🍂 Welcome to October. Thirty-five days left until the election.
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌂 Carmichaels | Mostly shadowy, with a chance of rain, low 70s
☁️ Troy | Mostly shadowy, 69
☁️ Bala Cynwyd | Cloudy, 69
Sports PA
⚾ Phillies | Saturday vs. Milwaukee/NY Mets
📆 What’s happening today. The state House meets at 11 a.m. and the state Senate meets at 1 p.m. The Capitol All-Star softball game is at 5:30 p.m. on City Island. The debate of vice presidential candidates will take place at 9:00 p.m
🎂 Happy birthday. Cake and candles for former President Jimmy Carter, who turns 100 today.
📊 PoliticsPA Poll Tracker (average of the last 5 PA polls)
President: Harris +1.6% | Senate: Casey +6.8%
🗞️ You asked about PA news. We deliver. Where can you find the latest information on political events in the Keystone State? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Guide. We will bring you all the latest headlines in easy-to-read format every weekday at 8:00. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and sign up now.
The most critical story
1. Former Auditor General and York County Attorney General headlines 6-way AP attorney general election contest
“The contest for the state’s top law enforcement officer — a position that has at times been a stepping stone to the governor’s office — is a six-way affair this year, featuring a veteran state Democratic incumbent, a Republican district attorney from York County and four candidates from less known parties.
Candidates for Attorney General Eugene DePasqualeDemocrat and Republican Dave’s Sunday won a disputed primary to gain a spot on the November 5 ballot. Since then, they have played to their strengths, with Mr. DePasquale highlighting his work during eight years as state auditor general, and Mr. Sunday presenting his charges as district attorney and special assistant U.S. attorney.” (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Elsewhere
Where PA attorney general candidates defend elections, voter ID and more. “When Pennsylvanians choose their next attorney general in November, they will choose a candidate who will play a critical role in protecting the state’s election laws. The state attorney general’s office has broad powers, ranging from investigating bad business practices to prosecuting crimes related to drugs, weapons and political corruption.” (PA reflector)
7 climate change and energy debate questions for Pennsylvania Senate candidates. “Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate candidates, incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick, have been at odds over energy policy since the beginning of the campaign.” (Inside Climate News)
Polls show a tight race in Pennsylvania, and there are warning signs for Harris among older voters. “Kamala Harris wins 49 percent of likely voters, compared with 47 percent for Donald Trump and 2 percent for other candidates, a poll conducted by a bipartisan panel for AARP found. Three percent are undecided.” (POLICY)
AP polls show Harris and Trump still close, but who do the one-quarter of non-MAGA GOP voters choose? “To no one’s surprise, recent polls of Pennsylvania voters show the state’s 19 electoral votes are up for grabs between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.” (PennLive)
Country
2. Brigadier General John R. Pippy appointed acting adjutant general
“Governor Josh Shapiro announced that he was giving his name Brigadier General John R. Pippy served as Adjutant General of Pennsylvania and head of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).
Pippy currently serves as the Director of the Joint Staff, Joint Forces Command, Pennsylvania Air National Guard. He leads the integration of strategic and joint staffing issues for more than 13,000 Soldiers and 4,100 Airmen in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Directs the administration, coordination, planning, development, and execution of all Joint Staff programs that prepare the state for contingency operations during federal or state emergencies involving natural or man-made disasters, as well as federal mobilizations.” (PolitykaPA)
Elsewhere
Shapiro will not support the Democratic candidate for treasurer, who criticized him during the vice-chairman talks. “The decision to stay out of the treasurer race is the latest blow to Erin McClelland’s campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
Harris, Carroll sworn in as representatives of the new state. “On Monday, the state House of Representatives welcomed two new members as Keith Harris (Philadelphia) and Andre Carroll (D-201) were sworn in to serve for the remainder of the session.” (PoliticsPA)
Availability of postal ballots. Absentee ballots are available in 15 Commonwealth counties for on-demand voting. Check if yours is among them. (PoliticsPA)
AP House Republicans advance anti-crime bills as party pushes crime wave narrative. “Legislators have outlined the first part of their four-part plan, which focuses on crime prevention. The other three aspects that House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler said will be discussed in detail by lawmakers in the coming weeks include policing, prosecuting and punishing criminals.” (LNP | Lancaster on the Internet)
The AP House is introducing bills to implement Obamacare protections into state law if federal statutes are violated. “These three bills create health insurance rules that mimic those already in place under the ACA. All of the bills include clauses stating that state laws will only go into effect if Congress repeals the relevant part of the ACA, a court invalidates it, or a future president refuses to enforce it. (PennLive)
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Fracking in Pennsylvania didn’t go as well as some might think
“With all the talk about fracking in Pennsylvania during the presidential race, it’s worth taking a look at what’s at stake for workers, tenants and residents who live near oil and gas facilities.
One of the first job creation reports painted a rosy picture. Published in 2010 by Penn State University and paid for by the industry, it projected that fracking in the Marcellus Shale would support 200,000 jobs by 2020. Six years later, another Penn State study by various authors found approximately 26,000 direct jobs in the industry , which is half filled by out-of-state residents.
Today this number is even smaller. In March 2024, the state reported 16,831 direct industry jobs, which is less than half of 1% of all jobs.” (WHY)
Elsewhere
Gainey cuts $70.4 million in spending from Pittsburgh’s 2025 preliminary budget. “Amid ongoing concerns from various city officials about Pittsburgh’s financial health, Mayor Ed Gainey released his 2025 preliminary budget on Monday afternoon, focusing on “maintaining funding for essential city services.”Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
A look at the intersection of faith and voting. “Campaigns fighting for votes in swing states like Pennsylvania are focusing on faith-based voters whose decisions are guided by cultural and religious values.” (Central Square)
Lincoln University will be a stop on the Harris-Walz team’s tour of HBCUs. “The tour, which will take place during homecoming and football classics season, will feature elected officials, national leaders and celebrities from the HBCU communities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.” (Philadelphia Tribune)
After Election Day: Expect lawsuits and recount requests in Pennsylvania, experts say. “In the days and weeks after Election Day, Pennsylvania will likely face election-related lawsuits and recount requests, former Gov. Tom Corbett and retired federal judges said Monday.” (LehighValleyNews.com)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
- Erin McClelland for Pennsylvania State Treasurer. (Questioner from Philadelphia)
- Helene should be a siren for Pittsburgh: prepare for more extreme weather. (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
- The only patriotic choice for president. (New York Times)
- Does Kamala Harris have a problem with Pennsylvania? (Charles McElwee)
- As Trump tours Pennsylvania, he hits all the right spots and delivers the news. (Salena Zito)
- Forget about the polls: these are the numbers that matter. (Lowman Henry)
- It’s time for legislative action on the PA’s transportation and infrastructure crisis. (Dan DeBone)
1 item
5. Party in the laundry room
In addition to washing machines and dryers, laundromats add bars, cafes, bookstores and other entertainment offerings, Wall Street Journal I’m writing.
- 🧺 After all, if you have to go to the laundromat, you probably have to spend a few hours there.
- “Laundry is a mundane task. … So we try to bring some fun to laundry.” Theo DuPreeowner of a Brooklyn laundromat offering beer, wine, coffee and burgers, told WSJ.
- Another hybrid laundromat has plenty of pinball machines so well-maintained that they attract pinball enthusiasts who don’t even have to do laundry.
