Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

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.

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.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Mark Pinsley announced Friday, Dec. 1, that he will run for auditor general in 2024. The position oversees financial and performance audits of Pennsylvania state government.

County Executive Lamont McClure reiterated Thursday he will not step down after the county experienced widespread problems with its voting machines on Election Day. Despite the problems, the county's Election Commission certified the results last week.

Republican Kat Copeland is hoping her experience as a federal and local prosecutor will help her become Pennsylvania's next attorney general.

County Executive Lamont McClure on Friday accepted the resignation of Charles Dertinger, his director of administration and a longtime political ally. As director of administration, Dertinger oversaw the county elections division, which came under scrutiny in the wake of widespread voting machine problems in the Nov. 7 election.

Incumbent Mark Pinsley and challenger Robert Smith face off in the Lehigh County controller race this November. The office is tasked with serving as a fiscal watchdog of the county's half-billion-dollar budget.

Timothy Foley and Anthony Murphy, two Democrats, are challenging two Republican incumbents, John Inglis and Dennis Benner, in the Nov. 7 election. The township hasn't seen a tax increase in three decades.

Discourse between the candidates for Whitehall Township mayor is heating up as Election Day nears.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild has banked more than $1.1 million toward her re-election effort. Meanwhile, three Republicans raised over $302,000 toward their campaigns in the last three months.

Three council seats are open. A slate of Democrat running mates is looking to flip the voting power away from current Republicans.

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.