Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Two of the three candidates supported by Moms for Liberty Northampton survived the primary, both being in Region I.

Tuesday's primary election set up a number of races for the fall general election. Here are capsules from Lehigh and Northampton counties.

WLVR’s Brad Klein spoke with politics reporter Tom Shortell early Wednesday about primary results for the Lehigh Valley, voter turnout, and the finer points of ‘cross-filing’.

Check out this roundup of Lehigh Valley election night races, and click within each to read the full stories.

Democrats Sheila Alvarado, Dan Hartzell, April Riddick and Jon Irons appear set to advance to the November general election for Lehigh County commissioner.

The race featured two slates of Republican candidates and one Democrat. One slate of candidates took a pledge to enact policies regarding LGBTQ students and "woke" curriculum.

Seven candidates competed for three spots on the Allentown City Council in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

The fierce Democratic primary race for Northampton County District Attorney could go to a rematch in November, as challenger Stephen Baratta claims victory in the Democratic primary and Terry Houck says he won the Republican race.

The Bethlehem native cited her goals to address affordable housing, bolster small businesses and continue her hands-on work within the community.

The two opposing candidate groups in the Parkland School Board race have won the Democratic and Republican nominations, according to unofficial results.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie visited Ward Transport & Logistics Corp. in Easton, where he got feedback about federal regulations on truck drivers and concerns about Pennsylvania's emission standards.

Justin Simmons, the former Republican state representative, was among three people who filed nomination papers last week to seek the party's nomination in the May 20 primary election.

Democratic VIPs including U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, DNC Chair Ken Martin and former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild attended the town hall at Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Thursday night. The evening came with a rebuke to attendees from the church pastor.

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.