Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Lehigh County prosecutors tried to avoid the standard procedures for criminal court by bypassing defendants' preliminary hearings. Instead, Lehigh County Judge Thomas Caffrey ruled the cases should proceed Friday morning as scheduled.

In this week's episode, Political Pulse host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick talk about current events shaping political opinions in unexpected ways. Borick said it marks a "wild start" to 2026 and could set the stage for the rest of the year.

“I have no doubt about what’s going to happen over the next four years,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to have more parks, we’re going to have the community center, we’re going to invest in education, we’re going to build trust."

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie voted to triple ICE's budget as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill last year. The extra funding has allowed the agency to hire more officers who are being deployed in force to major cities across the nation.

Julian Guridy lived in Florida within the past four years, making him ineligible to serve in the state House of Representatives. Just a few days ago, many political observers said he was in line for clear sailing to join the Pennsylvania Legislature.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie touted his office's efforts to help Lehigh Valley residents secure tax breaks, receive passports and navigate the federal bureaucracy through 2025.

Julian Guridy abruptly dropped out of the special election for Pennsylvania's 22nd District House race, leaving Democrats to scramble for a candidate at the 11th hour.

Lewis Shupe, who tried to run as an independent in 2018 and 2024 but failed to make the ballot, has lodged his candidacy as a Democrat with the Federal Election Commission.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, and 16 other Republicans voted for a Democratic bill to extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act on Thursday night. Mackenzie called on senators to reject the House version but find a deal to keep the credits and reform the health care system.

This week's episode welcomes former Lehigh Valley representatives in the U.S. House. Susan Wild and Charlie Dent join host Tom Shortell to discuss campaigning and the stakes in PA's 7th District.

Unofficial results in Lehigh and Northampton counties suggest voters rallied around candidates for Northampton County Council and Lehigh County district attorney, among others.

Conservative Republican slates targeting LGBTQ issues and library books swept GOP primary races across three districts. Democrats and moderate Republicans who cross-filed landed victories on the Democratic ticket.

Six candidates were poised to move on to the general election for the Bangor Area School Board, eliminating half of the incumbents in the race.

The primaries winnowed the field for Pen Argyl Area School Board, but voters in Pen Argyl and Plainfield Township will have more decisions to make in November.

Northampton County Commissioner Tara Zrinski claimed victory in the Democratic primary for Northampton County Controller, setting up a general election fight with fellow commissioner John Cusick.

First-time candidate Cindy O'Brien won the Republican primary in the race for Bethlehem Area School Board.

Two of the three candidates supported by Moms for Liberty Northampton survived the primary, both being in Region I.

Tuesday's primary election set up a number of races for the fall general election. Here are capsules from Lehigh and Northampton counties.

WLVR’s Brad Klein spoke with politics reporter Tom Shortell early Wednesday about primary results for the Lehigh Valley, voter turnout, and the finer points of ‘cross-filing’.

Check out this roundup of Lehigh Valley election night races, and click within each to read the full stories.

Democrats Sheila Alvarado, Dan Hartzell, April Riddick and Jon Irons appear set to advance to the November general election for Lehigh County commissioner.

The race featured two slates of Republican candidates and one Democrat. One slate of candidates took a pledge to enact policies regarding LGBTQ students and "woke" curriculum.