Good morning politicos, here’s the Buzz. We have 3 – count ‘em – 3 polls; the backlash continues over a GOP ad accusing Kathleen Kane of being soft on rape; and ICYMI, Mike Turzai and Daylin Leach debated Voter ID on Fox News. We have the video.

Don’t miss Friday’s Ups & Downs. And did you hear about PoliticsPA’s Internship Opening? It’s first-hand journalism experience writing about Pennsylvania politics.

Polls

Rasmussen Poll: Smith Overtakes Romney, Casey Up By 7: Republican Senate hopeful Tom Smith still trails Bob Casey, but his race is closer than the presidential contest in Pa. That’s according to the latest poll from Rasmussen, which showed Smith behind Casey 49 percent to 42.

Trib Poll: Obama 47, Romney 45: The presidential race in Pa. is still close according to a poll commissioned by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Obama leads by just 2 points, a margin similar to that of an internal poll released by the Pa. Republican Party last week and conducted by the same pollster.

Rasmussen Poll: Obama 51, Romney 39: Mitt Romney has lost ground to Barack Obama to the tune of 7 points since July. That’s according to the latest poll from Rasmussen Reports.

TV Ads

Father of Rape Victim Rebukes Anti-Kane Group: The father of a rape victim referenced in an attack ad against Democratic Attorney General hopeful Kathleen Kane called the ad a lie and called on Republicans to withdraw it. Read the letter here.

New Boockvar Ad: Fitzpatrick is a Bad Fit (Watch Video): How do you beat an incumbent who’s well known and well liked in his district? Stick to his votes. That’s exactly the message of Democrat Kathy Boockvar’s clever new television ad, which casts incumbent Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick as an ill-fitting shirt.

More Trade and China in New Critz Ad (Watch Video): Mark Critz, trade warrior. That’s the message that the Democrat from Johnstown continues to hammer in his second television ad of the general election.

GOP Groups Lines Up $500K Ad Against Critz (Watch Video): Pennsylvania’s most competitive congressional race is heating up by about half a million dollars. A GOP Super PAC slams Rep. Mark Critz in a new ad.

Voter ID

Updated with Video: Leach, Turzai to Debate Voter ID on Fox News: We don’t use the phrase “must see TV” lightly. Sunday, Pa. House Majority Leader Mike Turzai and Pa. Senator Daylin Leach squared off over the new voter ID law on live television.

County Dems Plan Voter ID End Run: Democratic leaders in Allegheny and Montgomery counties aren’t waiting for the Voter ID issue to be settled in the courts. They’re using their power to issue photo IDs from county agencies.

Legislative Election Updates

SD-17: GOPer Charles Gehret is holding an event to open his campaign headquarters in Norristown today. The event is from 6:00 – 7:30PM at 314 E. Johnson Highway, Suite 200, Norristown, PA 19401. “I’m particularly proud our headquarters will be located in a special place where my family has such a long legacy – my great-grandfather Charles Henry Gehret played football for Norristown High School in 1927 and my grandfather grew up just a few blocks away from our new office,” said Gehret. He’s challenging Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montco).

HD-15: Rep. Jim Christiana’s (R-Beaver) first campaign mailer will land this week, says J.D. Prose of the Beaver County Times: “It’s a positive piece touting Christiana’s work in Harrisburg and not naming Bob Williams, the 15th Legislative District Democratic challenger. We also heard a GOP poll had very good news for Jim and, well, bad news for Bob.”

HD-104: Education Voters Action Fund of Pennsylvania is backing Dem Chris Deitz over Rep. Sue Helm (R-Dauphin). “The past two years, public education has been the target of the Administration’s budget cuts and its attempts to privatize the system,” said Susan Gobreski, the Executive Director of EVA-PA.  “EVA-PA endorses candidates that support public education, understand the need to fund programs that are proven to increase student achievement, and understand that the Administration’s definition of ‘school choice’ actually provides no choices to the students and parents of Pennsylvania.”

HD-134: Here’s more on that oppo research gem from the team of new Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. His opponent, John Reynard, has been collecting a tax exemption for several years to which he’s not entitled. Reynard copped to it last week after Mackenzie’s campaign called him out. From Patch: “[Reynard] said the exemption comes to ‘a couple of hundred bucks.’” In any case, it’s a helpful reminder that he only recently moved into the district.

HD-152: Dem Richard Kolla blasted his opponent over cuts to education in a release issued Friday… about 3 months after incumbent Rep. Tom Murt (R-Montgomery) voted for the GOP-authored House budget plan. “Just this week, we were told by the Pew Foundation’s Philadelphia Research Initiative that the state and local tax burdens for suburban families have reached all-time highs. That study found that, state and local tax burdens as a percent of family income within this State House district are among the highest in the entire region, now far exceeding the tax burden of the average Philadelphia taxpayer,” he said.

