitive than they first appear.

Jessica Ortiz and Paulette Hunter filed an objection to the petition state Rep. Ana Tiburcio's campaign submitted last week in her bid for a full term representing Pennsylvania's 22nd House District.

Thirteen of the Lehigh Valley's seats in the General Assembly look like they'll have a contested November election. State Senate races in Lehigh and Northampton counties will have contested primaries, as well.

About three dozen Republicans jeered President Joe Biden throughout Thursday's night presidential debate while Democrats fumed that Trump was ignoring questions on child care and climate change.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off Thursday night in what will be the earliest televised presidential debate in American history. Given the two men's deep unpopularity and established public records, it will be difficult for either to move the needle in what's shaping up to be a close campaign.

Lafayette College was selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the nation's only vice presidential debate this year. The commission has called off that debate and three presidential ones that it had expected to organize.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, is slated to appear at Saturday's Rally the Valley for Women's Choice in Bethlehem. It's part of a five-day campaign tour the three-term incumbent is launching this week in his race against Republican challenger David McCormick.

Two police officers are speaking out against the "bloodbath" they witnessed during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. On Wednesday, they campaigned for the Biden-Harris campaign throughout Pennsylvania — a key battleground state in the upcoming election.

Protesters advocating for Palestinians hosted a dinner of "rubble and blood" outside the Americus Hotel in Allentown to challenge Democrats to change their policies related to Israel on Friday.

Jurors convicted the former president on all 34 counts after deliberating for nearly 10 hours over two days. They found he falsified business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick participated in a "fireside chat" Wednesday in Nazareth with former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The event was hosted by the Northampton County chapter of Moms for Liberty.

For the second time in three months, the Mackenzie campaign has demanded U.S. Rep. Susan Wild apologize for what it described as offensive remarks. The latest skirmish came after Wild challenged U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson's support for first responders.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., predicted Lehigh Valley congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie would carry Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District as part of a wider Republican sweep of Congress and the White House in November.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Republican congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie will visit the Cetronia Ambulance Corps in South Whitehall Township on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have arranged for their own debates with CNN, ABC and CBS, cutting out the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. The commission had selected Lafayette College to host its vice presidential debate in September.