🍿 Good Thursday morning. Get your popcorn ready with two debates on tonight’s topic.
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌤️ Johnsonburg | Mostly sunlit, 72
🌤️Shrewsbury | Shrinking clouds, 72
🌤️ Moscow | Mostly sunlit, 69
Sports PA
⚽ Union (9-10-13) | Orlando City 1-2 | Sat versus Columbus
⚾ Phillies | Saturday vs. Milwaukee/NY Mets
📆 What’s happening today. U.S. Senate candidates will do this meet for a debate sponsored by NewsNation, beginning at 8 p.m. There will be candidates for PA Attorney General meet for a debate on WGAL-TV at 7 p.m
📊 PoliticsPA Poll Tracker (average of the last 5 PA polls)
President: Harris +0.8% | Senate: Casey +4.6%
🗞️ Political news from the Swing State. 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 an easy-to-read format every day at 8am. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and sign up now.
The most vital story
1. Casey and McCormick meet in the first debate in the Battleground Senate race in Pennsylvania
“Democratic US Senator Bob Casey Pennsylvania and the Republican challenger David McCormick will meet Thursday night for the first debate in a costly race for a seat in a swing state that could help take control of the Senate in the November election.
Casey, 64, is a staunch union ally, former auditor general and state treasurer, and Pennsylvania’s longest-serving Democrat in the Senate. He campaigned on middle-class protections, abortion rights, labor rights and voting rights, and calls on McCormick and former president Donald Trump a threat to them all.
McCormick, 59, is running for the Senate for a second time after a narrow defeat Dr. Mehmet Oz in the 2022 Republican primary. He is a former hedge fund CEO who held top positions as a former president George W. Bush administration and served on the Trump Defense Advisory Board.” (AP)
Elsewhere
Senator Bob Casey and David McCormick ready to face off in the Harrisburg debate. “It is one of the most competitive and expensive races in the country. The matchup pits three-term incumbent Mr. Casey, a former state treasurer and auditor general, against Mr. McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, Army veteran and George W. Bush administration official. (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
‘We’ll make sure it’s safe’: Mike Kelly says Butler site will be safer at Saturday’s Trump rally. “Trump claims the place where he survived the would-be assassin’s bullet will be the ‘safest place on Earth.’ (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
“All the gas. No brakes!”: Tim Walz travels through central Pennsylvania after the debate. “While the vice president traveled through parts of Georgia devastated by Hurricane Helene, Walz led something of a mini-rebellion in mostly Republican York County, rallying mid-state supporters at the York Fairgrounds.” (PennLive)
- Walz campaigns with Fetterman in Deep Red York County. (Penn Capital Star)
- Tim Walz rally supporters during a campaign stop in Reading. (Reading the Eagle)
- Walz is visiting York to assist the Harris campaign woo Republican voters in Trump country. (York daily record)
Country
2. Candidates for PA attorney general will compete in two televised debates
“The first of two debates featuring the major party candidates for state attorney general, the Republicans Dave’s Sunday and Democrat Eugene DePasqualewill be televised on Thursday evening by a Lancaster-based television station, followed by a second debate mid-month on television stations across the state.
Mr. Sunday, a Republican district attorney in York County, and Mr. DePasquale, a former two-term Democratic state auditor general, will participate in a debate that will air Thursday at 7 p.m.Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Elsewhere
AARP Poll: Pennsylvania has a tight race. “Not only is the presidential race too close to be held in Pennsylvania this fall.” (PoliticsPA)
Treasurer Garrity, Challenger McClelland Lock Horns. “Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is running for re-election, exchanged remarks with her Democratic opponent Erin McClelland.” (DV Journal)
PA-07: Election 2024: Susan Wild and Ryan Mackenzie take a stand on the issue. “Susan Wild and Ryan Mackenzie, vying for Pennsylvania’s competitive 7th District congressional seat, differ on issues like inflation, immigration and abortion, but have similar thoughts on U.S. energy policy and diplomacy.” (Morning talk in Allentown)
PA-03: Dwight Evans missed hundreds of votes in Congress after suffering a stroke in May. However, he claims he is vigorous enough to run for re-election. “The Philadelphia Democrat, who is currently running unopposed for a fifth term, admitted that his rehabilitation is taking longer than expected and that he now plans to return to Washington when the House returns to session in November.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Voters in Dauphin County have a tough time voting by mail
“Some voters in Dauphin County are facing an unforeseen difficult situation.
Thanks to the rain and high humidity that has gripped the region over the past two weeks, absentee ballots are arriving in mailboxes with return and secure envelopes already sealed by the humidity.” (PennLive)
Elsewhere
Voting begins in Pennsylvania with counties mailing ballots and satellite election offices open. “Voting has begun in earnest in the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania as counties increasingly begin mailing ballots, offering over-the-counter voting options at election offices and opening up other voting options.” (AP)
An expert says newborn voters in Pennsylvania could play a key role in the presidential election. “I would say that since my senior year of high school, I’ve become more and more involved in politics and following it, so I’m excited to vote,” sophomore Patrick McManamon said.” (CBS Philadelphia)
- College Democrats excited, Republicans looking for ‘protected spaces’ as another election season approaches. (Public source)
Pennsylvania government and school retirees want COLA retirement, saying it’s long overdue. “Robert McVay’s dream of becoming a teacher turned into a nightmare for the retired educator, and he blames it on Pennsylvania lawmakers.” (PennLive)
Farmers’ support could prompt Pennsylvania to lift its near-total ban on Sunday hunting. “The Sunday hunting debate is nothing new in Harrisburg, but something has changed this year: The Pennsylvania Bureau of Agriculture has abandoned its long-standing opposition to the practice, potentially paving the way for change.” (PA reflector)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
- 6 more years of Punxsutawney Bob? (Kyle Peterson)
- Why some Philadelphia-area students aren’t voting in the presidential election (Nina Sablan)
- The debate between Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson could be pivotal in their tight race for Congress. (John Baer)
- Will shutting down the sale with “inflationary” voters be enough for Trump? (Jim Lee)
- Harrisburg’s October Surprise. (Emily Greene)
1 item
5. “There is nothing more political than food.”
“No matter what state your stomach is in when it comes to politics, there’s a place for everyone at the table, thanks to the creator of a presidential and congressional rules website that uses food to explore the American political landscape.
Bennett Rhea2010 Juniata College graduate returned to campus this week after a 13-year absence to talk about how candidates’ dietary choices could influence voters.
According to Rei, a celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain he was right that “There is nothing more political than food.”Huntingdon Daily News)
