The politics in 18017 Bethlehem, PA have been active since its founding in 1741. The city has long been a focus of national and state political issues and has seen several prominent politicians represent it over the years. While election season is certainly an important time for residents to be aware of who is vying for their vote, there is much more at play in Bethlehem’s politics than just the candidates. Local issues such as infrastructure development, a commitment to sustainable energy, access to quality education, and economic stability are all vital aspects of life for those living in 18017 Bethlehem. Additionally, social justice initiatives have been taken up by the community with strong support from local businesses and organizations. As the city continues to grow year after year, so does the importance of staying informed about the political environment that shapes its future.
The political climate in Zip 18017 (Bethlehem, PA) is leaning liberal.
Northampton County, PA is leaning liberal. In Northampton County, PA 49.6% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 48.9% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.4% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Northampton county flipped narrowly Democratic, 49.6% to 48.9%.
Northampton county flipped back to Democratic in the most recent Presidential election, after voting Republican in 2016.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Zip 18017 (Bethlehem, PA) is leaning liberal.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is leaning liberal.
Northampton County, Pennsylvania is leaning liberal.
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metro Area is leaning conservative.
Pennsylvania is leaning liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: d d D d r d
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in zip 18017 (Bethlehem)
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 3,364 contributions totaling $590,087 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $175 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 884 contributions totaling $238,994 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $270 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)