😎 Hello Tuesday. It’s getting balmy out there. Where’s the Mister Softee truck??
Pennsylvania Weather
☀️ Connellsville | Sunny, 93
☀️ Sayre | Sunny, 89
☀️ Exton | Sunny, 86
Sports PA
⚾ Phillies (77-54) | Houston 3-2 | Tuesday-Wednesday vs. Houston
⚾ Pirates (62-69) | Cubs 8-18 | Tuesday-Wednesday vs. Cubs
⚽ Union (6-9-10) | Wed vs. Columbus
👂 What do we hear“Who is ultimately responsible? Who is in charge? I want to know who is making the decisions. If the Secret Service says ‘do x’ and the campaign says ‘don’t do this,’ who decides and who is ultimately responsible for the outcome?” Representative Lou Correa (D-California.)
🎂 Happy birthday. Cake and candles for Senator Lindsey Williams AND Representative Rob Kauffman
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The most essential story
1. Republican Senate candidate relies on Jewish votes to win Pennsylvania
“Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormickrunning in a politically crucial seat in Pennsylvania, is focusing on winning over Jewish voters who have become disillusioned with the Democratic Party as part of his campaign against Senator Bob Casey.
McCormick has regularly emphasized his unwavering support for Israel as it defends itself against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and has been a leading voice in condemning rising anti-Semitism, particularly amid anti-Israel activity at universities, including the University of Pennsylvania.
While fighting with Casey, he also tried to maintain a contrast Senator John Fetterman “open, uncompromising praise for Israel in contrast to his Democratic Party colleague’s less vocal support for the Jewish state.” (Jewish Insider)
Elsewhere
Bucks County Will Decide Control of Senate, House, Shapiro Says in Casey Campaign. “Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in Lower Bucks County Monday, telling supporters gathered at Neshaminy Brewing in Croydon that Casey “understands what you’re dealing with in your community.”” (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
Johnstown Trump Campaign’s Next Stop in Pennsylvania“Reinforcing the importance of the Keystone State to his campaign’s presidential hopes, former President Donald Trump will hold a rally Friday afternoon in Johnstown.” (PoliticsPA)
Will Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Pennsylvania voters follow him to Trump? “In interviews with more than a dozen people in Pennsylvania who were Kennedy volunteers or who had been identified in polls as Kennedy supporters, two-thirds said that “the way forward,” as Kennedy put it in his withdrawal speech on Friday, was to vote for or lean toward Trump.” (PoliticsPA)
Harris campaign releases new ad to highlight plans to build 3 million homes and reduce inflation“The Harris campaign plans to hold housing affordability events in the Pennsylvania cities of Lancaster, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as in the Arizona cities of Phoenix and Tucson.” (AP)
Country
2. Voter Registration by Congressional District
“Here are the latest voter registration numbers for Pennsylvania by congressional district.
Swipe your district to see the total registrations by party, the corresponding percentages, and whether one of the two main parties is ahead.” (PoliticsPA)
Elsewhere
How Young Pennsylvania Voters See the Political Landscape Now That Kamala Harris Is on the List“It’s been a month since President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection and Vice President Kamala Harris will be the Democratic nominee for president, and Pennsylvanians are already noticing a change in the climate. Especially the younger generation.” (Cornerstone)
Lawmaker investigating Trump assassination attempt says he warned campaign staff about location“Rep. Mike Kelly has been a vocal Trump ally for years. But as he launches an official investigation into the attempted assassination of the former president, he sees Donald Trump’s team as part of the problem.” (known)
Shapiro charts course for his political future“Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro spent four days working the floor at the Democratic National Convention last week, signaling his ambition to cement his position as the party’s national leader and lay the groundwork for a future White House bid.” (Shipment)
As Pennsylvania looks to allocate more money for school vouchers, other states offer terrifying lessons“Giving students the option to switch from public to private school by offering them taxpayer-funded vouchers does not guarantee that they will have better academic outcomes. In fact, some research shows the opposite, including analyses of voucher programs in Ohio, Indiana and Louisiana.” (Erie Times-News)
Around the Commonwealth of Nations
3. Washington County says voters need to be informed about mail-in voting errors
In a ruling that could have statewide implications for the presidential election, election officials in a western Pennsylvania county must notify voters that their absentee ballots cannot be counted and record that information in the statewide election system.
The Washington County Common Pleas Court has ruled that the Pennsylvania Constitution requires the county Board of Elections to notify absentee voters of any disqualifying errors on their absentee ballot packages when the errors are discovered by the board. The ruling says that the Constitution requires the board to provide this notice before the voter is irrevocably disqualified from voting.” (PoliticsPA)
Elsewhere
Women in Philadelphia’s suburbs are key to deciding the 2024 election, and Democrats have the upper hand“Women in red-collar counties are poised to play a potentially decisive role in determining the next president after helping President Joe Biden win in 2020. They could potentially make Vice President Kamala Harris the first female president if they show up for her in similar or larger numbers than former President Donald Trump.” (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
Republican Vice Presidential Candidate JD Vance to Discuss Economy, Energy in Erie“Vance, who will be making his first appearance in Erie since becoming former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate in July, is scheduled to begin his appearance at Team Hardinger, a transportation and storage company, at 3 p.m. (Erie Times-News)
Victim recovering from I-70 crash with Senator John Fetterman speaks out“Jennifer Campbell, 62, decided to come forward and speak out about the collision through her attorney, Andrew Thomas, who was hired to handle her personal injury insurance claim.” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
Lehigh County officials warn of voter registration texting scam. “County officials said they have learned that local voters are being targeted by ‘smishing’ attacks, the board expressed sadness in a news release Monday. Smishing is a technique in which bad actors try to extract someone’s personal information by sending them a malicious link.” (News)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
1 thing
5. Tell me it’s not true, Mr. Softee!
“It’s never been harder to be Mister Softee.
At one time, in the 1960s, at the company’s peak, there were more than 2,000 Mister Softee trucks in 38 states. Today, there are only about 630 Mister Softee trucks operating in neighborhoods and parks in 21 states.
Competition and rising costs are hurting sales. Counterintuitive factors, such as warmer weather, are also hurting business. And broader social trends — such as shrinking American families and even technological advances — are also playing a role.” (CNN)
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