Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Mark Pinsley has launched his third bid for state Senate and will abandon his efforts to become the Lehigh Valley's next congressman.

Lehigh County Democrats confirmed that Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley is circulating petitions for both Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District and Pennsylvania's 16th state Senate District.

The seven Democrats running for the Lehigh Valley's congressional district agreed on virtually every issue during a candidate's forum in Allentown on Monday evening. Instead of policy, candidates tried to differentiate themselves through their records and credentials.

Voters are increasingly breaking with the Republican and Democratic parties. One national poll found a record 45% of Americans consider themselves politically independent.

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 Lehigh Valley saw voter turnout top 30% in Tuesday's municipal election, more than 10 points higher than local races saw a decade ago.

While moderate Republicans and Democrats prevailed in most races, two Moms for Liberty candidates won seats on the Nazareth Area school board in Northampton County.

The township appears to have voted all Democrats into three open seats on its council. Come 2026, the board will likely start adhering to term limits following unofficial results from a ballot question.

With a contentious presidential election on the horizon, Northampton County officials are working with their voting machine contractor to prevent errors like those in Tuesday's general election.

Check out this roundup of Lehigh Valley election races, where voters cast ballots for candidates at the county and local levels on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.

Unofficial results show Democrats with decisive leads in both contested races for Northampton County Council late Tuesday, setting up a 6-3 Democratic majority come January.

Democrat Brian Panella declared victory in the race for Northampton County judge late Tuesday, likely securing a 10-year term on the Court of Common Pleas.

School board races were among the most prominent contests Tuesday across the Lehigh Valley.

Zrinski had a more than 6,000 vote lead, according to unofficial election returns, with an unspecified number of provisional ballots remaining to be counted.

Colleen Laird, a lifelong Bethlehem resident and Democrat, brought in 8,336 votes across Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Check out searchable, unofficial returns for contested school board races in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Preliminary results show a Democratic sweep in the hotly contested East Penn School Board race, over Republican challengers by over 1,000 votes each in the hotly contested and controversy laden race