Tom Shortell
Politics ReporterI cover all things politics for LehighValleyNews.com. As veteran reporter of the region, I previously covered the Slate Belt, Northampton County, Lehigh County and local courts during stints at the area’s two newspapers. I also penned the popular Road Warrior column at The Morning Call, keeping readers up to speed on transportation news. I graduated from St. Bonaventure University and have yet to find a pun I don't like. I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. Contact me at toms@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8209.
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U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie sworn in as the Lehigh Valley's new congressman: 'Now it's about governing'U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and 433 other members of the U.S. House took the oath of office Friday afternoon following a dramatic roll call vote that awarded U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson the speaker's gavel. -
Ryan Mackenzie is scheduled to take the oath of office Friday to become the Lehigh Valley's next representative in the U.S. House. But those plans may be put on hold if the chamber can't rally around a speaker.
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Former President Jimmy Carter urged Lafayette College students to create a greater, more peaceful America during a speech on the Easton campus in 2013. His longtime foreign affairs adviser Robert Pastor was an alumnus.
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The Lehigh County chapter of the League of Women Voters will host a candidate's workshop in January. The Lehigh Valley's two county-level Republican committees will host their own candidate training program, as well.
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U.S. Rep.-elect Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has a background in labor policy. He served as the Republican chair of Pennsylvania's House Committee on Labor and Industry.
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Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said he acted appropriately when he allowed Northampton County Republican Committee Chair Glenn Geissinger to file a private criminal complaint against four members of his party.
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U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, during her farewell address on the House floor Wednesday, said the $38 million spent in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District was an obscene amount.
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State and county officials have long requested more time to pre-canvass mail-in ballots along with other changes to Pennsylvania's election code. But with the General Assembly gridlocked, those changes are stalled.
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Jason Boulette, a Democrat who's served a year on Wind Gap Borough Council, said housing prices and open space are among his top priorities if elected to an at-large seat on Northampton County Council.
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Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race between Susan Wild and Ryan Mackenzie was the 10th most expensive in the nation. A staggering $334 million was spent on Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race, campaign filings show.
