🥴 Thursday is all about understanding the polls. F&M survey among four released today.
Pennsylvania Weather
☀️ Canonsburg | Mostly radiant, 83
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Sports PA
⚾ Phillies (91-61) | Milwaukee 1-2 | Thu-Sun vs. NY Mets
⚾ Pirates (71-81) | St. Louis 5-10 | Thu vs. St. Louis
⚽ Union (8-9-12) | NYC FC 5-1 | Sun vs. DC United
🎂 Happy birthday. Cake and candles for Representative Jesse Topper.
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The most significant story
1. F&M Poll: Presidential Race Still Within Margin of Error; McCormick Closes Deficit Against Casey
“While it is still within the margin of error, Vice President Kamala Harris continued her streak of strong poll results against the former president Donald Trump in the latest study from Franklin & Marshall College.
The poll showed Harris with a three-point lead over Trump, 49%-46%, in a multi-candidate race that included third-party voters and like-minded voters. The three-point margin of error is 4.1%.
F&M also conducted a poll on the duel between Democratic senators in the US Senate Bob Casey Jr. and a republican Dave McCormick and found the three-term incumbent with a 48-40 percent lead in the race. McCormick was closing in on the 12-point deficit (48-36 percent) he faced in the latest Center for Public Opinion poll.” (PoliticsPA)
More surveys
- NOW/Siena. Harris 50 Trump 46; Casey 49, McCormick 40
- Emerson:Trump 48, Harris 47; Casey 47, McCormick 42
- Marist:Harris 49, Trump 49
Elsewhere
Inside Trump’s Election Firewall“There are really only three states that will decide the presidential election: Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. If Vice President Kamala Harris doesn’t win Pennsylvania, her only hope is a southern strategy. Harris has to win either Georgia or North Carolina. There is no other path to the White House.” (POLITICIAN)
- 10 undecided voters explain why they didn’t take sides in this election. (NPR)
Trump to hold rally at IUP venue with rules separate from campus ban on political events“Former President Donald Trump plans a campaign rally at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a state-owned campus that specifically prohibits ‘activities intended to promote a single political candidate or party’ at any university-controlled facility.” (Greensburg Tribune-Review)
Harris hopes Ukraine war becomes winning issue in fight against Trump for Polish American votes“Democrats are stepping up their engagement with Polish Americans in this year’s presidential election, as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump vie for the community’s support, which could play a decisive role in tough statewide contests.” (AP)
- Why is Donald Trump coming to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Bucks County? (Bucks County Courier)
Country
2. Pennsylvania court agrees to reopen ballot backdating lawsuit; RNC wants state Supreme Court to close case
“A group of voting rights organizations has asked a Pennsylvania court to reopen a lawsuit challenging Philadelphia and Allegheny counties’ decisions to inadmissible mail-in ballots that were returned to election officials on time but without a handwritten date on the return envelope.
10 organizations, led by the Black Political Empowerment Project and represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, filed a petition Commonwealth Court Judge Ellen Ceisler to enable them to correct the procedural error that caused the state’s highest court to throw out a ruling in their favor.” (Penn Capital-Star)
Somewhere Else
Bob Casey has a big lead in Pennsylvania’s Senate race. But Dave McCormick is still in the running, new poll shows. “U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is leading his Republican rival, David McCormick, by 9 percentage points among likely voters, according to a new poll from The Inquirer, The New York Times and Siena College.” (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
- Josh Shapiro is more popular in Pennsylvania than Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, and even Taylor Swift. (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
Attorney General Candidate DePasquale Says Leadership Is His Strength: ‘You’re Not Just Electing a Robot’. “Pennsylvania Attorney General Democratic candidate Eugene DePasquale emphasized his nonpartisan, tough-on-all style and said he won’t hesitate to speak out on politically sensitive issues during a Zoom interview with PennLive on Wednesday.” (PennLive)
Harris, Carroll win Pennsylvania House of Representatives special election“Two new members joined the Pennsylvania House of Representatives today, as Keith Harris and Andre Carroll were elected Tuesday.” (PoliticsPA)
Republican senators threaten Pennsylvania revenue secretary with contempt over special tax zone“Long-standing disagreements over the financial transparency of an eastern Pennsylvania special tax zone intensified Wednesday when senators raised the possibility of the Senate sergeant-at-arms bringing state Revenue Secretary Patrick Browne to the floor.” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
State Supreme Court Warns PennDOT Over Voter Registration Abuse. “In most cases, the voter registration address is the same as the vehicle registration address, so no changes are necessary. However, in the small percentage of cases where a person may have multiple residences or may move, the change could cause confusion for some voters.” (Wide + Freedom)
Around the Commonwealth of Nations
3. The election could have a gigantic impact on climate plans in both red and blue states
“Pennsylvania wants to remain a manufacturing powerhouse. But state leaders also want to reduce climate-changing emissions from steel mills and other industrial plants while cutting toxic pollutants that cause health problems in nearby neighborhoods.
With a nearly $400 million investment from the federal government, the state is preparing a massive plan to help industrial operators modernize and transition to new technologies and cleaner fuel sources.” (state line)
Elsewhere
Mayor backs Sixers arena in downtown as Chinatown activists rally outside City Hall. “Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker stepped decisively into the city’s biggest development fight Wednesday, announcing that her administration had reached an agreement with the Sixers to build a controversial $1.55 billion arena in Center City.” (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
Curiosity and Controversy: The Political Mood on Pittsburgh’s College Campuses“The 2024 election is a big deal on Pittsburgh campuses.” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
First Tax Hikes, Then Floods—Then Resentment: Can Merger Heal This Pennsylvania Community? “The last few years have been tough for residents. Costs for first responders, snow removal and other services have depleted Mount Penn Borough’s savings, and in 2022, leaders have raised taxes significantly. The community — with a median household income of about $60,000, one of the lowest in the county — is now the most heavily taxed here.” (PA reflector)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
1 thing
5. Pennsylvania sanctions girls flag football as a school sport
“On Wednesday, the state of Pennsylvania made flag football an officially sanctioned sport for girls in high schools, part of an effort by NFL teams to encourage more female players to play the sport.
The approval by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association — the statewide governing body for high school sports in the state — makes flag football an official girls sport in the nation’s fifth-most populous state starting in the 2025-26 school year.
“This is an important day not only for the Eagles and Steelers, but for American football and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Eagles owner Jeff Lurie “he said in a statement.” (ESPN)
