Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro plans to nominate former Lehigh County Sen. Pat Browne, who left office last month, as the commonwealth's Secretary of Revenue.

Chris Heagele, Easton city controller, said he will run for re-election and pledged to bring fiscal responsibility to the city.

As the ranking Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild could review complaints filed against Rep. George Santos.

Ken Kraft represented District 1 on the council from 2011 to 2018, and is running to do so once again.

The former judge is running in May's Democratic primary, hoping to unseat incumbent Terry Houck.

The new year arrives with a new political calendar, including amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution, local municipal races and school board elections filling the 2023 ballot.

Jeff Warren, a former city council member who also served on Hanover Township's board of supervisors, is running to represent District 3 on Northampton County Council.

In the Pennsylvania Capitol, no other issue defines the legislative career of newly minted state House Speaker Mark Rozzi more than helping survivors of decades-old sexual abuse.

Some are hopeful the chamber will finally pass rule changes aimed at giving all lawmakers a say in making policy, but there’s reason to be skeptical.

"It causes me a lot of concern about how anything gets done. Is this just going to be two years of paralysis, which is a horrifying thought," said Wild, a Democrat who is still waiting to be sworn into her third full term representing the Lehigh Valley.

President Joe Biden's strategy of supporting American manufacturing and tax cuts for the middle class has worked by most traditional standards. But high costs still have American consumers nervous.

President Joe Biden will make his second presidential visit to the Allentown area on Friday. The planned trip comes a week after he launched his re-election campaign by calling out former President Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Tom Shortell and Brian Myszkowski.

Thomas Johns was sworn in to the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Tuesday after being elected on Nov. 7. Johns previously served on the board for eight years, from 2010 to 2018.

The Democrats have been vocal about leading an about-face on a number of township issues, including the expansion of the Bethlehem Landfill and resident access to the Hellertown Area Library.

Northampton County held a swearing-in ceremony for recently elected council members, others on Tuesday.

Gavin Holihan took the oath of office Tuesday morning as Lehigh County's new district attorney. He said he'll divert resources away from penny-ante issues to focus on battling violent crime.

The 20-year-old is a youth director with Promise Neighborhoods of Lehigh Valley. She graduated from William Allen High School in 2021 and won election to the school board in the November general election.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is starting a new office to help train county election workers, Pa. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. It also plans to update its guidance for logic and accuracy testing that could have caught issues with the Northampton County voting machines.

Lafayette College will host the 2024 vice presidential debate this coming September, drawing the world's eyes to its Easton campus. Nicole Hurd, the college's president, hopes it will be an opportunity to highlight the liberal arts school and the greater Easton community.

In a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Rep. Milou Mackenzie asked the Department of State to provide Northampton County with instructions on how to avoid more Election Day mistakes with their voting machines.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure on Friday named a human resources department manager as his acting director of administration. She joined the county in May 2022.