🎉 Happy New Year. We hope you and your family had a cheerful and vigorous holiday season. Let’s make 2025 our best year ever.
🗞️ PoliticsPA Guide is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Has this email been sent to you? Subscribe for free.
Weather in Pennsylvania
☁️ New Castle | Mostly gloomy, 31
⛅ Newville | Partly clear, 36
☁️ New Town Square | Rising Clouds, 39
Sports PA
🏈 Eagles (13-3) | Sun vs. NY Giants
🏈 Steelers (10-6) | Saturday vs. Cincinnati
🏈 Penn State (12-2) | 1/9 vs. Georgia/Notre Dame
🏀 Sixes (13-18) | Sacramento 107-113 | Thu vs. Golden State
🏒 Penguins (17-17-5) | Friday vs. Florida
🏒 Flyers (17-17-4) | Friday vs. Vegas
🎂 Happy birthday. Cake and candles for Senator Doug Mastriano.
📱 Social media. PoliticsPA has a number of social media outlets where you can stay up to date with the latest political news from across the Commonwealth: Twitter | Blue | Facebook | LinkedIn
The most vital story
1. How Dave McCormick won the Pennsylvania Senate race
“How a West Point graduate from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, went from losing a painfully close and controversial Republican Senate primary two years ago to… Dr. Mehmet Oz to win Bob Caseywhose family has been a Pennsylvania political institution for forty years? It all started with focus and an interview conducted in his living room in Pittsburgh a few days after losing the first race.
The first thing he did was what many CEOs do when putting together a board: He put together a team of professionals with very different backgrounds and experiences who had never worked together. This is a risky business in politics, where a campaign team usually comes as a package deal.” (Salena Zito)
Elsewhere
‘The bravest I ever saw him’: Bob Casey’s final days in the Senate. “Bob Casey is known for incremental change, working within the system and reaching across the aisle. As he left office, he seemed to wonder whether this approach was already taking place in the U.S. Senate.” (known)
The recent Congress meets on Friday. Here’s what this means for PA. “Where have we seen this before? Donald Trump, just like when he was first elected president in 2016, is preparing to take office with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress. ”(Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Scott Perry criticized Mike Johnson’s ability to advance the “Trump agenda” while other AP Republicans praised him. “Following President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement of House Speaker Mike Johnson, some Pennsylvania Republicans praised the speaker, but U.S. Rep. Scott Perry had harsher words for him.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
Country
2. Pennsylvania’s political pendulum has swung toward Republicans this year. Will it stay there?
“Republicans made a major political comeback in Pennsylvania in 2024 after a series of disappointments in the last election.
President-elect Donald Trump he won the state by 1.7 percentage points. Republicans took over the ranks and ousted two incumbent Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, along with their long-serving US Senator Bob Casey.
They even flipped the Northeast Philadelphia State Senate, electing the first Republican state senator to represent Philadelphia in over twenty years, maintaining a six-seat majority in the chamber and securing a foothold in the Democratic-leaning city.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
Elsewhere
A diminutive group of donors dominated these high-profile AP races in the 2024 elections. “A Spotlight PA analysis of eight races — three for rank-and-file positions and five for House seats key to party control — found that thousands of individuals and groups have contributed or independently spent about $60 million over the past two years to support or attack on candidates. Just nine groups contributed $38.3 million of this total, representing as much as 63% of the donations and spending analyzed.” (PA reflector)
What to watch for in Harrisburg in 2025. “As lawmakers prepare for the new legislative session, many of them already have plenty of ideas about what they want to do in 2025.” (City and state)
Members of the recent Allegheny County State House detail legislative resolutions. “Millions of Pennsylvanians will enter 2025 with a list of new resolutions… and just under a dozen of them will introduce them to the state Legislature next week.” (THAT’S ALL)
New kids in town
- John Inglis wants to make sure PA schools are adequately funded. (Penn Capital Star)
- Jacklyn Rusnock says her background in health care and education will guide her. (Penn Capital Star)
Around the Republic of Poland
3. In 2025, the world will be watching these Pennsylvanians. Will you do it?
“In some ways, 2025 could be considered a chronological aperitif here in Pennsylvania.
After all, 2026 will truly be the Keystone State’s year in the spotlight – from hosting the FIFA World Cup games, to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, to the governor’s race that could appoint Governor Josh Shapiro himself as a national player.
But a closer look reveals a wealth of great stories and great personalities that will surely capture our collective attention on our next trip around the sun.” (PennLive)
Elsewhere
Big Republican victories in the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania will reverberate in 2025. “It turns out that Northampton County did not produce a winner in the presidential election in Pennsylvania or the nation.” (Lehigh Valley Chair)
A potential year of large changes for regional transportation in Pittsburgh depends on an raise in state funding. “Unless the state Legislature takes action for the first time in more than 10 years to increase transit funding by June 30, CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman said the agency will begin planning for major service cuts for the new fiscal year starting July 1.” . (Union Progress in Pittsburgh)
The latest report from the Internal Revenue Service shows that high-income earners in PA have lower effective tax rates. “The State Independent Revenue Service found that people with annual incomes of more than $1 million pay a significantly lower rate.” (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Harrisburg’s mayor vetoed council cuts to raises over budget and staffing disputes. “Wanda Williams said Monday she vetoed part of the city’s 2025 budget to restore pay raises cut by the city council to her employees and eliminate a raise the council added to its staff.” (PennLive)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
1 item
5. Meet the Beta Generation
In the newest generation – Beta – the youngest members will be born approximately between 2025 and 2039.
- The Beta experience will be defined by unpredictable technological advances and climate crises.
By the numbers: Projected to reach approximately 2.1 billion people per year Mark McCrindlesocial researcher and demographer, creator of the “alpha generation” and setting its boundaries.
- This would be the second largest cohort after the 2 billion Generation Alpha.
Thank you for starting your morning with us.
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