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Top Story
1. Donald Trump Is Counting On PA’s Rural Voters To Win. Will It Be Enough?
“Rural voters are the second largest voting group in the state after suburban voters and while their voting power is less concentrated, it remains the core of Republican support. Geographically the widest swaths of Pennsylvania are still Trump country, and while rural areas are losing population faster than any other type of places in the state, former President Donald Trump still managed to increase his net vote in these regions from 2016 to 2020.
That includes Lancaster County’s rural areas, which moved heavily Republican. The county as a whole trended Democratic thanks to gains in more populous towns and Vice President Kamala Harris sees an opportunity to cut into Trump’s support here.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Elsewhere
Inside the Battle for America’s Most Consequential Battleground State. “Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are pouring more money, time and energy into Pennsylvania than anywhere else, waging an ad war as they crisscross the state.” (New York Times)
Part of Harris’s Pennsylvania Strategy: Lose Red Counties By Less. “Vice President Kamala Harris is not going to win Somerset County, Pa. She’s not even going to come close.” (Washington Post)
- The ‘Pied Piper’ of GOP Voters Registration Looks to Truckers, Amish, Hunters To Grow PA Base. (DV Journal)
The Rising Influence of Puerto Rican Voters in Pennsylvania’s Political Battleground. “Among Pennsylvania’s nearly half a million Puerto Ricans, a key voting bloc in the upcoming presidential election, some have switched parties, others remain undecided, and many remain disengaged from the political process.” (Centro de Periodismo Investigativo)
Analysts Eye 2 Counties That Could Determine Presidential Outcome in PA. “Narrow is the margin expected to separate presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the upcoming election, and two counties are considered most likely to predict the outcome: Erie and Northampton.” (CNHI News)
State
2. The Keys to the House: PA-10 and the Trajectory of Congressional Politics
“April 10, 2024 was no ordinary night for the central Pennsylvania political scene. As Congressman Scott Perry, R-Pa., sat in the comfort of his unopposed primary race, six Democrats took to the debate stage, all vying to be the candidate who might finally unseat the six-term incumbent.
This uncharacteristically competitive Democratic primary, and the emergence of former news anchor Janelle Stelson as the winning candidate, encapsulate the spirit of political uncertainty that has been growing in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional district. Now, Scott Perry’s detractors, ranging from party-line Democrats to independents to even moderate Republicans, believe that the district is ready for change.” (Harvard Political Review)
Elsewhere
Perry, Stelson Trade Blows In Only Debate In Tight US House Race. “In their only scheduled debate, Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District candidates Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson locked horns Tuesday night over the existential question — for this campaign — of who better reflects the judgment and temperament of the voters of southcentral Pennsylvania.” (PennLive)
- ICYMI. Janelle Stelson, Scott Perry Face Off in Pennsylvania 10th District Debate. (abc27)
U.S. House Preview: 1st Congressional District. “The 1st Congressional District comprises Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Republican Brian Fitzpatrick is the incumbent and faces Democratic challenger Ashley Ehasz.” (PoliticsPA)
Kenyatta Challenging DeFoor in Pennsylvania Auditor General Race. “As one of the state’s three elected row offices, the auditor general’s office comes with a bully pulpit of sorts in choosing which policies and programs to scrutinize.” (Penn Capital-Star)
Standoff Between PA Senate and Revenue Secretary Intensifies; ‘What Are You Hiding?’ “An unprecedented confrontation between Republicans who control the state Senate and Revenue Secretary Pat Browne intensified Tuesday as senators voted to have him brought before them within three session days – meaning on or before Oct. 22 – to answer questions.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Around The Commonwealth
3. This Pennsylvania County Picks Presidents. How the Harris vs. Trump Fight Is Going
“The battle for Erie County – a historically must-win county in a must-win state – demonstrates the urgency of identifying and contacting individual voters in a campaign that remains stubbornly close, according to campaign staff and volunteers for both campaigns.
“I’ve been pretty bombarded with mail, phone calls and texts,” said Erin Miller, 38, a bartender and mother of six who recently moved to the state from Colorado and has yet to vote locally in a presidential election, making her a prime target for the campaigns.” (Reuters)
Elsewhere
Sara Innamorato Proposes 2.2 Mill Tax Increase As Allegheny County Stares Down $81 Million Deficit. “If approved by County Council, it would be the first time in over a decade that the county has raised the property tax. An increase of 2.2 mills would raise the county millage rate from 4.73 mills to 6.93 mills and — on a house assessed at $110,400 — would amount to $182 more per year in taxes.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Harris Leads Trump In Latest PA Poll As Voters Show Greater Satisfaction With Candidates. “The latest in a series of polls commissioned by the Commonwealth Foundation shows a broadly positive reception among Pennsylvania voters to President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 race and being replaced with Vice President Kamala Harris.” (PennLive)
Moody’s Credit Upgrade For Pennsylvania Includes Warning On Spending. “The bond credit rating company upgraded the Keystone State’s rating to Aa2 from Aa3 on its about $1.4 billion in General Obligation Bonds. Analysts praised Pennsylvania’s “significant increases” in its reserve funds and its ability to moderate long-term liabilities.” (DV Journal)
York County Judge Indicted On 31 Counts in Federal COVID-19, Unemployment Fraud Case. “A York County judge faces federal charges that he orchestrated fraud against state unemployment and a federal COVID-19 assistance program in 2020. Judge Steven Stambaugh, 61, is also accused of intimidating an employee of his law practice while he was under investigation.” (York Dispatch)
Editorial
4. What’s On Your Mind
- Public Officials Must Name the Scourge of Antisemitism. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- The Republican Obsession With Women Who Haven’t Given Birth Is Just Weird. (Jenice Armstrong)
- Why Harris Sometimes Sounds Like Reagan. (John Hinshaw)
- We Are Tourists in Our Own Country. (Dana Rollins)
1 Thing
5. The Turf War Between Tennis and Pickleball Is Escalating
“Throughout the spectacular rise of pickleball in the U.S., American tennis has always insisted that there was no war between the two sports. More people picking up rackets of any kind, the U.S. Tennis Association argued, could only be a good thing.
But on at least one front, there is no longer any denying that tennis and pickleball are in direct conflict. The battle for court space has arrived—and tennis is losing ground fast.” (Wall Street Journal)
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