2025 Allentown mayoral election

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2025 Allentown mayoral election
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Candidate Matthew Tuerk Ed Zucal
Party Democratic Republican
Incumbent Mayor

Matthew Tuerk
Democratic



The 2025 Allentown mayoral election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent mayor, Matthew Tuerk, is running for a second term as mayor. [1] The Democrat and Republican primary elections were held on May 20, 2025. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Matthew Tuerk, the eventual winner, faced three challengers in the 2021 Democratic primary; council members Ce-Ce Gerlach and Julio Guridy and incumbent Mayor Ray O’Connell. [4] Tuerk would win the highly competitive primary by just 121 votes barely beating O’Connell. [4] He would go on to win the mayoral election, by 64.13% in 2021, against Timothy Ramos. Tuerk announced his re-election campaign, in November 2024. [5] Tuerk is the first Hispanic mayor of Allentown, a city with a Hispanic population over 125,000. [4]

Candidates

Democratic primary

Declared

Withdrew

  • Cynthia Mota, city councilwoman [6] [7]

Republican primary

Withdrew

  • Solomon Tembo, businessman, and Independent candidate for Mayor in 2021 [8] [9]

Declined

  • Tim Ramos, former mayoral candidate in 2019 and 2021. [6] [9]

Campaign

Democratic primary

Tuerk has touted FBI statistics that showed a drop in crime in Allentown during his first term. [4] He also announced a plan to improve traffic signals, pedestrian walkways and roadways near schools with an aim of eliminating traffic fatalities by 2030. [4] Tuerk also promised to continue to grow tourism in the city, and improve the city's A2 bond rating. [4]

Tuerk is seeing a concerted primary challenge by city councilmen Ed Zucal a retired Allentown police sergeant elected as a Democrat in 2017. [4] Zucal has been highly critical of Tuerk’s tenure at the city’s helm claiming that the quality of life has significantly dropped since he took over as mayor. [4] Zucal also challenged the FBI statistics of not accurately portraying the continuing issue of crime, as well as opposing Tuerk's fiscal management. [4] Another Democratic city coucilwoman, Cynthia Mota, also briefly sought the nomination, running a campaign centered on "inclusion and economic opportunities" but would drop out in March to focus on re-election to the city council. [7]

The NAACP raised allegations that Tuerk has fostered city employees that have used racial slurs, mocking of sexual preferences and identities, verbal attacks and denials of promotions. [4] Zucal has pressed this issue, initiating a vote of no confidence against Tuerk that passed the city council 4-3. [4] In April 2024 the city council approved a $300,000 outside investigation of the allegations and on June 26, council voted 6-1 in favor of allocating $20,000 to sue Tuerk and city finance director Bina Patel due to Tuerk going over the city council's head and hiring their own external investigation. [4] However, in December the council voted 4-3 to suspend the lawsuit. [4]

Republican primary

Solomon Tembo, an Independent candidate in 2021, had filed to run as a Republican, however, provided a Salisbury Township address during his petition, and local Allentowner Danielle Scott challenged his eligibility to run for mayor due to not being a resident, as well as alleging 110 of his 140 signatures he'd collected weren't valid. [9] A hearing had been scheduled with the Lehigh County Board of Elections, however, Tembo instead withdrew his nomination. [9]

Tim Ramos, the Republican nominee in 2019 and 2021, announced he was considering running again due to people calling him and voicing support for a third run. [6] However, he would ultimately not file a petition meaning there is no Republican candidate this election cycle. [6] [9]

The primary would ultimately be decided by write-in votes. [3] Ed Zucal, Tuerk's challenger in the Democratic primary, would launch a write in campaign that would see him win 498 write-in votes, and thus the Republican nomination. [10] [11] [12]

Primary results

Incumbent Allentown mayor Matthew Tuerk would win the Democratic primary after defeating councilman Ed Zucal with over 80 % of the vote. [13] However, Zucal will again face Tuerk in the November general election after receiving the most votes, all write-in, in the Republican primary. [3] He would receive only 115 votes in the Republican primary, needing 100 to clinch the Republican nomination. [3]

Results

2025 Mayor of Allentown Democratic primary [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Matthew Tuerk (incumbent) 4,945 80.33
Democratic Ed Zucal1,19119.35
Write-in 200.32
Total votes6,156 100.00
2025 Mayor of Allentown Republican primary [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Ed Zucal (write-in) 499 66.80
Write-in 12216.33
Republican Matthew Tuerk (write-in)11515.39
Republican Solomon Tembo (write-in)111.47
Total votes747 100.00

References

  1. ↑ "Allentown mayor touts 'tremendous progress' as he launches re-election bid". LehighValleyNews.com. November 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ Deegan, Jim (March 28, 2025). "Democrats are only ones on ballot for Allentown mayor in primary election". Lehigh Valley News. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Addy, Jason (May 23, 2025). "'I'm still alive': Ed Zucal claims victory in GOP primary for Allentown mayor. What does future hold?". LehighValleyNews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Allentown mayoral race officially off the ground". The Express-Times . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Allentown mayor to formally launch re-election campaign next month". LehighValleyNews.com. October 22, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Farris, Jaccii (November 12, 2024). "2 city council members say they'll challenge Allentown mayor for city's top job". WFMZ.com.
  7. 1 2 "Allentown councilwoman drops bid for mayor's office, will seek re-election". LehighValleyNews.com. March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  8. ↑ Shortell, Tom. "Lehigh County's 2025 local elections begin to take shape". Lehigh Valley News . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Democrats are only ones on ballot for Allentown mayor in primary election". LehighValleyNews.com. March 28, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  10. ↑ Weber, Lindsay. "Ed Zucal poised to take GOP nomination for Allentown mayor after write-in push, setting up rematch with Matt Tuerk". The Morning Call . Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ "City Councilman Ed Zucal receives enough write-in votes for GOP mayoral nomination". WFMZ-TV . Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ Addy, Jason. "'I'm still alive': Ed Zucal claims victory in GOP primary for Allentown mayor. What does future hold?". Lehigh Valley News . Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ Addy, Jason (May 20, 2025). "'A very clear message': Tuerk declares victory in Allentown mayoral primary". LehighValleyNews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Lehigh County Unofficial Results - First Certification" (PDF). Lehigh County Elections and Voter Registration. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Lehigh County Unofficial Results - First Certification" (PDF). Lehigh County Elections and Voter Registration. p. 71. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
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