4/30 Morning Buzz

Good morning politicos, here’s the Buzz. Hopefully all the campaign staffers out there had the chance this weekend to relax and catch your breath and clean up the office. The general election starts today.

If you missed Keegan on PA Newsmakers this weekend, you can watch it here.

The Best and Worst Ads of the 2012 Primary: Based on your submissions and conversations with operatives on the ground, here is PoliticsPA’s list of the best and worst ads of the 2012 primary. Includes TV ads, web videos, radio and direct mail.

Primary Election Ups & Downs: This is our longest Ups & Downs ever! Here’s who really impressed us on election day, and who didn’t.

Blair GOP Chair: Geist is Done (Watch Video): Rep. Rick Geist won’t be on the ballot in November. Blair County Republican Chairman A.C. Stickel tells PoliticsPA that Geist didn’t win enough write-in votes to be the Democratic nominee, nor enough absentee votes to close his 196 vote deficit.

Who Won the “War on Women” Tuesday? As the war on women rages between pundits on national cable news, PoliticsPA takes a look at its proxy fights during Tuesday’s election. How well did Planned Parenthood do?

Cook Calls PA-12 a Tossup: Mark Critz overcame the odds on Tuesday when he defeated fellow Rep. Jason Altmire. But he’s only half done. He now heads into a general election matchup with better-funded GOP challenger Keith Rothfus. The non-partisan Cook Political Report moved the district from “lean Dem” to “toss up” today.

Legislative Election Updates

Boards of election around the state begin today counting write-in votes as the November ballots finalize.

SD-33: Who will get the Democratic nomination on a write-in? Will it be Sen. Rich Alloway, his far right opponent James Taylor, or actual Democrat Bruce Neylon. Time will tell.

HD-7: Will Rep. Mark Longietti (D-Mercer) make the GOP ballot as well? Nearly 500 Republican write-ins were counted (300 are needed), and Longietti has been the GOP candidate before.

HD-14: There were 1,200 Dem write-ins for the seat of Rep. Jim Marshall (R-Beaver). Democratic Midland Councilman Sam Rosatone Jr. ran a concerted write-in campaign, but so did Marshall.

HD-50: The race for Bill DeWeese’s seat in Greene County is as entertaining as it is confusing. The Observer-Reporter has some of the possible scenarios now that DeWeese is officially a felon.

HD-79: Rick Geist is done, says the Blair Co GOP Chair. He doesn’t have enough write-in votes to run as a Dem, or absentee votes to catch up with Joe McGinnis on the Republican ticket. Meanwhile, McGinnis cited Geist’s decline to have a debate as a reason for the outcome, and the Altoona Mirror posits that Geist’s loss will reduce that area’s clout.

HD-90: Shelton Schwartz, a Democrat from Greencastle, and state Rep. Todd Rock (R-Franklin) ran write-in campaigns for the Democratic nomination.

HD-154: Republican Mark Sirinides, a chemist, hopes to face Steve McCarter for the Montco seat of retiring Rep. Lawrence Curry. Write-in votes are pending.

HD-182: 14-term Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Phila) has officially conceded to Brian Sims, an attorney and LGBT rights advocate.

HD-193: Adams County Dems are crowing over their successful write-in attempt for Mike Strausbaugh, having done so secretly so as to preempt Rep. Will Tallman from doing the same. The two will now (likely, pending the count of write-in votes) face off in the November. It’s a rematch; Tallman beat Strausbaugh 75 to 25 in 2010.

National
Pennsylvania Ave: Barack Obama memo attacks Mitt Romney
Pennsylvania Ave: Youth vote rally for President Barack Obama
Politico: Ron Paul’s Alaska payback
Politico: Obama White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech pokes at GOP
Politico: Josh Gerstein: White House offers rare defense of drone attacks
National Journal: Bill Clinton joins President Obama for the first of three fundraisers
Five Thirty Eight: What do springtime polls tell us about the general election?
Five Thirty Eight: Arizona is (probably) not a swing state
Washington Post: Mitt Romney’s road to presidency this fall looks narrow on electoral map
The Hill: Obama’s green team comes out swinging for election season
The Hill: Lawmakers: Newt’s long farewell may cost him at GOP convention
The Caucus: Obama Campaign raises money for Hillary Clinton
The Caucus: In Ohio, Romney hails two entrepreneurs named John
The Caucus: Romney calls for protecting Chinese dissident
The Caucus: Crossroads assails Obama for being too ‘cool’
The Caucus: European fiscal crisis could shape debate over U.S. economy

Statewide
Pennsylvania Ave: 15th District is a-changing
Pennsylvania Ave: Pat Toomey replaces Jim DeMint on Steering Committee
Capitol Ideas: For legislators, the breaks are long; the voting calendar short
Capitol Ideas: Ex- Sen. Bob Mellow’s guilty plea delayed
State House Sound Bites: Corbett: Chalk Welch’s primary loss up to the race, not the endorsement
PA Independent: Week in review: Elections, elections, elections
StateImpact PA: “Crucify him”: The latest EPA flap
StateImpact PA: What low water levels mean for Pennsylvania
StateImpact PA: A link between heavy drilling and illness? Doctors search for solid answers
StateImpact PA: Drill Bits: Act 13 legalese, angry shareholders and not many complaints

