Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Join Megan Frank every Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week she talks with Allentown reporter Jason Addy and East Penn reporter Jay Bradley.

A tour group consisting of Europeans interested in the American political system stopped in Northampton County to see the spectacle of election season this week.

A video shot at the Northampton County Courthouse has gotten millions of views on social media with suggestions voter fraud is at play. The county executive says it's anything but.

"A Community Conversation: Protecting Your Vote" aired Wednesday on PBS39 and will be rebroadcast at 6 p.m. Thursday. It's hosted by LehighValleyNews.com politics reporter Tom Shortell.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Maya Harris and Luis Miranda Jr. attended a campaign party at the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society to help rally the Latino vote for Democrats.

More than 2.1 million Pennsylvania voters have been approved for a mail-in ballot this election, down from the 3 million ballots requested in 2020. Democrats saw the steepest drop, allowing Republicans to increase their share of mail-in ballots.

Over-the-counter voting continued in Lehigh County on Wednesday after a judge granted a motion by the Lehigh County Board of Elections to extend in-person voting at the elections office until 5 p.m.

The party Wednesday night is being held at the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society in Bethlehem, organized in conjunction with the Latino Victory Fund. It comes three days after a comedian's remark at a Donald Trump rally in New York City drew outrage.

Donald Trump held a campaign rally before a packed house at the PPL Center in Allentown — a city with a large Puerto Rican population. He said he had done more for Puerto Ricans than any president in American history.

Former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the PPL Cener in downtown Allentown

Bob Brooks has declared victory in the Lehigh Valley's Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.

The four candidates for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District spoke with Lehigh Valley Public media to make final pitches to voters.

Voting still is taking place inside Salem United Church of Christ after someone threw an explosive device outside the polling place. Local, state and federal official are investigating.

Tuesday is Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley Democratic voters will cast ballots in the 7th Congressional District, 16th District state Senate, the 22nd District state House of Representatives and 187th District state House. Republicans have no races for those seats; GOP candidates in them are unopposed.

The Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District has dominated the airwaves, but voters in Lehigh County and northern Bucks County have other statehouse races to weigh in on.

Katherine Reinhard said many voters remain undecided heading into the primary and urged audiences to rely on credible reporting as they make final decisions.

State Rep. Ana Tiburcio is seeking a two-year term after winning a special election in February. She's facing Allentown City Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach, who's been a progressive voice in Lehigh Valley politics for 15 years.

A Northampton County Councilwoman last week accused former county Executive Lamont McClure of trying to pressure her to vote for a 20-year special taxing district that could have sent $26 million in public funding to a project to turn the former Dixie Cup factory into housing.

Carol Obando-Derstine, Lamont McClure and Ryan Crosswell expressed a desire to reform ICE rather than abolish it during one-on-one interviews in the PA-7 Talks series.

Lead Left PAC has supported Democrat Lamont McClure over Bob Brooks and Ryan Crosswell, but the super PAC's shadowy origins has led to allegations of Republican interference in the race.

Democratic voters will decide whether Rachel Cuevas or Geoffrey Whitcomb will represent their party in the 187th state House District this November. Republican incumbent Gary Day is running unopposed in his primary.

Political scientist Chris Borick says endorsements and money have given Bob Brooks a slight advantage in the crowded PA-7 race.