Four takeaways from Tuesday’s election
From a huge turnout and impressive victories by Democrats to historic firsts, here are takeaways from Tuesday’s election.
Inside the numbers
Voter turnout percentages for Lehigh and Northampton counties were higher for Tuesday’s election than in 2021, the most recent comparable election with candidates for county executive and county commissioner on ballots (Lehigh: 37.8%, up from 30.9%; Northampton: 40%, up from 32.5%).
Some counties, including Montgomery and Bucks, had voter turnouts approaching 50% in Tuesday’s election. Statewide, the turnout rate was 40.8%, up from 31.7% in 2021.
Turnout, however, tells only part of the story.
The number of votes cast and the margins of victory among Democrats in contested races for county executive and commissioner reveal just how dominant Democrats were.
Compared to the election four years ago, Lehigh Valley voters cast 41,119 more ballots in 2025.
Lehigh County
2025 ballots cast – 95,020 (+20,912)
2021 ballots cast – 74,108
Northampton County
2025 Ballots cast – 91,622 (+20,287)
2021 Ballots cast – 71,335
In this year’s Lehigh executive race, Democrat Josh Siegel tallied 19,813 more votes than Republican Roger MacLean – a margin of victory about seven times greater than Democratic incumbent Phil Armstrong’s 2021 win over Republican Glenn Eckhart. MacLean, in losing this year, had 75 fewer votes than Armstrong had in winning in 2021.
2025
Joshua Siegel – 56,611 (+19,813)
Roger MacLean – 36,798
2021
Phil Armstrong – 36,873 (+2,618)
Glenn Eckhart – 34,255
In Tuesday’s election for Northampton executive, Democrat Tara Zrinski outpolled Republican Tom Giovanni by 16,694 votes, a margin about twice as much as Democratic incumbent Lamont McClure’s victory over Republican Steve Lynch in 2021.
2025
Tara Zrinski – 52,687 (+16,694)
Tom Giovanni – 35,993
2021
Lamont McClure – 38,477 (+8,493)
Steve Lynch – 29,984
The county commissioner contests in both counties showed similar increases in victory margins.
Lehigh Democratic incumbent Zachary Cole-Borghi on Tuesday beat Republican Jacqueline Rivera by 5,044 votes in their rematch for the District 2 seat. That was not quite three times his margin of victory over Rivera in 2021. His win came two months after he was arrested by Lehigh County authorities on charges of intent to deliver a pound of marijuana and possession of marijuana – charges which he has denied and said are politically motivated.
2025
Zachary Cole Borghi – 9,046 (+5,044)
Jacqueline Rivera – 4,002
2021
Zachary Cole Borghi – 5,843 (+1,810)
Jacqueline Rivera – 4,033
In District 5, Democrat Sarah Fevig polled 4,223 more votes than Republican Patrick Leonard for the open seat, which was about six times the winning margin from four years ago. The incumbent, Republican Jeffrey Dutt, did not run for reelection to the position he won in 2021. That year he defeated Democrat Joyce Moore by 730 votes.
2025
Sarah Fevig – 12,059 (+4,223)
Patrick Leonard – 7,836
2021
Joyce Moore – 8,509
Jeffrey Dutt – 9,239 (+730)
Three incumbent commissioners – Republican Antonio Pineda in District 1, Republican Ron W. Beitler in District 2 and Democrat Geoffrey Brace in District 4 – were unopposed Tuesday and were reelected. In 2026, Democrats will have a 7-2 majority on the board.
In Northampton County, 10 candidates – five from each party – ran for five at-large seats on county council, with Democrats sweeping all five spots and two Republican incumbents, John Goffredo and Paul Brown, losing their reelection bids.
The average margin of victory Tuesday for the five Democrats was 13,555. (The winning candidates averaged 48,224 votes, the losing candidates, 34,669.) In 2021, the election was much closer, with the average margin of 827 for the five victorious candidates - three Democrats and two Republicans. (The average vote total for the winning candidates was 32,509, for the losing candidates, 31,682.)