Auditor General Debate
State House Sound Bites: GOP, Dem candidates for AG take hits on independence
Patriot News: Auditor General candidates step up for debate
Capitolwire: Capitolwire: Candidates commit to not seeking another office while holding the post of auditor general.
Post-Gazette: Candidates make case for state auditor general position

Statewide
State House Sound Bites: PA schools show drop in progress, state chalks it up to cheating crackdown
PA Independent: Week in Review: Election Day draws near with voter ID decision unknown
StateImpactPa: Shale Gas Insight: Marcellus Economy On Display In Exhibition Hall
StateImpactPa: Philadelphia Mayor to Drillers: Earn Our Trust
Capitolwire: Capitolwire: GOP guru Karl Rove shifts PA from ‘lean Obama’ to ‘safe Obama.’
Inquirer: GOP group pulls anti-Kane ad in AG race.

Philadelphia
Inquirer: Area Dems hope SEPA fuels congressional comeback
The Inquirer: Romney comments echo in City Council
The Inquirer: Other counties may join in using Pennsylvania voter-ID law loophole
The Inquirer: New GOP-commissioned poll puts Romney 1 percentage point behind in Pa.
The Inquirer: FactCheck: Romney, Obama court moms, distort facts
Philly Clout: GOP group pulls part of ad attacking Kane on rape cases
Philly Clout: Rape victim’s dad calls GOP group’s ad about Kane a lie
WHYY Newsworks: Philadelphia gets $1.5 million from U.S. to help curb youth violence
WHYY Newsworks: Pa. chief justice says judges shouldn’t be elected
WHYY Newsworks: Montgomery County will issue voter IDs at nursing homes
WHYY Newsworks: Pa. Senate considers ‘payday’ loans — and their regulation
WHYY Newsworks: Drawing conclusions: Political cartoonists undeterred

SEPA
Delco Daily Times: Face the Facts Election Countdown: STEM diplomas lead to bigger paychecks
Pottstown Mercury: Montco allows senior home to issue voter IDs
Pottstown Mercury: Pa. Supreme Court’s voter ID ruling draws reader reaction

Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review: Poll: Presidential race tight in Pa.
Tribune-Review: Experts: Presidential campaign in Pennsylvania looks like ’04
Tribune-Review: Pennsylvania is ‘reaping bounty’ in Marcellus shale
Post-Gazette: GOP group revises ad critical of Kane
Early Returns: Turzai, Leach talk voter ID on Fox
Early Returns: Rasmussen Poll: Obama up by 12
Early Returns: More on China in 2nd Critz ad
Early Returns: 9/21 voter ID update
KDKA: Mitt Romney’s Son, Josh, Says Pennsylvania Is Still Up For Grabs

NEPA
Daily Item: Debate over debates between Barletta & Stilp in CD-11
The Times Leader: Report: Taxpayer Group Cites W-B Debt
Times-Tribune: Report: Regional Briefs 9/22/2012

South Central
Carlisle Sentinel: Republican voters outnumber Democrats 2 to 1 in Cumberland County
AP: Bureaucracy dogs a Pa. woman’s quest for voter ID
Carlisle Sentinel: Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rises
Carlisle Sentinel: Officials: $20K in cash missing from Carlisle tax collector’s office
Harrisburg Patriot News: Join a live chat with former Gov. Ed Rendell at 11 a.m. Monday
Harrisburg Patriot News: Public support for the death penalty ‘is not what it used to be,’ expert says
Harrisburg Patriot News: Middletown aids struggling budget with electricity revenue
Harrisburg Patriot News: West Shore municipalities consider fire tax to counter rising expenses, greater call volumes
Harrisburg Patriot News: Lower Allen Township website explains vote on tax shift
Harrisburg Patriot News: Senate hearings rescheduled in Harrisburg financial probe
Harrisburg Patriot News: Would-be voters who can’t get IDs are ‘too lazy,’ Pennsylvania lawmaker says
Harrisburg Patriot News: Harrisburg School District doesn’t meet state test standards for 10th consecutive year
AP: Unemployment up in half of U.S. states, including Pennsylvania
York Dialy Record: York County congressional candidates agree on Medicare problem, disagree on solutions
York Daily Record: Democratic Party of York County encouraged to get candidates in the state House
York Daily Record: McCord, DePasquale to be guest speakers at York County Democratic Party event Saturday
York Daily Record: Candidates for the 4th Congressional District weigh in on issues
AP: Decades of federal dollars helped fuel gas boom

