Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

WLVR’s Brad Klein spoke with reporter Ryan Gaylor, who covers Northampton County for WLVR and LehighValleyNews.com, about the combative atmosphere during the debate.

In a televised debate moderated by LehighValleyNews.com, Democratic incumbent Terry Houck and Democratic challenger Stephen Baratta clashed over the death penalty, oversight of the office and cash bail.

Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck, running for a second term, has said his office reduced crime by 25% since he took office. State statistics tell a more complicated story.

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey will seek a fourth term in office, bringing the power of incumbency and unmatched name recognition in Pennsylvania politics to his party’s defense of a seat in a critical presidential battleground state.

The three-term Democratic representative spoke with Lehigh Valley residents Tuesday at Lehigh University during her second in-person town hall of the year.

Republicans intend to portray Rep. Susan Wild as soft on crime after she voted not to block a Washington D.C. law that would have lessened sentences for people convicted of some crimes.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after six weeks of inpatient treatment for clinical depression, with plans to return to the Senate in mid-April.

Easton Mayor Sal Panto highlighted the Confluence, an $80 million mixed-use development he's spearheaded, during a campaign event Friday. The project's groundbreaking has been pushed back to Fall 2023.

Former educator Mike Millo is running for the Parkland School Board again after withdrawing from the race in 2020. He said his legislative priorities are listening to resident concerns, fiscal responsibility and transparency.

Elections workers have so far repackaged and resent more than 120 new ballots, and more are on the way to voters, County Executive Josh Siegel said Wednesday.

One only has to go through the history of how Latinos have fared in a system that seems to give party powerbrokers more power than the voters in the district.

Lehigh County's election office inadvertently used a year-old mailer list when it mailed out the May 19 primary ballots last week. The mistake will complicate primary races with statewide and national implications.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it's throwing its support to Bob Brooks in the Lehigh Valley's congressional race. The announcement drew rebukes from his Democratic rivals and the chair of the Lehigh County Democratic Committee.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, during an interview repeated his opposition to forever wars, but lauded President Donald Trump for taking out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when the opportunity presented itself.

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.