Election season is now upon us, and the Lehigh Valley’s Nov. 5 contests are looking to be nail-bitingly close this year as American eyes descend on Pennsylvania’s 7th district. This cycle, the Presidential race stands as the hallmark at the top of the ticket, in addition to several statewide races, a U.S. Senate and House race and a Pennsylvania House race.
This election guide is intended for anyone who is registered to vote where Lafayette College is located in Northampton County. Anyone registered elsewhere in Pennsylvania or out of state can use vote.org or their local elections office website to find more information pertinent to them.
Before Voting
All voters in Pennsylvania must be registered to vote by Oct. 21. For those wishing to vote by mail, ballots must be requested by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. Voter registration status and polling locations can be found at Pennsylvania’s voter information website, vote.pa.gov.
Lafayette students going to vote in person can go to Kirby Sports Center between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Those in line to vote by 8 p.m. cannot be turned away. For those electing to mail-in ballots, they must be received by the Northampton County Elections Division, located at 669 Washington St. in Easton, by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. A postmarked ballot by that time is not sufficient.
Who’s on the ballot?
President and Vice President of the United States (four year term, renewable once)
Office Description:
The President is the head of state of the United States and the Commander in Chief of U.S. military forces. They sign and veto laws, issue executive orders and conduct foreign policy. The President carries out and enforces the laws of the United States alongside the cabinet and relevant agencies.
The Vice President’s exact role varies based on every Presidential administration, but they are first in the presidential line of succession and act as President of the Senate.
Candidates:
Kamala Harris & Tim Walz (Democrat)
Harris is the current Vice President of the United States. She previously was a U.S. Senator for California. She has spent most of her professional career as a prosecutor, serving as District Attorney for San Francisco and then California’s Attorney General. In office, Harris has cast more tie-breaking votes in the Senate than any other vice president in American history. Most notably, this list includes votes in favor of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which invested $1.9 trillion in economic stimulus during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which broadly allocated money toward renewable energy infrastructure, energy production and lowering prescription drug prices.
Walz is the current Governor of Minnesota, having served in that position since 2019. He previously served as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District. Before his political career, Walz served in Minnesota’s Army National Guard as a Command Sergeant Major, the most senior enlisted rank possible. He was also a geography teacher at Mankato West High School, advising their first gay-straight alliance as well as coaching the football team to a state championship.
Campaign Issues: Harris has been running on building an “opportunity economy” that lowers costs for families, as well as protecting abortion access and voting rights. She has also campaigned against Project 2025, a conservative presidential transition project created by the Heritage Foundation, and Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs.
Donald Trump and JD Vance (Republican)
Trump served as president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He was previously a businessman, heading the Trump Organization, as well as a television personality. He notably co-produced and hosted “The Apprentice,” a reality television show. His most impactful actions as president include appointing three justices to the Supreme Court and signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Trump also signed a criminal justice overhaul into law, as well as oversaw the founding of the Space Force and the death of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Vance is a current Senator for Ohio, having served in that role since 2023. Before entering politics, Vance wrote the New York Times bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy,” a memoir focusing on the Appalachian values of his family from Kentucky and the socioeconomic problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio. For his work, The Washington Post would go on to describe Vance as “the voice of the Rust Belt.” He also served as an enlisted member of the Marine Corps for four years and would later co-found Narya Capital, a venture capital firm, with backing from Peter Thiel.
Campaign Issues: Trump has centered his campaign around economic and immigration issues, in the context of the migrant crisis occurring during the presidency of Joe Biden and the post-pandemic rise in inflation. Trump has pledged to abolish taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, as well as cap credit card interest rates and make in-vitro fertilization free for patients. He has also proposed a universal tariff of 20% and an additional tariff on Chinese imports of at least 60%, which would “spike the average tariff rate on all imports to highs not seen since the Great Depression,” according to the Tax Foundation.
United States Senate (six year term, no limit)
Office Description:
The Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, and votes to pass or fail legislation brought before it. It has the exclusive power of confirming Presidential appointees, approving treaties and trying cases of impeachment.
Candidates:
Robert “Bob” P. Casey Jr. (Democrat) – Incumbent
Casey has been a Senator for Pennsylvania since 2007. Before his time in the Senate, Casey served as Pennsylvania’s Auditor General from 1996 to 2005 and was briefly Pennsylvania’s treasurer between his time as Auditor General and Senator. Casey is the son of Bob Casey Sr., who was previously Governor of Pennsylvania.
McCormick is a former businessman, previously working as the CEO for Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds. McCormick also served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs during the George W. Bush administration. McCormick graduated from West Point and served five years as a U.S. Army Officer.
United States House of Representatives, District 7 (two year term, no limit)
Office Description:
The House is the lower chamber of the United States Congress and, like the Senate, votes to pass or fail legislation brought before it. The House can send Articles of Impeachment of elected officials to the Senate and elect the President in the event of a tie in the electoral college.
Candidates:
Susan Wild (Democrat) – Incumbent
Wild is the current representative for Pennsylvania’s 7th district, serving in that position since 2018. She has been an attorney for most of her career, practicing civil litigation for 20 years before being appointed as Allentown’s Solicitor in 2015 and serving as chief legal officer for the city.
Mackenzie has served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2012, representing the Lehigh County-based 187th district. Prior to being elected to office, he served as the director of policy at the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Mackenzie began his career working on several political campaigns and later at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Pennsylvania Attorney General (four year term, renewable once)
Office Description:
The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and represents the Commonwealth in all legal matters.
Candidates:
DePasquale is currently an adjunct law professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously, he was Pennsylvania’s Auditor General from 2013 to 2021 and represented a York-based district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives before that. He lost the U.S. House election for Pennsylvania’s 10th district in 2022.
Sunday is the current York County District Attorney, having served in that role since 2017. He also is a Navy veteran, having enlisted and served several years before beginning college.
Pennsylvania Auditor General (four year term, renewable once)
Office Description:
The Auditor General is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They are responsible for auditing state and municipal organizations, as well as any entities that receive public funding, to ensure money is being spent appropriately.
Candidates:
Kenyatta has served as the Pennsylvania state representative for the 181st district since 2019, representing Northern Philadelphia. He lost in the 2022 Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate.
Tim DeFoor (Republican) – Incumbent
DeFoor has been Pennsylvania’s Auditor General since 2021. Previously, he was an investigator in several state and municipal-level offices before being elected as the Controller of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, in 2015.
Pennsylvania State Treasurer (four year term, renewable once)
Office Description: The Treasurer is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and is in charge of safeguarding the Commonwealth’s financial assets, totaling over $160 billion in value.
Candidates:
McClelland is a former substance abuse and mental health counselor. She lost the U.S. House race in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District in both 2014 and 2016.
Stacy Garrity (Republican) – Incumbent
Garrity is the current Pennsylvania Treasurer, serving in that position since 2020. She previously served in the United States Army Reserve for 30 years, ultimately reaching the rank of colonel. She also worked at Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. from 1987 to 2021, where she reached the level of Vice President.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 136 (two year term, no limit)
Robert “Bob” Freeman (Democrat) – Incumbent
Freeman has represented Easton in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 1999 and previously from 1983 to 1994. He is running unopposed in the general election.
A correction was made on October 18, 2024: A previous version of this article misstated the year that Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor took office. DeFoor took office in 2021.
