🍾 Happy New Year. Actually, I think this is the last day you can say that.
📖 In today’s PoliticsPA Guide. Shapiro grapples with divided government ahead of a possible bid in 2028. Analysis shows Harrisburg is among the least effective legislatures. O’Connor will focus on growth and family. Teddy bear throwing nets 82 thousand. stuffed animals.
🎶 Your morning pick-me-up. Abracadabra. Lady Gaga
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌤️Pittsburgh | Partly sunlit, 43
☁️ Williamsport | Mostly shadowy, 35
☁️Scranton | Mostly shadowy, 33
Sports PA
🏈 Eagles (11-6) | Washington 17-24 | Sun vs. San Francisco
🏈 Steelers (10-7) | Baltimore 26-24 | Pon vs. Houston
🏀 Sixes (19-14) | New York 130-119 | Mine vs. Denver
🏒 Flyers (21-12-7) | Edmonton 5-2 | Tuesday vs. Anaheim
🏒 Penguins (20/12/9) | Detroit 4-1 | Columbus 5-4 (OT) | Thu vs. New Jersey
🔈 What we hear. “Everyone should be aware of our work, role and responsibility” Representative Brian Fitzpatrick he told reporters in December. “You have to represent your districts. You have to defend and protect the institution and Article I. We have a role to play in this government. It’s an important role.”
📕 PoliticsPA Guide was developed by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser click here. Has this email been sent to you? Subscribe for free.
The most vital story
1. Shapiro grapples with divided Pennsylvania government ahead of possible 2028 bid.
“Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro he’s dealing with one major thing that sets him apart from other potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates: a divided state legislature and all the tough policy compromises that come with it.
Shapiro often recalls how he dealt with that divide, especially in recent weeks after emerging from a budget impasse that lasted more than four months.
This is the Pennsylvania way. To get this done, we in Pennsylvania are working together. And even in times of extraordinary political polarization, we show that we can do it NBC News
Elsewhere
Garrity’s campaign will put the first three years of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s term under the microscope. “Next year, voters will judge Shapiro on his record leading the commonwealth. While Republicans say there is much to criticize, including three late budgets and lingering questions about a sexual harassment scandal involving a top aide, Democratic and Republican political experts say his appeal to a broad swath of voters is undeniable.” | Penn Capital Star
‘Intense energy’ surrounding 2026 AP governor race and 35 others across US. “In 2026, Pennsylvania will host one of 36 gubernatorial races that will help shape state leadership, elections and politics across the country in the years to come.” | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Pennsylvania elected officials react to the capture of Venezuelan Maduro. “Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face a number of charges in the United States following President Donald Trump’s announcement on Saturday that the United States had attacked Caracas and arrested them. How did Pennsylvania’s elected leaders before Congress react to the news?” | PoliticsPA
Will Congress defend itself this year? Some Republicans hope so. “As Republican lawmakers look ahead to another year of the Trump administration, some have begun to feel more comfortable criticizing the president’s most controversial policies, including his administration’s military escalation in Venezuela. “The only country the United States of America should ‘rule’ is the United States of America,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said in a statement” | known
Country
2. New analysis finds Harrisburg among the least effective legislatures. Some say reform is needed
“A nationwide analysis of state legislatures found that Pennsylvania had one of the least effective state legislatures in the nation last year. And while some lawmakers believe that imposing term limits or shrinking the legislature could improve its performance, others say it is simply harder to make changes to legislation when political parties share control of the House and Senate.”
Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed only about 4% of the bills they have introduced, putting the state among the least productive legislatures in the country, according to a data and policy briefing published by FiscalNote. This is despite – or perhaps because of – the fact that Pennsylvania, with 203 House members and 50 senators, also has the largest full-time state legislature in the country.” | WESA
Elsewhere
High-stakes 2026 elections will determine control of PA legislation, which party sets policy. “Democrats and Republicans will compete to maintain control of one legislative chamber while trying to flip the other. Battleground districts stretch from rural areas of south-central Pennsylvania to cities in the Western Rust Belt to the growing suburbs outside major cities. ” | PA reflector
How the AP attorney general and his New Jersey counterpart formed an unlikely bond across the street. “Right after Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday was sworn in in January, he received a lunch invitation from across the Delaware River. It didn’t matter that they were from different political parties, said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, a Democrat appointed to the position by outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy. ” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Around the Republic of Poland
3. O’Connor will begin his term as mayor with a focus on growth and family
“How Corey O’Connor is preparing to be sworn in as the next mayor of Pittsburgh on Monday. He wants to change the way the government approaches long-standing problems by trying to transform the city into a business and family center.
Mr. O’Connor’s inauguration will be Monday afternoon at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland – almost 20 years to the day since his father’s death, Bob O’Connor, became mayor.
Becoming the 62nd mayor of Pennsylvania’s second-largest city will present immediate challenges.’ | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Elsewhere
Guridy and Smith elected to special election for House District 22. “Democrat Julian Guridy will face Republican Robert E. Smith Jr. in a special election scheduled for February 24 to fill the vacancy in the state’s 22nd House District seat.” | Lehigh Valley Chair
Mazzocco, a Democrat, will face GOP Leckenby in the race to replace Dan Miller in the House.. “Local Democrats and Republicans have selected their candidates to replace state Republican Dan Miller in next month’s special election, with Democrats choosing a Dormont Borough Councilman and the GOP uniting behind a recent law school graduate who ran for a South Hills seat in 2024.” | WESA
COVID, protests, the principle of self-government: the mayor of Lancaster is ready to say goodbye after 8 years in office. “Five months after taking over, Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace has begun to regret it. Now she’s counting down the hours until she passes the baton to Jaime Arroyo, who will be sworn in as the city’s 44th mayor on Monday. During his campaign, Arroyo had the support of Sorace, a key supporter of his race to become Lancaster’s first Latino mayor.” | LNP
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- Three data points to judge Corey O’Connor’s mayoralty | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
- How will Ed Gainey be remembered? | Adriana E. Ramírez
- Shapiro’s Gas Lightning Plan: Overshadowing Pennsylvania’s Energy Future | Stacy Garrity
- America begins its 250th birthday by becoming a rogue state | Will Bunch
- Democrats won 90% of key races in 2025 and Republicans are jumping ship | Marek S. Singel
- Penn State trustees still don’t say enough publicly | Trib LIVE
1 item
5. Hershey Bears’ Teddy Bears 2026 competition raised almost $82,000. stuffed animals
“On Sunday, the Hershey Bears held their annual Giant Teddy Bear Toss Contest when the Rockford IceHogs from Rockford, Illinois came to town.
Bears party since 2001. Throwing of teddy bears and other stuffed animals takes place after the Bears score their first goal.
The bears collected 81,796 teddy bears and stuffed animals during Sunday’s Giant Teddy Bear Toss contest, bringing the total number of teddy bears and stuffed animals collected to 648,246 since Hershey hosted the first Teddy Bear Toss event in 2001. | PennLive
Thank you for starting your week (and year) with us.
Make it a great day. See you tomorrow morning.
