Lehigh County voters stuck with the status quo in Tuesday’s 2025 primary elections. Both parties nominated experienced public servants for the county executive race, while the incumbent mayors of Allentown and Bethlehem cruised to victory in contested Democratic primaries.
Roger MacLean, the former Allentown police chief, emerged victorious in the Republican primary for Lehigh County executive by about 5 percentage points. MacLean defeated Mike Welsh, a former member of the Allentown School Board, by 716 votes with all precincts reporting.
MacLean campaigned on his decades of experience in law enforcement and his time as a Democratic member of Allentown County Council. MacLean switched his party affiliation before running for county executive, but Welsh’s efforts to make MacLean’s Democratic past an issue fell flat with primary voters.
MacLean will face Democratic state Rep. Josh Siegel, who won his primary unopposed, in November in what’s expected to be a competitive general election. The former Allentown police chief hopes to become the first Republican to win the county executive’s office since 2001.
Voters likewise preferred experience in the Democratic primary contests to lead Allentown and Bethlehem. The Democratic mayors of Lehigh County’s two largest cities both turned back primary challengers with ease.
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk turned back a challenge from city councilman Ed Zucal by a punishing 81%-19% margin, but the two men may face off again in the general election should Zucal win enough Republican write-in votes. Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds faced a tougher challenge from city councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith, but Reynolds was able to defeat his challenger by about 2,100 votes, good for a margin of 65% to 35%.
