🐪 It’s Hump Day. Less than six days left to register to vote.
Weather in Pennsylvania
🌤️ Hermitage | Partly clear, with a chance of showers, 50
☀️Loysville | Mostly clear, 53
☀️Fountain Hill | Mostly clear, 55
Sports PA
🏒 Penguins (2-2) | Marry. vs. Buffalo
🏒 Leaflets (1-2) | Edmonton 3-4 | Thu vs. Seattle
🗣️ What we hear. Former GOP congresswoman Liz Cheney he supported the Democrats Rep. Susan Wild for re-election in PA-07.
🤔 Did you know? Erie is one of only 25 counties in the country that has voted for the presidential winner in the last four elections.
📊 PoliticsPA Poll Tracker (average of the last 5 PA polls)
President: Harris +0.8% | Senate: Casey +3.7%
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The most essential story
1. These 5 Congressional Races in Pennsylvania Could Determine House Control
“With narrow divisions in the U.S. House of Representatives, contests for Pennsylvania seats will be crucial to control of the chamber in this year’s elections, even though the state also plays a large role in determining control of the White House and the Senate.
The magic number of pick-ups for Democrats to take control of the House is four, increasing the stakes of every House race.” (AP)
Elsewhere
Third quarter congressional fundraising numbers. “Here are the congressional fundraising numbers for the third quarter (third quarter), courtesy of the Federal Election Commission.” (PoliticsPA)
Harris just comes out and says: Donald Trump is crazy. “Kamala Harris succinctly outlined why voters must vote for her over her opponent on November 5 at a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday.” (Vanity fair)
Suddenly, the Electoral College poses a problem for Trump. “Trump has a problem. Even if he manages to attract large numbers of non-white voters, it may not help him secure the presidency. In fact, it may not make any significant difference in his quest to win 270 electoral votes. “Ironically, Trump runs into the same obstacle that has hampered Democrats for decades: The Electoral College overweights white votes at the expense of racial minorities, giving white voters significantly more influence in the presidential race.” (Slate)
Why Philadelphia won’t end mail-in voting on Election Day, but Pittsburgh will. “The analysis shows that Allegheny County processes absentee ballots significantly faster than Philadelphia, likely due to differences in equipment and staffing.” (Let him vote)
Country
2. Casey, McCormick Spar over ‘lies’, abortion, border security
“Though Tuesday’s rematch was livelier than their first U.S. Senate debate Senator Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick it offered a lot of the same substance.
It featured Casey repeatedly trying to link McCormick’s days as a hedge fund executive to dealings in China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, while McCormick countered by linking Casey’s name to President Joe Biden AND Vice President Kamala Harrisand a warning of what could happen when Democrats take control of the Senate.” (PennLive)
Elsewhere
‘I’m not a farmer’: AP Senate candidate David McCormick receives property tax breaks in Columbia County. “The state law was intended to help farmers keep their land in the face of rising property values. Why does David McCormick, a self-professed “not a farmer,” benefit? (WHY)
Why Sen. Bob Casey has changed his stance on abortion and same-sex marriage — and why his opponent isn’t talking about it. “Casey has gone from a candidate seemingly cut from the clay of Pennsylvania’s famously moderate politics to a standard-issue congressional Democrat on almost all policy issues.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
AP attorney general candidates debate smash-and-grab crime, social media issues and fraud. “The major party candidates for state attorney general spent most of Tuesday night’s hour-long televised debate tackling a laundry list of issues, with limited bashing at each other.” (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Supreme Court rejects decision to allow 18-year-olds to carry guns in emergency situations in Pennsylvania. “The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a decision allowing 18-year-olds to openly carry guns during emergencies in Pennsylvania. Allows for a ban on persons aged 18 to 20 to carry weapons in public places during a declared state of emergency.” (AP)
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Pennsylvania’s tiny towns are changing, and Democrats see opportunity
“Exactly where the partisan balance lies in this stretch of southeastern Pennsylvania could determine the direction of the country in November.
As political parties rebalanced educational divisions, the state also changed.
“This year’s presidential race in Pennsylvania could be a test of what has gone further: partisan realignment trends that Trump is benefiting from, or demographic shifts that are helping Democrats.” (New York Times)
Elsewhere
Here’s why Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are coming to the Philadelphia suburbs: We’re Purple. “Bucks County is a target of both campaigns because it is not only the purplest county in Philadelphia in terms of past election results, but also in terms of voter registration.” (Bucks County Courier Times)
The 24 counties that matter most in ’24. “There are Biden fans in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Erie and Northampton – all places where Harris may have difficulty matching her former running mate’s numbers. But in Montgomery, Chester, Lancaster, Cumberland and Allegheny, Harris could increase Biden’s margins. Meanwhile, Trump will try to increase his lead in Lehigh and Berks. And there’s Bucks. (known)
SD-49: Laughlin, Wertz Debate in State Senate Contest. “Candidates for the 49th Pennsylvania Senate District seat met on the debate stage Monday night in Erie as Republican incumbent Dan Laughlin and Democratic challenger Jim Wertz made their case to voters.” (PoliticsPA)
Corrected ballots from Luzerne County’s 119th Precinct scheduled to be mailed Wednesday. “New November 5 general election ballots containing the correct spelling of State Representative Alec Ryncavage’s name have been sent to the printer and are expected to be mailed to 6,700 interested voters on Wednesday.” (Leader of the Wilkes-Barre Times)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
1 item
5. In the strange world of corn mazes
“Humans have been experiencing the intricacies and twists of mazes for millennia, as architectural safeguards to tardy down and confuse the enemy, for walking meditation, and yes, as entertainment. Hedge mazes, with dense greenery towering over players, became popular among European aristocrats in the 17th century, heralding the future of corn maze play.
The state-of-the-art corn maze, in which visitors are usually tasked with finding a way out or solving a variety of challenges, is a relatively fresh invention, created only in 1993. (Atlas Obscura)
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