Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

The forum is set to start at 6 p.m. Monday at Resurrected Life Church in Center City Allentown.

Democratic voters in Pennsylvania's 16th and 18th Senate districts may have contested races this spring. Meanwhile, Republican Zach Mako is seeking re-election in Pennsylvania's 183rd House District.

The special election will be held Tuesday, Feb. 24, in the 22nd House District, which covers parts of East Allentown, Center City and a part of Salisbury Township. The debate was broadcast live on PBS39 and streamed here at LehighValleyNews.com.

Joining host Tom Shortell on this week's Political Pulse, Ryan Crosswell said his campaign is focused on two priorities: lowering costs for families and defending democratic institutions.

Appearing on this week's Lehigh Valley Political Pulse with host Tom Shortell, Pinsley framed his campaign around what he described as “bread and butter issues,” arguing that rising costs remain the central concern for voters, and that corporate power is to blame.

Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2026-27 budget proposal falls back on familiar proposals to regulate skill games and legalize marijuana, two flashpoints that fueled a months-long budget impasse last year.

The rich got richer in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race at the close of 2025. Campaign finance reports show Ryan Mackenzie, Bob Brooks and Ryan Crosswell raised nearly $1.4 million while Lamont McClure, Carol Obando-Derstine and Mark Pinsley each saw their campaigns lose money.

Lehigh County election staff are preparing new polling places and drop box spots for the Feb. 24 special election for the state's 22nd House District between Democrat Ana Tiburcio and Republican Robert Smith Jr.

Lehigh Valley Public Media is organizing the debate between Democrat Ana Tiburcio and Republican Robert E. Smith Jr. It will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, at Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown. The special election is Feb. 24.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie defended expanded immigration enforcement under the Trump administration while acknowledging the need for reforms after recent incidents involving federal agents.

With first lady Jill Biden set to visit the region Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police are warning of traffic delays in the Allentown and surrounding areas.

Jill Biden, Susan Wild and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will look to connect with Latino voters in Allentown as the PA-7 congressional race heats up.

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.