Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

President Donald Trump campaigned on immigration enforcement and recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have gained national and local attention. This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell and political scientist Chris Borick look into the public's reaction to these raids.

Larry O’Donnell, a 15-year borough resident, was appointed to fill a council vacancy through the end of the year.

The U.S. Senate could vote on the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act this week. If passed, millions of Americans would lose access to Medicaid and SNAP benefits in order to fund border security and tax cuts to wealthy Americans.

The emergence of the gig economy has altered the American workforce and created questions about what benefits and protections independent contractors should have under federal law. U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, discussed that during the roundtable.

Bill Bachenberg is a major supporter of President Trump and co-owner of Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays in North Whitehall Township. A former board member, he recently became president of the National Rifle Association.

Federal immigration officials on Friday issued their first statement since arresting 17 people at the Five10 Flats on June 11. Mayor J. Williams Reynolds this week described the arrests as "an American tragedy."

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, got an earful from a constituent Saturday after he accused protesters of feeding a charged political environment that's led to assassinations.

Emrick Boulevard in Bethlehem Township hosted the first of four rallies organized in the Lehigh Valley to coincide with a military parade in Washington, D.C., on Trump's 79th birthday. At least one physical confrontation occurred.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie voted in line with the Republican majority to strip more than $1 billion of federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting over the next two years.

Ryan Crosswell, a recent arrival in the Lehigh Valley, is the third Democrat to get in line to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The seat should be one of the most contested U.S. House races in the 2026 midterms.

The vote will uphold the 2019 measure allowing any voter to use a mail-in ballot.

Activists are grateful to Gov. Tom Wolf for launching a suit that opposes proposed amendments to the state constitution.

Councilwoman Taiba Sultana said she hopes her resolution will spark change.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano might not administer Pennsylvania law fairly, Dent says.

Law enforcement is Lehigh County's greatest expense.

Undated mail-in ballots were at the center of certification delays.

The Supreme Court’s ruling is likely to galvanize abortion rights voters in Pennsylvania, an expert says.

Reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision was strong and swift.

Lehigh County will certify both the 2021 general and the 2022 primary elections on Wednesday.

Both Lehigh and Northampton counties are considering changing the color of secrecy envelopes.

Both candidates attended the count in person.

His speech Tuesday at the AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia was an attempt to reset the debate on the economy.