📖 Today’s #PoliticsPA Guide. Shapiro accuses Vance of “comforting” right-wing anti-Semitism. How social media changes the campaign message. Krasner joins the National Prosecutors Group to push back against federal overreach. The Catholic Church appears as a bastion of resistance
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The most significant story
1. Shapiro accuses Vance of ‘comforting’ right-wing anti-Semitism
“Vice President J.D. Vance According to Pennsylvania, he “offered comfort” to people on the right who hold anti-Jewish views Governor Josh Shapirowhile the Republican Party is engaged in an ongoing intra-coalition dispute over anti-Semitism.
Vance made a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in which he made no mention of either Jews or Nazis, prompting further Jewish criticism of the vice president from both sides of the aisle.
[Shapiro] said he didn’t find it surprising that Vance’s post didn’t explicitly refer to Jews, given his take on the issue of right-wing anti-Semitism. | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Pennsylvania senators show scarce signs of fraternal bipartisanship as political temperatures rise. “Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick showed rare signs of bipartisanship this week as they both tried to counter growing political rhetoric.” | Washington Examiner
PA-03: Congress Forum scheduled for February 9. “The leading candidates for the 3rd Congressional District seat, currently held by retiring Rep. Dwight Evans, will meet for a forum on Monday, February 9, at Trinity Church in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.” | PoliticsPA
PA-09: Wallace’s campaign raised over $250,000 in the fourth quarter. “Rachel Wallace, a former White House staffer from Schuylkill County, announced that her campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 9th Congressional District raised more than $250,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025.” | PoliticsPA
McCormick talks to town hall on phone about immigration enforcement, shooting deaths and ICE funding. “Two separate investigations are ongoing into Saturday’s shooting death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti at the hands of Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, according to U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.” | Penn Capital Star
These teenage voters are starting to regret voting for Trump. “Wall Street Journal poll finds 58% of voters under 30 disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president.”| Wall Street Journal
Country
2. Influencers: how social media changes the campaign message
“It lasted Governor Josh Shapiro re-election campaign just four words – “Access only for certified creators” – to show how different the reach and access of the 2026 gubernatorial race will be compared to the 2022 plan, thanks to the continued rise of social media influencers in the political sphere.
Shapiro’s approach is by no means unique: the continued rise of social media has changed the way parties and candidates look at content creators and so-called “influencers” – people with a mighty online presence who have built credibility and an engaged audience. ” | City and state
Elsewhere
Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund at risk as expenses exceed revenues. “The state’s independent fiscal office warns that if Pennsylvania government spending continues to exceed revenues, the state’s rainy day fund will be cut in half as the state faces a structural deficit of as much as $5 billion in the 2026-27 fiscal year.” | Capitolwire
Housing costs in Pennsylvania are too high. This is what Shapiro will have to overcome to fix this. “Rents are skyrocketing, homelessness is on the rise, and homeownership is out of reach for many Pennsylvania families. As the state grapples with a severe housing shortage and affordability dominates the national political conversation, Gov. Josh Shapiro is preparing to release a long-awaited plan to address the crisis. ” | PA reflector
Grove announces his resignation from the House of Representatives. “State Rep. Seth Grove is resigning from office Saturday. He has served 17 years in the House of Representatives in the state’s 196th Legislative District, which includes and surrounds Dover. ” | Shipment from York
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Krasner joins the National Prosecutors Group to push back against federal overreach
“A national coalition of locally elected top prosecutors, including the District Attorney of Philadelphia Larry Krasnerannounced the creation of the Anti-Federal Overreach Project – aimed at holding federal officials accountable when they overstep their authority, especially in states across the country where the number of federal agents is growing.” | PolitykaPA
Elsewhere
Pittsburgh Police Chief Says He Has ‘No Interest in Immigration Enforcement’. “Nominated leaders of Pittsburgh’s public safety and police departments say they have ‘no interest in enforcing immigration law’ as violent clashes between ICE and protesters break out across the country.” | Central Square
911 surcharge, mental health funding. PA County Commissioner’s Budget Wish List. “Less than a week before Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to unveil his spending proposal to kick off the state’s next budget process, a group of county commissioners detailed their funding requests to support all 67 counties.” | Penn Capital Star
“What Fear Does to a Small Town”. “Through his work as an immigration lawyer, Joseph Murphy saw an emerging pattern: provoke, publish, spread. “The product is intimidation. The video is just a messaging mechanism,” he said, referring to a widely circulated video of a white man using a racial slur at a Charleroi business owner. | Observer-Reporter from Washington
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- Tough fiscal lessons from my first year in the Senate | Senator Dave McCormick
- I am a conservative. I want a lot more John Fettermans. | IngridJacques
- Removing the slavery exhibit from the president’s house does not whitewash history | Questioner from Philadelphia
- Philadelphia’s ambitious plan to deter ICE | Amanda Marcotte
- Will Shapiro’s success in PA translate to the national level? | John Hinshaw
- Pennsylvania’s energy bills are out of control | Representative Tim O’Neal
- Why is Trump trying to bury – forever – the final report on the theft of classified documents? | Dick Polman
- Three hidden health care battles this year will impact Pennsylvanians | Jennifer Riley
1 item
5. The Catholic Church appears as a bastion of resistance
“President Trump’s immigration crackdown and aggressive foreign policy have put him on a collision course with one of the world’s oldest institutions: the Catholic Church.
Why it matters: Faith leaders and scholars tell Axios that Trump’s agenda runs counter to the church’s commitment to human dignity. With an American pope at the helm for the first time, the Vatican is expected to be a unique foil for the president.
“Leon is pope for this moment,” he said Wincenty Millerprofessor of theology at the University of Dayton, added that he is “completely unequivocal” in his criticism of Trump’s policies. | Axles
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