Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Ben Stemrich announced his bid Friday, joining three other candidates — Jeremy Binder, Luis Acevedo and Cristian Pungo — in the contest for four open seats.

Federal agents were at Northampton County Prison on Friday morning to apprehend an inmate upon his release. The man was alleged to be in the country illegally. The level of cooperation between ICE agents and the county has come under attack by U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

Phil Armstrong highlighted a long list of accomplishments and laid out a few more plans for his last year in office Thursday night.

Mayor J. William Reynolds announced Thursday he's running for a chance at another term at mayor. Reynolds, a Democrat, said that while he's excited for another shot at the job, the successes of the past four years have been a group effort.

Lehigh County relies on hundreds of millions in state and federal funding to provide services to residents. The fate of that funding is unclear as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk target federal funding.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has four office locations, including two in Lehigh County. Bilingual services are available in the new Center City Allentown location that opened this week.

House Republicans want to slash federal spending by $2 trillion and are eying cuts and restrictions to the $880 billion Medicaid program. Demonstrators say they'll keep applying pressure to U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, to oppose such plans.

Cristian Pungo said he’s ready to jump in and help the city address some difficult challenges, including its lack of affordable housing and infrastructure that needs investment.

Easton City Councilwoman Taiba Sultana has announced she will be running for a seat in council again, citing her work fighting for marginalized voices and minority rights.

Longtime Eastonian Sharbel Koorie has announced his candidacy for Easton City Council's District 2 seat.

In part four of Lehigh Valley Public Media's "PA-7 Talks" series, Carol Obando-Derstine, Lamont McClure and Ryan Crosswell dig into what it would take to address the nation's ballooning debt.

On this week’s episode of Lehigh Valley Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell spoke with political scientist Chris Borick about the economic forces driving the boom of data centers — along with the political friction emerging.

Bob Brooks, a Democratic candidate running for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, has asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed against him by Carol Wiley, his former mother-in-law. She alleges he owes her more than $162,000 from a lawsuit she filed in 2018.

Lehigh Valley Public Media at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, will hold a debate between Mark Pinsley and Bradley Merkl-Gump, Democratic candidates for the 16th District state Senate seat. The debate will be at Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem and on PBS39's YouTube channel.

Three of the Democrats running in this May's primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District criticized President Donald Trump's war with Iran and worsening relations with traditional allies.

Former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure became the first candidate to attack one of his Democratic rivals, criticizing Bob Brooks for old social media posts that drew national headlines this week.

Lehigh County Commissioner Sarah Fevig is pushing to change how the county oversees elections, arguing the current system is too partisan and no longer reflects today’s voters.

Carol Obando-Derstine, Lamont McClure and Ryan Crosswell, candidates in the Democratic primary of Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, weighed in on the shrinking federal government and the hyper-partisanship at the heart of American politics.

Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure and Carol Obando-Derstine this month discussed their goals to strengthen the economy and thoughts on tariffs during interviews with Lehigh Valley Public Media.

“This is a proactive step in getting this out of firefighting foam,” Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, said in a phone call Tuesday.

Campaign spending in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District already is trending ahead of the $30 million record set in the 2024 election.

President Donald Trump’s latest target, Pope Leo XIV, could present political risks that differ from his past high-profile attacks, particularly among Catholic voters in key swing states.