2025
Lori Vargo Heffner*, D – 49,833
David Holland, D – 49,676
Jason Boulette, D – 48,436
Theresa Fadem, D – 48,260
Nadeem Qayyum D – 44,915
Sam Elias, R – 35,340
John P. Goffredo*, R – 34,880
Daniel Campo, R – 34,670
John Brown*, R – 34,556
Juan E. Martinez, R 33,052
2021
Tara Zrinski*, D – 33,788
Lori Vargo Heffner*, D – 32,516
Ronald R. Heckman*, D – 32,226
John P. Goffredo, R – 32,117
John Brown, R – 31,898
Nicole Romanishan, R – 31,867
Patti Bruno, D – 31,856
Kristin Lorah Soldridge, R – 31,818
William McGee*, D – 31,457
Annamarie T. Robertone, R – 31,414
*incumbent
Get-out-the-vote effort
Democratic candidates received a boost from a strategic voter outreach effort, overseen by the state Democratic Party, said Matt Munsey, Northampton County Democratic Party chair.
To view more photos from Election Day, click here.
Munsey said the party didn’t need to remind activists — those who attend twice-a-week protests at Republican Congressman MackenzIe’s offices and the recent No Kings rallies in the Lehigh Valley — to vote.
“That’s still a small fraction of the electorate, so the question that remained was, ‘Is that getting to the broader population who isn’t showing up to these rallies?’”
The state Democratic Party identified people who voted in 2024 but not in 2023 and urged them to vote this year. The work paid off as seen in the success among Democratic candidates winning contests at the county and local levels in the Lehigh Valley.
Pennsylvania democracyFIRST PAC helped immeasurably with a ground game by providing paid staff and other campaign services to support candidates and get out the vote, Munsey said.
A half-dozen Democratic candidates for Lehigh and Northampton county offices, including successful county executive candidates Tara Zrinski (Northampton) and Josh Siegel (Lehigh) benefited by the PAC providing more than a quarter-million-dollars worth of services for election campaigns.
The Lehigh County Democratic Committee said in a press release that it also worked to get voters to the polls, spending about $70,000 for “persuasion and turnout efforts that drove these victories.” Also voters at polling place locations “were greeted by an army of volunteers” in support of Democratic candidates.
“We did not just see a surge of Democratic turnout,” the release said, adding “it is important to understand that these wins are simply not possible without significant crossover by Republican and independent voters for our candidates.”
Zrinski, Siegel comment on wins
After being elected county executives, Josh Siegel (Lehigh County) and Tara Zrinski (Northampton County), posted statements on their Facebook pages to thank supporters and offer their perspectives on how they will govern. Here are excerpts.
Siegel: “Tuesday night wasn’t about party or ideology, it was a widespread rejection of the chaos, corruption and cruelty in D.C. and our broken political system. It was a unified expression of disapproval with a politics of perpetual outrage, animosity and anger.
“Folks across the political spectrum want a politics of solutions and urgency. They want leaders who run for something not against someone else. They want folks who are focused on affordability and government that is a force for good and not greed.
“These local elections are a chance to show what that world looks like in our own backyard. It’s a chance to lead by example and show that government can deliver and improve people’s lives. That it can lift everyone up, not put a target on the backs of our neighbors.
“I’m looking forward to delivering on our vision of One Lehigh. A county where everyone matters, no one gets left behind and everyone can afford to live here. A county that is unified around common values and a common purpose. Together, we’re going to rebuild the bonds of our community and chart a course that moves beyond this era of gridlock and dysfunction.”
Zrinski: “I am the first female County Executive [for Northampton County] but my gender has nothing to do with my qualifications for this position. I didn’t win because I am a woman, I won because of the woman I am.
“I am determined to make a difference in my community. I am a person who sees solutions to problems. I am a person who examines the ethics of decisions and wrestles with self-reflection in ways that make me want to be a better person everyday and to make the lives of those around me better.
“I am a human being who recognizes the human worth and dignity in other human beings. I am a fighter who believes that we must wield power with not over others. I am a creative force who wants to constantly engineer my environment and lift everyone up around me. This is what I will bring to the table as county executive.”
Another historic first
Nadeem Qayyum of Easton, who was a lawyer in his native Pakistan and has been involved in the Leigh Valley businesses, was elected Tuesday as an at-large member of Northampton County Council, becoming the first Muslim and South Asian to serve on the board.
In a statement released on election night, he said, “This victory belongs to every child who’s ever been told they don’t belong in politics. We built this win from the ground up, with faith, honesty and with hard work. This is proof that our democracy still has room for everyone.”
Qayuum, who lost to Tara Zrinski in the 2023 Democratic primary for county controller, is married to Easton Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, who is also a native of Pakistan. She was the first Muslim and South Asian person elected to city council in 2021. She lost her reelection bid in the May Democratic primary.
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