Lehigh Valley
Reading Eagle: Union officials need to check Sunshine Act, their egos
Pennsylvania Ave.: Candidates up on TV in Pennsylvania’s contested 8th District
Pennsylvania Ave: Dent airs TV ad in new part of district
The Morning Call: For Mitt Romney and us, Ayn rand is poor role model
The Morning Call: Romney tax release shows 14.1 percent rate in 2011

North By Northeast
Centre Daily Times: Report: From words to deeds: Why election matters
Williamsport Sun Gazette: Report: State’s unemployment rate rises in August

Opinion
Patriot News Editorial: Voter ID: ‘It’s the implementation, stupid.’
Carlisle Sentinel: Sentinel View: Law school should honor its agreement
Harrisburg Patriot News: Governor Corbett, lawmakers fail to act on pension crisis
Harrisburg Patriot News: It’s a no-brainer: Payday lending bill shouldn’t be passed in Senate
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Editorial: Rich Fitzgerald’s mad Voter ID plan
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Editorial: Squirrels for Obama!
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Richard John Op-Ed:Playing the plutocrat card: Romney’s wouldn’t be the first presidential candidacy sunk by a fancy dinner
Beaver County Times: J.D. Prose Column: 47 percent of readers won’t like this column
The Inquirer: The American Debate: Pol handlers become editors
Philly.com: Yes, stimulus was the right move
The Inquirer: Back Channels: Everyone would benefit if Sen. Casey would debate Tom Smith
Daily News: DN Editorial: Hooray for Made in America! Next time, more openness
The Inquirer: Annette John-Hall: Romney’s comments revealed the truth of what he believes
WHYY Newsworks: Romney’s coattails, Obama’s puff piece
phillyburbs.com: The parties’ parties
phillyburbs.com: The Vent for Sept. 23
Delco Daily Times: Spencer: Delco GOP leader: Mitt’s a ‘regular guy’
Delco Daily Times: EDITORIAL: Romney’s 47% comment not presidential
Pottstown Mercury: Roses for helping seniors get Voter IDs

Blogs
Keystone Conservative: Tom Smith for Senate – “Facts
Keystone Politics: Rep. Rob Kauffman Calls Shippensburg University Students “Unprofessional”
Keystone Politics: Brad Koplinski “Seriously Considering” run for Mayor of Harrisburg
Keystone Politics: Gene Stilp Gets the Chair – A Giant Prop Wheelchair, that is
Keystone Politics: Undecided Voters Breaking for Obama
Keystone Politics: Mike Fitzpatrick – The Greatest Tap Dancer in all of Pennsylvania
Keystone Politics: Lehigh and Northampton Counties Looking at #FitzID Workaround for #VoterID
Keystone Politics: ANONYMOUS Hackers Targeting Philly Redevelopment Authority Over Point Breeze Lot
Keystone Politics: PA-9: Karen Ramsburg Supports a Public Option
Keystone Politics: Rasmussen: Obama Up 12 in PA
Keystone Politics: Romney’s Real Effective Tax Rate Was 12.2% in 2011
Keystone Politics: Mitt Romney’s Economic Recovery Plan: Mitt Romney
Keystone Politics: #HD89: Rob Kauffman Really Does Not Want to Lose Another Debate to Susan Spicka
Keystone Politics: What Is the Best Solution to PA’s Balkanized Local Government Problem?
Jon Geeting: Did Romney Amend His Tax Returns to Produce a More Favorable “Summary”?
Jon Geeting: ANONYMOUS Hackers Targeting Philly Redevelopment Authority Over Point Breeze Lot
Jon Geeting: What Is the Best Solution to PA’s Balkanized Local Government Problem?
Pittston Politics: BREAKING NEWS: Sammy Agolino passes
Pittston Politics: Fall 2012 Bloggest another huge success
Pittston Politics: WP Council put in a bad spot, approves $2.5 million to pay contractors
The Liberty Blog: Unions are Big Business. Officers should be paid like 1% business executives
The Liberty Blog: Jim Foster INDEPENDENT for Democratic Values: Chaka Fattah Elitist Opportunist- The Pharaoh of Failure – The Issues is “Where Did All the Money Go?
The Liberty Blog: Double Talking Democrats’ Double Standard 1% of 1%: Jon Corzine Not In Jail
The Liberty Blog: Are African American Better Off After 3.5 Years of Obama’s Big Government European Welfare Socialist Spending?
The Liberty Blog: Double Talking Democratic 1% of 1%: Taxpayers Finance VP Joe Biden’s Crony Capitalist Campaign Donor’s Jobs in the Ukraine
Keystone Progress: Court Date Set, Injunction Sought in PA Voter ID Law Case