Philadelphia
Inquirer: Pa. legislators return with budget on their minds
PhillyClout: Babette Josephs concedes 182nd race to Brian Sims
Philly.com: No longer in office, its Rizzo unleashed
Daily News: 2nd group of Occupiers cleared of wrongdoing

SEPA
Pottstown Mercury: Highway funding advocates to miss ousted Pa. lawmaker
Delco Daily Times: Board member: Probe of fight involving Chester Upland board member will not happen
Delco Daily Times: Pa. attorney general objects to Sandusky use of subpoenas
Montgomery Media: Write-in candidate awaiting results in 154th district
Bucks Local News: Yardley Borough, municipalities challenge Marcellus Shale gas drilling law
Daily Local: Chester County vote considered key for Mitt Romney

Pittsburgh
Early Returns: D-trip lift for Critz
Early Returns: Cook: PA-12 now a toss up
Post-Gazette: Port Authority board approves deep cuts
Tribune-Review: Tea Party Express bus tour kicks off in Cranberry
Tribune-Review: Senate candidate much more than ‘just a farm boy’

Southwest
Altoona Mirror: McGinnis: debate decision cost Geist
Altoona Mirror: Geist loss reduces area’s clout
Tribune Democrat: Pipeline project delayed
Beaver County Times: Critz’s Johnstown base too much for Altmire to overcome
Beaver County Times: Legislators taking precautions after Gibbons robbed
Beaver County Times: Critz went ‘old school’ and taught Altmire a lesson
Observer Reporter: One thing’s certain in 50th legislative district: uncertainty

NEPA
The Times Leader: Democrats have hope in the 11th with Stilp
Times-Tribune: Raising Kane: West Scranton native marching toward Harrisburg
Times-Tribune: Food-stamp asset test takes effect Tuesday
Citizens Voice: NEPA native eyes history
Pittston Politics: Analyzing Congressional Race: Party has no juice
Pittston Politics: PA five need Sciandra more than he needs them

Lehigh Valley
Express Times: Tom Palmieri, a Blairstown Democrat, to run write-in campaign for Warren County freeholder
Express Times: North Whitehall Township supervisor expected to resign next month
Reading Eagle: west Reading gets grants for streets work
Morning Call: Pennsylvania dog law enforcement under fire
Morning Call: Lehigh County ordered to pay $350,000 in back pay to unions
Morning Call: Salisbury says Allentown’s NIZ could be good for the township

South Central
Chambersburg Public Opinion: Regional races remain undecided
York Daily Record: Incumbents take primary not a surprise to some
Lancaster Intelligencier: Appeals drop assessments here by $75M
Lebanon Daily News: State continues to forge districts

North by Northwest
Erie Times- News: An express backing of Smith for Senate
Sharon Herald: Write-in votes add up on GOP ballots
Centre Daily News: Longtime district judge to hang up robe
Williamsport Sun Gazette: Official vote count begins in county today
Lewistown Sentinel: District receives $1.5M grant

Opinions
Post-Gazette: The voter ID trial run gets mixed reviews on a slow day
Post-Gazette: Mitt, meet my mum: Ann Romney worked hard, but she never faced hard times
Tribune-Review: Romney seizing Pa. opportunity
Tribune-Review: Commonwealth of corruption: more DeWeeses?
Altoona Mirror: Pay, perks still fiery election topics
Altoona Mirror: Act now on Social Security
Indiana Gazette: A case for Constitutionality on health care reform law
Indiana Gazette: Where is outrage over Corbett budget?
Standard Speaker: Op/Ed: Take the politics out of redistricting
Standard Speaker: Op/Ed: Regulations and technology bring area cleaner air
Standard Speaker: Op/Ed: Keep drones on ground in U.S.
The Daily Review: Op/Ed: Cuts to mental health are mentally disturbing
The Daily Review: Op/Ed: More efficient prison system will save money
Times News: Opinion: Government reform: Time to put PA legislature in order
Inquirer: The running-mate question
Pottstown Mercury: Voters to Pa. GOP bosses: Stuff your endorsement
Pottstown Mercury: Dems defect on pipeline

Blogs
Young Philly Politics: Should a starving child live within his means? What about a starving school district?
Commonwealth Foundation: States tap public-private partnerships in 2011
NEPArtisan: Observations
Water Cooler PA: Corbett’s colossal cockiness castrates his credibility
The LuLac Political Letter: The LuLac edition 2038-2040
PennPatriot: Rick Geist fails to make the fall ballot as the Democratic Party’s nominee
Keystone Politics: Zero Democrats should vote for the House GOP Student Loans Bill
Keystone Politics: Republicans tack hundreds of millions in corporate tax cuts onto bill closing the Delaware loophole
Keystone Politics: Obama still winning the blame game on the economy
Keystone Politics: The politics of reassessment

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  • Will tonight's U.S. Senate debate affect your decision?


    • No. I've already decided on how to cast my vote. (81%)
    • Yes. Anxious to hear from both candidates (19%)

    Total Voters: 27

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