Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

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.

From its founding via executive order at the start of the year, the U.S. Department of Government Efficiencies, or DOGE, intended to accomplish a number of lofty goals. But has DOGE lived up to its promise?

Thousands of federal employees are expected to go on furlough and millions more will be expected to work without pay after Congress failed to reach a short-term funding deal by Wednesday's deadline.

Pennsylvania's counties, school districts and social service agencies are warning of mounting layoffs, borrowing costs and damage to the state’s safety net as the politically divided state government enters its fourth month of a budget stalemate.

Allen Issa, a former congressional aide, is the fourth Republican to enter the race for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

With just one incumbent seeking re-election, Lehigh County voters are guaranteed to place three newcomers on the Lehigh County Board of Elections this November.

East Penn School Board candidates gathered Tuesday evening for a candidate forum hosted by the League of Woman Voters, fielding questions about school safety, transparency, and facilities expansion among other issues.

With a focus on infrastructure and keeping taxes under control, Forks Twp. supervisor candidates Dean Turner and Huntington Keim are focused on the everyday issues as hot topics.

Potentials cite incoming development, stormwater mitigation and maintaining the first responder force as top issues. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Three ballot questions before Northampton County voters in November would place new caps on how many consecutive terms most county officials can serve.

Incumbent Daniel Buglio is pitting his quarter-century of work across various roles in the office against Dr. Joseph Zitarelli, who says a “medical expert” should hold the position.

A seat on the Upper Macungie Township Board of Supervisors is up for election on Nov. 7. The candidates are Democrat Jeff Fleischaker, an attorney, and Republican Greg Wheeler, an emergency medicine doctor.

Former candidate Anna Thomas is taking another run at the 137th House District seat, announcing her run on Oct. 13, 2023.

An incorrect set of instructions was included with mail-in and absentee ballots mailed to Lehigh County voters on Oct. 9. The error with the first ballot mailing has been corrected for subsequent mailings.

League of Women Voters Lehigh County held a candidate forum for Parkland School Board candidates. The slate running on the Republican ticket did not attend.

Check out this guide on all the contested school board races in the Lehigh Valley in the upcoming election.