🍂 Welcome to October. Thirty-five days remain until the election.

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☁️ Bala Cynwyd | Cloudy, 69

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⚾ Phillies | Sat vs. Milwaukee/NY Mets

📆 What’s Happening Today. The state House convenes at 11 a.m., while the state Senate convenes at 1 p.m. The Capitol All-Star softball game is at 5:30 p.m. on City Island. The vice presidential candidates will debate at 9 p.m.

🎂 Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for former President Jimmy Carter who turns 100 today.

📊 PoliticsPA Polling Tracker (avg. of last 5 PA polls)
President: Harris +1.6% | Senate: Casey +6.8%

🗞️ You Asked for PA News. We Deliver. Where can you find all the latest news on what’s happening in Keystone State politics? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Playbook. We’ll deliver all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8 AM. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and subscribe now.

Top Story

1. Former Auditor General and York County DA Headline 6-Way Election Contest For PA Attorney General

“The contest to become the state’s top law enforcement officer — a job that has sometimes been a stepping stone to the governor’s office — is a six-way affair this year, involving a veteran state-level Democratic office holder, the Republican district attorney from York County, and four candidates of lesser known parties.

Attorney general candidates Eugene DePasquale, the Democrat, and Republican Dave Sunday won contested primaries to gain spots on the Nov. 5 ballot. Since then, they’ve been playing to their strengths: Mr. DePasquale accenting his work during eight years as state auditor general, and Mr. Sunday playing up his prosecutions as a district attorney and special assistant U.S. attorney.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

Where PA’s Attorney General Candidates Stand on Defending Elections, Voter ID, and More. “When Pennsylvanians elect the next attorney general in November, they will choose a candidate who will play a decisive role in safeguarding the state’s election laws. The state attorney general’s office has vast powers that range from investigating bad business practices to prosecuting drug, gun, and political corruption crimes.” (Spotlight PA)

7 Debate Questions about Climate Change and Energy for Pennsylvania’s Senate Candidates. “Pennsylvania’s candidates for U.S. Senate, Democrat incumbent Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick, have sparred over energy policy since the campaign began.” (Inside Climate News)

Poll Shows a Tight Race In Pennsylvania, With Warning Signs For Harris Among Older Voters. “Kamala Harris is winning 49 percent of likely voters, compared with 47 percent for Donald Trump and 2 percent for other candidates, the poll done by a bipartisan team for AARP found. Three percent are undecided.” (POLITICO)

PA Polls Show Harris, Trump Still Close, But Who Are a Quarter Of ‘Non-MAGA GOP Voters Choosing? “To nobody’s surprise, recent polling of Pennsylvania voters shows the state’s 19 electoral votes up for grabs between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.” (PennLive)

State

2. Brigadier General John R. Pippy Named Acting Adjutant General

“Governor Josh Shapiro announced that he is naming Brigadier General John R. Pippy to serve as Pennsylvania’s acting Adjutant General and head of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).

Currently, Pippy serves as Director, Joint Staff, Joint Force Headquarters, Pennsylvania National Guard. He leads the integration of strategic and joint staff issues for over 13,000 Soldiers and 4,100 Airmen of the Pennsylvania National Guard. He leads the administration, coordination, planning, development, and execution of all Joint Staff programs that prepare the state for contingency operations in either a federal or state emergency to include man-made or natural disasters, and federal mobilizations.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Shapiro Won’t Endorse the Democratic Nominee For Treasurer, Who Criticized Him During VP Talks. “The decision to stay out of the treasurer’s race is the latest blow to Erin McClelland’s campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Harris, Carroll Sworn In As New State Representatives. “The state House of Representatives welcomed two new members on Monday as Keith Harris (D-Philadelphia) and Andre Carroll (D-201) were sworn in to serve out the remainder of the session.” (PoliticsPA)

Mail Ballot Availability. There are 15 counties throughout the Commonwealth that have mail ballots ready to vote on demand. See if yours is among them. (PoliticsPA)

PA House Republicans Introduce Anti-Crime Bills As Party Pushes Crime Wave Narrative. “Lawmakers outlined the first piece of their four-part plan, which focuses on crime prevention. The other three aspects, which House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler said lawmakers will detail in coming weeks, involve policing, prosecuting and punishing criminals.” (LNP | Lancaster Online)

PA House Moves Bills to Put Obamacare Protections In State Law If Federal Statute Stricken. “The three bills create health insurance rules that mimic those already in effect via the ACA. All of the bills contain clauses specifying that the state rules would only be enacted if Congress were to repeal the relevant part of the ACA, a court were to invalidate it, or a future president were to refuse to enforce it.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Fracking in Pennsylvania Hasn’t Gone As Well As Some May Think

“With all the talk of fracking in Pennsylvania during this presidential race, it’s worth looking at what is at stake for workers, leaseholders and residents who live near oil and gas operations.

One of the first job creation reports painted a rosy picture. Published in 2010 by Penn State University and paid for by the industry, it predicted fracking the Marcellus Shale formation would support 200,000 jobs by 2020. Six years later, another Penn State study with different authors reported about 26,000 direct jobs in the industry, half of which were filled by out-of-state residents.

Today, that number is even smaller. In March of 2024, the state reported 16,831 direct jobs in the industry, less than one half of 1% of all jobs.” (WHYY)

Elsewhere

Gainey Trims $70.4 Million In Spending For Preliminary 2025 Pittsburgh Budget. “Amid ongoing concerns from various city officials about Pittsburgh’s financial health, Mayor Ed Gainey released his preliminary 2025 budget Monday afternoon, with a focus on “maintaining funding for vital city services.”” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

A Look at the Intersection of Faith and Voting. “As campaigns battle for votes in swing states like Pennsylvania, the focus is on faith-based voters, whose cultural and religious values drive their decisions.” (The Center Square)

Lincoln University Will Be a Stop on the Harris-Walz Team’s Tour of HBCUs. “The tour, which will take place during homecoming and football classics season, will feature elected officials, national leaders and notable figures from HBCU communities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia.” (Philadelphia Tribune)

After Election Day: Expect Lawsuits, Recount Requests in PA, Experts Say. “In the days and weeks after Election Day, Pennsylvania is likely to see election-related lawsuits and requests for recounts, former Gov. Tom Corbett and retired federal judges said Monday.” (LehighValleyNews.com)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Erin McClelland for Pennsylvania State Treasurer. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Helene Should Be a Siren For Pittsburgh: Get Prepared For More Extreme Weather. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• The Only Patriotic Choice for President. (New York Times)
• Does Kamala Harris Have A Pennsylvania Problem? (Charles McElwee)
• In Pennsylvania Tour, Trump Hits All the Right Places and Messages. (Salena Zito)
• Forget the Polls: Here Are the Numbers that Matter. (Lowman Henry)
• Time For Legislative Action on PA’s Transportation and Infrastructure Crisis. (Dan DeBone)

1 Thing

5. Party at the Laundromat

Laundromats are adding bars, coffee shops, bookstores and other entertainment offerings alongside their washers and dryers, The Wall Street Journal writes.

• 🧺 After all, if you have to be at the laundromat, you probably have to be there for a few hours.
• “Laundry is a mundane chore. … So we try to put some fun in the laundry,” Theo DuPree, the owner of a Brooklyn laundromat that offers beer, wine, coffee and burgers, told the WSJ.
• Another hybrid laundry features a trove of pinball machines so well-maintained that they attract pinball enthusiasts who don’t even need to do laundry.

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