Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

At a virtual town hall Thursday, U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, said he did not support cuts to Medicare or Social Security, called for peace in Ukraine, and gently pushed back on how the Trump administration handled cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Organizers with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Democratic National Congressional Committee and several other groups invited U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie to a town hall event Thursday over proposed Medicaid cuts. Instead, the first-term Republican will hold his own telephone town hall.

Philip Ginder, 74, who served on the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners for 24 years, was appointed on Wednesday to fill the vacancy created when Commissioner Robert Piligian resigned in February.

Candidates for Northampton County Council, Allentown City Council, Allentown mayor and Parkland School Board are being challenged in court for allegedly failing to meet legal requirements to appear on the May ballot.

A Lehigh County judge ruled in favor of LoriAnn Fehnel, a Republican candidate for Whitehall Township Commissioner, who challenged that candidate Betsey H. Charles's nominating petition is invalid and should be set aside.

City officials voted in favor of raising the next council president’s salary from $7,600 to $11,400 a year and council members’ annual pay from $7,100 to $10,650. However, City Council decided against salary increases for the next mayor and controller.

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell speaks with Celeste Dee, owner of Lehigh Valley-based Advantage Political Strategies. The two talk about judicial campaigns.

The vacancy on the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners will be filled at a meeting on Wednesday night. The board interviewed three candidates on Monday night.

Whitehall Township treasurer/tax collector Tina Koren is asking the Lehigh County Court to reject Commissioner Thomas Slonaker's nominating petition for her job.

Whitehall Township commissioner Republican candidate LoriAnn Fehnel filed a challenge March 14 against fellow Republican candidate Betsey H. Charles, 3212 Chestnut St., based on deficiencies on the latter’s petition.

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.