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📰 PA Policy Playbook Headlines. Base Preview 2026: Four for PA-07. Supreme Court Justice Wecht announces his change of affiliation from Democratic to Independent. Spending on SD-48 exceeds $1 million. Slinky keeps jumping forward.
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The most crucial story
1. Basic Preview 2026: Four for PA-07
“The 7th Congressional District contest on the Democratic side will be one of the most closely watched races not only in the Commonwealth but across the country as four candidates vie for the opportunity to challenge Republican Ryan Mackenzie in November.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Democrats cry as mysterious Super PAC dumps $556,000 into Democratic primary in PA-07. “At the end of one of the most watched congressional primary elections in the country, Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is being flooded with TV spots and mailers from a mysterious super PAC.” | LehighValley News
PA-03: Sharif Street Record Top Pennsylvania Democrats Face Re-Scrutiny in Congressional Race in Philadelphia. “During his term from June 2022 to August 2025, Democratic voter turnout in the state plummeted, fundraising stagnated, and Pennsylvania Democrats had a disastrous 2024 in which all five of the party’s statewide candidates lost.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Trump suspends federal gas tax. Philadelphia Democrat Brendan Boyle has a bill that would make that happen. “President Donald Trump said Monday that pausing the 18 percent federal gas tax is a “great idea” — an idea proposed last month by U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle in a bill that would cap the federal gas tax when the national average exceeds $4 a gallon. | Questioner from Philadelphia
Mastriano appointed ambassador to the Slovak Republic. “President Donald Trump has appointed State Senator Doug Mastriano as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Slovak Republic.” | PoliticsPA
Country
2. PA Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announces his change of affiliation from Democratic to Independent
“In a statement issued Monday afternoon in Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht said he was changing his party affiliation from Democratic to Independent.
Wecht, who was elected by Commonwealth voters to a 10-year term last November, said his “law and jurisprudence has always been independent and always will be. Now my voter registration reflects that independence as well.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Pennsylvania scrutinizes fraud prevention as feds investigate Medicaid. “In the coming weeks, a federal audit of Medicaid programs across the country will begin the next steps to root out fraud following investigations in other states. But Pennsylvania leaders say the commonwealth is already proactive in protecting the programs from abuse.” | Penn Capital Star
State task force hunts down misleading AI chatbots as Administrator Shapiro promises legal action. “Since February, a new task force under the Pennsylvania Department of State has been working to track down AI chatbots that may mislead users into believing the bots are licensed professionals.” | PA reflector
Democratic candidate Alan Bradstock combines populism and compromise in the PA-14 campaign. “Today he worries about young people in smaller areas around Pittsburgh. Those concerns have pushed the 62-year-old to run for U.S. Congress in Pennsylvania’s 14th District, which includes all or part of southwestern Pennsylvania counties such as Washington and Fayette. ” | Pittsburgh City Document
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Campaign spending topped $1 million in 48th Senate race between Republicans Chris Gebhard and Clovis Crane
“The two Republicans running in the 48th Senate District primary have spent more than $1 million combined, and the arcade gaming industry has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the challenger, according to campaign finance reports filed last week.
Senator Chris Gebhardthe incumbent president reported spending $884,862 on his re-election campaign as he faces his first Republican opponent since being elected in 2021. Challenger Clovis Cranepolitical novice and horse breeder in Lebanon County, spent half that on his campaign – $475,358.’ | LNP
Elsewhere
Supporters are calling for the removal of Pat Catena as chairman of the Allegheny County Board. “A coalition of LGBTQ+ advocates is preparing to attend Tuesday’s Allegheny County Council meeting to protest a campaign flyer distributed by Council President Pat Catena’s House campaign aimed at a group supporting transgender athletes.” | Grandstand overview
Council President Delco Womack did not include six-figure tax debts on ethics forms. “Delaware County Council Chairman Richard Womack failed to disclose tax debts of more than $160,000 on four consecutive Pennsylvania ethics filings, declaring on each form that he had no creditors — even as the IRS and local authorities pursued him for unpaid taxes.” | Wide + Freedom
First Amendment rights at center of clashes between PA schools and students over ICE strikes. “Do students have the right to leave school as a protest tactic? Communities across the country, including Pennsylvania, are weighing in on this issue as students stage walkouts against immigration enforcement actions.” | PA Berks spotlight
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
1 item
5. Made in Pennsylvania, the Slinky is still going robust decades after its invention
“Slinky, the plain steel coil that has captivated generations of children, is still made in the same Pennsylvania factory where it has been made for decades.
The toy is manufactured in Hollidaysburg in Blair County using machinery that is nearly 80 years aged. “The original 11 machines he produced in 1945 were the same 11 metal slinky machines… and that makes it impressive that no one has been able to replicate it,” he said Rebecca James Morrisinventor’s daughter Richard James” | 6abc
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