Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Tuesday served as a preview of the political campaigns to come as candidates filed paperwork to appear on the April primary ballot. Voters will decide races for president, Congress and the General Assembly among others this year.

Candidates for president, Congress, the General Assembly and Pennsylvania's row offices must file their petitions with the state by Tuesday. Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley could be a critical swing region at both the national and state levels.

Allen Issa, a former congressional aide and Penn State Law student, endorsed Maria Montero for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race.

Northampton County's newest member, Jeffrey Corpora, was appointed to the body Wednesday afternoon. Corpora said even he is not exactly sure how he was selected.

Given expected shortages, Allentown high schools and others are connecting the county elections staff with students in hopes of beefing up the number of young and bilingual poll workers.

Republican congressional candidates Maria Montero and Ryan Mackenzie criticized U.S. Rep. Susan Wild after she said Carbon County "drank the Trump Kool-Aid" on a conference call with prominent Pennsylvania Democrats.

Campaign finance reports show Republican Kevin Dellicker outraised the rest of the GOP field combined in his bid for PA-7. But Democratic incumbent Susan Wild raised twice as much as all of the Republicans put together.

Newly sworn-in Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta expects it will take him more than a year to fill his roster of prosecutors. In the meantime, his office has to deal with a massive backlog of cases.

Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, no stranger to controversy over the past year, has announced a run for the Pa. House's 136th District.

State Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Northampton, announced Monday he will seek re-election to a 20th term.

Frontrunners Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick did not attend the forum at Dickinson College.

Violators face fines up to $2,500 and two years' imprisonment, under Pa.'s election code.

The war in Ukraine, abortion and strengthening democratic institutions were among the topics.

Leading in the polls, Fetterman was grilled about a 2013 incident in which he confronted a Black man with a shotgun.

This is the second time Enid Santiago and Peter Schweyer have faced off .

Former President Trump's endorsement of Dr. Mehmet Oz could have mixed results, some say.

A Lehigh County probe showed 288 cases of people depositing more than one ballot - a violation of the law.

Norberto Dominguez says a shortened timeframe to campaign affected his decision.

In most cases the violators can't be identified, so no one will be prosecuted.

Lisa Scheller and Kevin Dellicker are seeking the Republican nomination for the 7th Congressional District.

Attention focused on a candidate not in attendance -- Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.

Six candidates -- 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats -- are vying for the Lehigh Valley's new state Senate seat.