🥺 Another manic Monday. Well, not really. Until the last hours.
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌤️ Pittsburgh | Partly radiant, 70
🌤️Reading | Partly radiant, 63
🌤️Scranton | Partly radiant, 60
🌤️Philadelphia | Partly radiant, 64
Sports PA
🏈 Penn State (7-1) | Ohio State 13-20 | Saturday vs. Washington
🏈 Pitt (7-1) | SMU 25-48 | Sat vs. Virginia
🏈 Eagles (6-2) | Jacksonville 28-23 | Sun vs. Dallas
🏀 Sixes (1-4) | Memphis 107-124 | Pon vs. Phoenix
🏒 Penguins (5-7-1) | Montreal 3-1 | Tue vs. NY Islanders
🏒 Flyers (4-7-1) | Boston 0-3 | Tue vs. Karolina
👀 What we see. PolitykaPA average from the last 5 statewide polls.
President: Harris +1.2% | Senate: Casey +4.1%
🔉 What are we listening to?. Talking Battleground PA in the Washington Journal.
🗞️ PPolitical 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’ll deliver all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8am. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and sign up now.
The most crucial story
1. Trump talks about shooting reporters and says he shouldn’t have left the White House after his 2020 loss
“In remarks Sunday that bear little resemblance to speeches he has delivered at recent rallies, the former president repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and resurrected old grievances after trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Donald Trump “intensified his verbal attacks on what he described as the ‘demonic’ Democratic Party and the American media, at one point targeting his rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on the topic of violence against members of the press.” (AP)
- Trump misleads about voter fraud, jokes about shooting press during Lancaster airport rally. (LNP | Lancaster on the Internet)
Elsewhere
Harris, Trump: A study in vivid contrasts in the grueling final days of the campaign. “It was the final Sunday of the presidential campaign, and Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were still racing through battleground states looking for support. But in message and demeanor, Ms. Harris, a Democrat, and Mr. Trump, a Republican, could not be more different.” (New York Times)
An unprecedented election comes to an uncertain end in Battleground, Pennsylvania. “An election year unlike any other is just days away from a climactic vote that will shape the country for a generation or more, and nowhere are ballots more crucial than in Pennsylvania.” (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Megaphones, TV ads and canvassers bump into each other: As the Pennsylvania race comes to an end. “Pennsylvania voters are accustomed to being in the spotlight during presidential elections. But this year, for many, that shine seems blinding. (POLICY)
Pennsylvania voters are concerned and cautious – and they have decided: “Our democracy is at stake.”.‘ “For months, the 2024 presidential election had been a referendum on the very different directions the country might take, and the likely outcome was Pennsylvania.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
Country
2. 2024 Election Preview: US Senate
“This is one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate races in the country as the majority hangs in the balance.
Three-time incumbent Democrat Senator Bob Casey Jr. faces a major challenge from Republicans Dave McCormick. Both campaigns have already spent more than $344 million on ads touting their positive sides and trying to point out their opponent’s flaws.” (PolitykaPA)
Elsewhere
‘Losing by less’: Can Democrats really break into this GOP stronghold in Pennsylvania?? “Trump is poised to win the traditionally conservative Lancaster County, an area essential to his path to victory in Pennsylvania. But population change means a much bigger battle over the county’s identity and future.” (known)
U.S. Reps. Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson are working all weekend for voters in PA’s 10th District. “The campaign for one of the most interesting races on the political map of Pennsylvania did not end this weekend.” (PennLive)
Reschenthaler, the Kid Running in the 14th Congressional District. “Two military veterans who spent time in Iraq are vying to represent Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District in the next Congress.” (Johnstown Tribune-Democrat)
She was the first AP state senator to give birth while in office. Now she is mourning the loss of her pregnancy. “Days before voters go to the polls where access to abortion is a critical issue for voters, State Senator Amanda Cappelletti, a Democrat, is speaking out about her family’s latest heartbreaking loss.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
New challenges for PA voter mail-in ballot applications targeting overseas voters. “Thousands of complaints have been filed in 14 counties, many of them by right-wing activists, seeking to have ballots disqualified by falsely claiming that Pennsylvanians living abroad are ineligible to vote.” (Let him vote)
- At the heart of many false claims about elections is a straightforward truth: voter rolls are imperfect. (WHY)
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Top 5 False or Misleading Claims Made Ahead of the 2024 AP Elections
“Since 2020, when he was former president Donald Trump and his allies spread conspiracy theories that the presidential election was rigged, such lies have become a common feature of U.S. elections.
This is especially true in swing states like Pennsylvania. And this year, with Trump on the ballot again, misinformation, misconceptions and sheer confusion about the commonwealth’s electoral processes will once again circulate widely.” (PA reflector)
Elsewhere
Beyond the Lehigh Valley: 13 Pennsylvania counties that could decide the 2024 presidential election.. “These counties show a clear but unusual trend across the commonwealth. The News Lab calls it the “seesaw effect” to highlight how voter registration margins have changed over the past eight years and could impact election outcomes.” (LehighValleyNews.com)
- What to know about national races, state races and issues in Erie County. (Erie Times-News)
- Luzerne County is at the center of an election denial storm. (Washington Post Office)
- Congressional contests at government offices for area ballots along with national races. (Indiana newspaper)
- The Philadelphia area played a key role in saving the state of Pennsylvania. Here are the trends to watch out for on Election Day. (Questioner from Philadelphia)
- ‘The fear is over’: Democrats think they can make inroads into rural Pennsylvania. (NBC News)
This county in Pennsylvania built America and may elect the next president. “Located in the heart of eastern Pennsylvania, it is one of two counties in the state that have been frontrunners in the last four presidential elections and could decide who controls the White House next year.” (NTDs)
Meet the conservative women who are keeping their votes for Kamala Harris a secret. “In political ads and campaign speeches, supporters of Vice President Harris have a message for Republican women: Your vote is private and no one will know if you are secretly voting for Harris.” (NPR)
Democrats, once top in the Pittsburgh area, now taken over by the GOP. “The southwestern Pennsylvania pendulum has shifted.” (Greensburg Tribune Review)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
- Behind the blue wall: Trump’s gifts, Harris’s balancing act. (Jonathan Martin)
- If Trump loses Pennsylvania, he has no one to blame but himself. (EJ Dionne)
- The biggest gaffe of 2024? The GOP is telling the truth about what it will do to America. (Will Bunch)
- Democracy works better than it seems – unless the leaders don’t quit. (Daniel Oppenheimer)
- One youthful voter can make a difference in this election. (Aarushi Dedhia)
- The Senate’s stakes couldn’t be much higher. (Wall Street Journal)
- Conservatives opposing Trump should consider the past and the future. (Kyle Sammin)
- What Republicans and Democrats Need to Agree on (Jim Gerlach and Tim Roemer)
1 item
5. Vote banking
“As of the Sunday before Election Day, more than 75 million Americans had already cast their ballots.
Why it matters: This is over 48% of the total number of people who voted in 2020 (154.6 million), indicating that early voting and mail-in voting are becoming an increasingly popular voting method and the new norm in American politics.” (Axles)
Thank you for starting your morning with us.
Please invite your friends
to sign up for the PoliticsPA Guide
