😀 Hello Thursday. It’s starting to hot up here in the Commonwealth. Thank you for your support of the PoliticsPA Guide.
Weather in Pennsylvania
☀️Greensburg | Sunny, 85
☀️ Lebanon | Sunny, 88
☀️ Glenside | Sunny, 86
Sports PA
⚾ Phillies (46-21) | Boston 6-8 | Thu vs. Boston
⚾ Pirates (32-35) | St.Louis 2-4 | Thu vs. St. Louis
🏒 Hershey | Cleveland 3-2, overtime (Eastern Conference Finals)
👂 What we hear. “I will not allow my constituents to be mistreated by a wealthy corporation that gets richer year after year by exploiting their labor. Their fight is my fight.” – Dream. Nikila Saval who was arrested during a demonstration in support of striking Aramark workers
🗞️ Pennsylvania. The ultimate 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 best story
1. To beat Trump, Biden must have the rust belt – plus Omaha
“President Joe Biden most likely, the path to re-election is narrow and relies on the same three states that gave Donald Trump in the Oval Office in 2016, then had it taken away in 2020 – in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin – along with one electoral vote from an Omaha-based congressional district.
In other words, if Trump takes any of the Big Three Rust Belt states in November, it will likely mean he has won the White House back. According to many operatives of both parties, less than five months from election day, they constitute a real battleground.” (NBC News)
Related
In an attempt to win over AP voters, Trump and Biden are launching different campaigns. “Polls show the race for the White House may be close in Pennsylvania, but less than five months since the election, President Joe Biden’s campaign has a much more visible presence across the state.” (PennLive)
- Trump campaign is opening a recent aid office in a predominantly Latino part of Pennsylvania. (ABC news)
- Hollywood stars are lining up behind Joe Biden. Will their support matter in November? (AP)
- Campaigns can now see what you’re watching on TV. This changes everything. (known)
Stelson wants AP voters to commit before he moves. They can. “Janelle Stelson is trying to do something no central congressional candidate has done since at least World War II: win a seat in a district she doesn’t live in.” (PennLive)
Republicans who opposed the subpoenas vote to hold Garland in contempt for defying the subpoenas. “Unlike the Attorney General, Representatives Jim Jordan, Scott Perry, and Andy Biggs ignored congressional subpoenas regarding their ties to the January 6, 2021 insurrection.” (HuffPost)
Houlahan asks Johnson to rescind Perry’s nomination to the Intel committee. “Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-06), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to rescind the nomination of Rep. Scott Perry (R-10) to the committee. (PoliticsPA)
Country
2. Seniors in Pennsylvania tend to vote Republican. Experts say this may change in 2024
“The 1960s kids are now in their 70s, and that’s one of the reasons why the demographic most likely to vote may be in President Joe Biden camp, not the former president Donald Trump this November.
“It’s a completely valid observation,” he said Bob Ward, a partner in the research firm Fabrizio Ward, which provided survey services to the AARP seniors lobby. “They are more likely to vote Democratic than other older voters. Seniors are more democratic as baby boomers fill the ranks of seniors.” (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Related
Elections 101: How counting works in Pennsylvania. “In 2020, former President Donald Trump’s campaign cost $3 million, so Wisconsin had to recount votes in two counties. The result: Joe Biden’s lead increased by 87 votes. Such a recount would not be possible in Pennsylvania.” (Vote for Pennsylvania)
Fetterman ‘guilty’ in Maryland accident. “Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was driving too fast and ‘blamed’ a car crash he and his wife Gisele were involved in Sunday morning in Maryland.” (PoliticsPA)
What data tells us about Pennsylvania’s reaction to Trump’s verdict. “A subtle but powerful shift is taking place in the Keystone State that could redefine the next presidential election.” (PoliticsPA)
Kitchen Table Politics Podcast: Five Months Left – Pennsylvania Poll. “Co-hosts Ari Mittleman and Kyle Sammin sat down with Muhlenberg College professor Chris Borick for an in-depth discussion on Pennsylvania polling best practices and analysis of the latest data.” (Wide + Freedom)
The House of Representatives will consider a bill to repeal Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage. “Lawmakers said the legislation would provide a bulwark for marriage equality against judicial activism.” (Penn Capital Star)
Deluzio elected to the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “Rep. Chris Deluzio announced his nomination to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the remainder of the 118th Congress. (PoliticsPA)
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Black pastors call on Shapiro to implement Lifeline scholarships
“Black pastors from across the state held a press conference at the Capitol this week with a call Governor (Josh) Shapiro to “boldly move us beyond the toxic, bipartisan politics and preferences that undermine a high-quality education for every child in Pennsylvania.”
Led by Black Pastors United for Education, a network of non-sectarian, bipartisan pastors and congregations, the group’s founder, Rev. Joshua C. Robertsonpresented an open letter to the Governor, signed by sixty pastors from across the Commonwealth. (Wide + Freedom)
Related
Costello Nominated to the United States District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey celebrated the nomination of Mary Kay Costello to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. If confirmed, Costello will sit in Philadelphia and be President Joe Biden’s ninth federal judge in Pennsylvania.” (PoliticsPA)
‘The system is fair’: AP voters unlikely to be concerned about Hunter Biden’s conviction. “There appears to have been little fanfare following the announcement of the guilty verdict in the second highest-profile criminal case brought by a political activist in the 2024 presidential race.” (WHY)
State lawmakers want to prevent universities from closing abruptly, as does UArts. “This legislation is part of a series of strategies that House Democratic leaders say are attempting to hold UArts accountable for its abrupt closure.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
The Board of Elections and the Luzerne County Clerk’s Office are discussing their roles in the ballot adjudication process. “After sometimes heated discussion, board members agreed that Acting Director of Elections Emily Cook would prepare a handbook containing standard operating procedures for processing ballots and performing other duties in the adjudication process following each election.” (Voice of Citizens)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
- Federal policy changes would hamper Pennsylvania’s economy and harm patients (Steven Infanti)
- Governor Shapiro, We must invest in educational freedom. (Rev. Joshua C. Robertson)
- Give all students a real chance to develop. (Emily Greene)
- It’s time to criminalize Deepfakes. (Grandstand overview)
- Shapiro’s proposed budget would change the lives of people with disabilities and their caregivers. (Dr. Val Arkoosh)
- The black republican doesn’t know his black history. (Elwood Watson)
1 item
5. The GOP is having fun in a congressional duel
“The most stimulating action at the annual Congressional Baseball Game had nothing to do with watching an American pastime played by non-athletes.
“On Wednesday evening, protesters took to the field during a charity game between Democratic and Republican members of Congress, temporarily disrupting a snail-paced, error-heavy game that ended with the GOP winning for the fourth year in a row, 31-11.” (Roll call)
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