🦃 Happy Thanksgiving. We are leaving for the rest of the week to enjoy the holidays with our family. I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday and see you on Monday.
🗞️ PoliticsPA Guide is written by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Has this email been sent to you? Subscribe for free.
Weather in Pennsylvania
☁️Pittsburgh | Mostly dull, 47
☁️Huntingdon | Mostly dull, 49
🌤️Lancaster | Partly clear, 51
Sports PA
🏈 Steelers (8-3) | Sun vs. Cincinnati
🏈 Eagles (9-2) | Sun vs. Baltimore
🏈 Penn State (10-1) | Saturday vs. Maryland
🏈 Pitt (7-4) | Saturday vs. Boston College
🏈 Temple (3-8) | Saturday vs. North Texas
🏀 Sixes (3-13) | Wednesday vs. Houston | Saturday vs. Detroit
🏒 Flyers (9-10-3) | Wednesday vs. Nashville | Friday vs. NY Rangers | Saturday vs. St. Louis
🏒 Penguins (7-12-4) | Wednesday vs. Vancouver | Friday vs. Boston | Saturday vs. Calgary
🎂 Happy birthday. Cake and candles for Representatives Tim O’Neal AND Rob Mercury (Thursday), Senator Tracy Pennycuick AND Representative Jonathan Fritz (Saturday) i Senator Nick Miller (Sunny.).
📱 Find us in the blue sky. PoliticsPA has joined Blue Sky as another option for your social media. Come to us at politicspa.bluesky.social. You can also find us on Twitter @PolitykaPA
The most crucial story
1. Pennsylvania Democrats had a terrible 2024 election. They say it’s still a swing state
“Pennsylvania’s Democratic rally in this year’s election led to a rebound in predictable vows, but it also sowed doubts about whether Pennsylvania can leave the ranks of up-for-grab swing states in favor of a right-wing life more like Ohio’s.
The introspection on voters’ rejection of Democrats comes amid growing speculation about Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as a candidate for the party’s nomination for president in 2028.
Some Pennsylvania Democrats say 2024 losses are at least partially attributable to voters motivated specifically by the president-elect Donald Trump. The theory is that many of those voters won’t show up if Trump isn’t on the ballot, leaving Pennsylvania’s status as the final swing state intact. (AP)
Elsewhere
Why AP voters, Labor leaders and academics think the Democrats lost and how they think they can win next time. “Many of the answers are contradictory, but they all provide insight into the party as it grapples with the new reality.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
How Trump voters learned to love voting by mail and it turned out. “In the spring, James Blair, political director of the Trump campaign, convened a meeting in West Palm Beach. All he had to do, as he gathered the most loyal MAGA captains from the largest grassroots armies around a conference table at Trump campaign headquarters last April, was to convince them to accept a little heresy. The political director had to teach them to love voting by mail.” (RealClearWire)
Bob Casey talks about loss with Dave McCormick at West Philly High School in one of his first interviews since dropping out of the race. “In one of his first interviews since being awarded the seat, he blamed his Senate defeat on an infusion of money from super PACs supporting McCormick and described President-elect Donald Trump’s strength in Pennsylvania as formidable.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
PA State House Member and ER Doctor Arvind Venkat Urges No Vote on RFK Jr. “Allegheny County State House Member Says Appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services would be harmful to Americans. State Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-North Hills) calls on U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and U.S. Sen.-elect Dave McCormick to oppose Kennedy’s nomination.” (WESA)
Country
2. Will Harrisburg be able to fix SEPTA’s financial crisis?
“State lawmakers will spend the next several months striking deals that help SEPTA avoid a fiscal crisis, including major interest rate increases, temporarily halted by Governor Josh Shapiro efforts for the nearly 800,000 residents of Philadelphia and surrounding counties who rely on public transportation every day.
Who is to blame for the SEPTA funding crisis and why lawmakers couldn’t come together sooner to reach a solution is an ongoing dispute between top legislative leaders in the GOP-controlled Senate and a narrow Democratic majority in the House, with disagreement on both sides over how to go about front.” (Questioner from Philadelphia)
Elsewhere
State financing of mass transport. “The state government covers more than half of the operating costs of mass transit systems in Pennsylvania’s largest cities.” (Central Square)
That’s the wrap: an overview of the city and state legislative sessions. “A look at what Pennsylvania lawmakers did – and didn’t – accomplish during the last legislative session.” (City and state)
PA’s health insurance overseer warns of large cost increases if subsidies are not renewed. “Just as Pennsylvania has begun to make rapid progress in reducing the number of families without health insurance, political wrangling in Washington threatens to pull the rug from under the effort.” (PennLive)
64 of 67 counties held certified elections. “Sixty-four of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties have officially certified the 2024 presidential election, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Allegheny, Fayette and McKean counties are expected to complete certification on Wednesday.” (PoliticsPA)
Republicans’ big idea to transform public education is meeting voter resistance. “Republicans’ aggressive campaign to pump hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into private education continues across the country, even after voters in three states rejected the idea.” (POLICY)
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Allegheny County Council Commission Cuts $70 Million from Innamorato Operating Budget and Reduces Tax Hike
“During a tense meeting Tuesday and with a split majority, the County Council’s Budget and Finance Committee approved a budget plan and property tax rate that reduces the Allegheny County Board’s total revenue Sara Innamorato the original fiscal 2025 plan by approximately $70 million while increasing the amount of monthly property taxes for homeowners by a proposed average of $11-12 per month in 2024-2025.
The committee voted 4-3 to make cuts across departments and divisions in Ms. Innamorato’s 2025 operating, capital, appropriations and special account budgets. (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
Elsewhere
Mon Valley Buck Union mayors on the takeover of steel in the US during a meeting with “honorable” Nippon. “Their cities have hosted U.S. steel mills for generations. They see foreign investment as the best way forward.” (Public source)
Philadelphia police have spent more than $4 million on overtime this year during presidential candidate visits. “Being at the center of the political universe has its price. City records show the Philadelphia Police Department spent more than $4 million on overtime providing protection to presidential candidates who visited the city this year vying for votes. (Questioner from Philadelphia)
Drought-like weather helped PennDOT during the 2024 construction season in western Pennsylvania. “With favorable weather, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation completed a successful construction season on Tuesday, paving over 700 miles of roads and repairing or replacing 39 bridges in the Pittsburgh region.” (Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper)
The Game Commission changed the first day of the 2019 deer season. Some AP rural businesses want it reinstated. “The state Gaming Commission’s 2019 decision to move opening day to Saturday instead of Monday changed long-standing traditions and spending habits. Now you have to rush to get to camp, shoot a deer on Sunday and get home to work or school on Monday.” (PA reflector)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
- Trump has the accuracy baton. (Wall Street Journal)
- I am a couples therapist. We can address our political divisions. (Orna Gunalnik)
- Better Budgeting: The Path to Fiscal Well-Being. (Emily Greene)
- Jews were key to Dave McCormick’s AP victory after he stood up for Israel and against anti-Semitism. (Jeff Bartos)
1 item
5. Thanksgiving dinner will be a little cheaper this year
“A new report shows that a typical Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people will cost about $58 this year – a decline of about 5% from last year, but an increase of almost 20% in unadjusted dollars compared from 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
How it works: These data come from the American Farm Bureau Federation annual examinationbased on observed nationwide prices for a hypothetical Thanksgiving basket of groceries.
- This includes turkey – of course! — plus cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie mix and more.
- ☝️ Axles has created an expanded menu to include two other Thanksgiving favorites: ham and potatoes.
