Democrats who won in 2025 want party to listen ahead of 2026 midterms : NPR

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Executive Joshua Siegel sits for an interview after his first State of the County address in Allentown, Pennsylvania, February 26.

Stephen Fowler/NPR

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Stephen Fowler/NPR

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — When Democrats like Lehigh County Executive Joshua Siegel were elected across the country last November, people took notice.

The 2025 general election saw victories for current New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger. Democrats lost two seats on the Georgia State Civil Service Commission, and the party overperformed in numerous state and local elections.

Josh Siegel won one of those local elections. He won the right to lead Lehigh County with more than 60 percent of the vote, while previous executive elections over the past two decades have been much closer.

The county sits in a congressional district that has flip-flopped between the two parties in recent years and is one of several competitive areas in Pennsylvania’s presidential state.

It’s one of several places across the country where Democratic candidates have promised voters that they will govern differently than Republicans in Washington, so voters are showing up to force them to do so, as they did in late February for Siegel’s first State of the State address in Lehigh County. It was standing room only at Coca-Cola Park, home of the local minor league baseball team, Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

“It’s definitely a packed house,” Siegel said. “It may not be baseball season here at IronPig Stadium, but we sure packed the damn parking lot!”

At a time when there’s a lot to be said about how state and federal governments aren’t working for people, Siegel is looking to make changes that work at the municipal level.

“Certainly, there’s never been an administration like this in Lehigh County,” he told NPR. “I definitely have a broader view of what county government or local government needs to do right now.”

Since President Trump’s return to office, the Republican Party has seen a pendulum swing and voters unhappy with the new status quo, leading to a new generation of candidates like Siegel happy to change things.

“People don’t necessarily like the Democratic Party yet, it’s just that the alternative is much worse,” he said. “We need a Democratic Party that wins by design, not by default. And I think we’re in a dynamic right now where we win by default.”

Siegel boasts that he is the youngest county executive ever elected in Pennsylvania and his specific vision for Lehigh County is ambitious, such as calling for a 1% local option sales tax to fund things like housing, mental health programs and public transportation.

But his 45-minute State of the County speech was also a statement of sorts about something bigger than the budget.

“Democracy is complicated and disagreement is good,” Siegel intoned. “We cannot avoid tough questions or tough votes for comfort. We will not limit ourselves to the paths we have taken before. Our great system is sick.”

Many of the notable changes and challenges encountered in today’s political environment are visible in Lehigh County.

The decline of the steel industry gave rise to a boom in manufacturing, technology and logistics companies that flocked to the region halfway between Philadelphia and New York.

A growing economy has led to a growing and diverse population, including a wave of millennials and Latino residents. There are, however, growing difficulties.

“Lehigh Valley is very, very Pennsylvania Dutch, and they are very, very set in their ways,” local resident Howard Lieberman said after Siegel’s speech. “Even if there is a younger generation with ideas, like Josh, changing the older generation is still going to be difficult.”

“The government has always been reactive – he talks about proactive government,” Lierberman added. “I think the concept is good. I think the people sitting in this room are supportive of getting involved.”

But the same unease that people felt about government in Washington didn’t magically disappear just because Siegel and other newly elected Democrats took over leadership in communities across the country.

Concerns remain about housing affordability and the cost of living, as well as how governments collect and spend tax revenue.

Lieberman says Siegel brings a sense of urgency that matches the urgency voters say these issues demand.

“What happens at the state level and the federal level has an impact, but it’s not an impact tomorrow,” he said. “And whatever happens there, it won’t affect me for months. What he does here may be a thing tomorrow.”

After the final round of handshakes and congratulatory remarks from attendees leaving his address, Siegel acknowledged there were a lot of “tomorrow things” on his plate.

But he also thinks about the future and what it means to fail.

“To me, failure is not about improving the way we talk about policy, the way we talk about solutions, or changing the culture and the discourse about what is possible,” Siegel said. “People want that sense of urgency. I think the house is on fire. And so they’re looking for an equal reaction and an equal feeling of ‘Yeah, the house is on fire!'”