☀️ Good Morning Monday. Rise and Shine.
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Pittsburgh | Sunny, 68
Harrisburg | Sunny, 66
Philadelphia | Sunny, 64
PA Sports
Pirates (6-3) | White Sox 1-0 | M-TU-W vs. Houston
Phillies (3-6) | Cincinnati 3-4 | M-TU-W vs. Miami
76ers (54-28) | Brooklyn, 134-105 | SAT vs. Brooklyn
Flyers (29-37-13) | Boston 3-4 | TUE vs. Columbus
Penguins (40-30-10) | Detroit 4-1| TUE vs. Chicago
What We’re Hearing
“I won’t back down from any fight for communities and families across our Commonwealth.” – Sen. Bob Casey
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Top Story
1. Casey Launches Reelection Bid
Bob Casey Jr. formally announced his campaign for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate on Monday morning.
“I’m running for re-election because with so much on the line for Pennsylvania’s working families, I want to keep delivering results for Pennsylvania,” he said. “There’s still more work to cut through the gridlock, stand up to powerful corporate special interests, and make the lives of hardworking Pennsylvanians a little bit easier. I won’t back down from any fight for communities and families across our Commonwealth.”
Casey is the only person to win six statewide elections in Pennsylvania, according to a press release.
Related
Casey Seeks Fourth Term As PA Senator. “Democratic Sen. Bob Casey will seek a fourth term in office, bringing the power of incumbency and unmatched name recognition in Pennsylvania politics to his party’s defense of a seat in a critical presidential battleground state.” (ABC News)
Casey Will Run For Reelection, Boosting Democrats’ Senate Outlook For 2024. “Sen. Bob Casey will run for reelection in 2024, the Pennsylvania Democrat announced Monday morning, providing good news for Democrats in a pivotal swing state.” (CNN)
GOP’s Stormy 2024 Outlook. “This week marked a low point for Republicans as they prepare for the 2024 elections: Former President Trump is once again the dominant force in the party, which is showing little indication of trying to appeal to swing voters.” (Axios)
Pastors Engaging In Politics: Religious Liberty Isn’t A Political Issue, It’s Spiritual. “A group of pastors who recently gathered in Washington, D.C. – and made national news for singing hymns in the U.S. Capitol rotunda – are part of a movement of Christian leaders encouraging others rooted in the religious principles that shaped America’s founding to use their influence to impact the political landscape.” (The Center Square)
State
2. Henry Assures Pennsylvanians That Abortion Remains Legal In PA Following Texas Decision
Attorney General Michelle Henry confirmed that abortion, including medication-assisted abortion, remains legal in Pennsylvania following the decision announced in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in which Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Texas, stayed the decades-long standing approval by the FDA for mifepristone, a drug commonly used to terminate early pregnancies.
“I am deeply disappointed by the flawed decision made today in Texas. Health care providers and women need to know that Pennsylvania’s laws have not changed as a result of this ruling and abortion remains legal in our Commonwealth,” said Attorney General Henry. “Women deserve access to safe reproductive health care free from unwarranted interference by a court. I will continue to fight to ensure that the people of Pennsylvania get exactly that.”
Related
Fetterman, Casey Bash Federal Judge’s Ruling Against FDA-Approved Abortion Medication. “Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey did not mince words when responding to Friday’s ruling by a federal judge in Texas halting the approval of an abortion medication.” (PennLive)
Can The PA GOP Stop Its Losing Streak? “Since 2016, when former Sen. Pat Toomey retained his U.S. Senate seat and the state delivered 20 electoral votes to Trump, the GOP is 0-5 in individual races in the Keystone State while also losing its majority in the State House last fall for the first time in 10 years.” (PoliticsPA)
Your Opinion Of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Performance “You’ve read that 56 percent of those surveyed in a recent Commonwealth Foundation poll saw Gov. Josh Shapiro in a favorable light after three months on the job. Since only 600 registered Pennsylvania voters were surveyed, we decided to ask the rest of you about your opinion on the new governor.” (PoliticsPA)
PA Midterm Results Highlight Trend Toward Fewer Split Tickets. “Data compiled from Pennsylvania’s 2022 midterm election results suggest voters are increasingly voting straight-party tickets, according to an analysis by the director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Four PA Appellate Court Positions Are On The Primary Ballot. Meet The Candidates. “Voters in Pennsylvania’s May 16 primary election will choose Republican and Democratic nominees for seats on Pennsylvania’s appeals courts, the only statewide races on this year’s ballots.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
PA Representative To Propose Bill Regulating Drag Shows As Adult Entertainment. “State Rep. Aaron Bernstine circulated a co-sponsorship memo for the intended bill that seeks to regulate drag shows along the same lines as adult book stores and strip clubs, banning admission to anyone under age 18.” (CNHI News)
PA Lawmaker Launches New Attempt To Allow Community Solar. “Lawmakers are trying to give people more options when it comes to buying solar energy. Pennsylvania law allows for small, rooftop solar projects and large, utility-scale projects–but not for those that fall in-between.State Sen. Rosemary Brown is sponsoring a measure to lift a ban on community solar projects.” (NPR)
Around The Commonwealth
3. Polling Data Suggests Wide-Open Allegheny County Executive Race
“Polling data conducted over the last month suggest that as the Democratic primary race for Allegheny County Executive has been getting underway in earnest, the contest is wide open, with County Treasurer John Weinstein and City Controller Michael Lamb in a pitched battle for the lead, and state Rep. Sara Innamorato in third.” (WESA)
Related
Democratic Allegheny County Executive Candidates Weigh In On Environmental Policy. “Five of the six Democratic candidates for Allegheny County executive explained their positions on environmental justice at a forum Saturday, with railroad safety and steelmaking being top concerns.” (Post-Gazette)
Quinones Sanchez Drops Out of Philly Mayor’s Race, Citing ‘Obnoxious, Obscene Amounts Of Money’. “Former City Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez is suspending her mayoral campaign, saying the flood of money into the race from self-funding candidates and outside spending groups made it impossible for her to keep up.” (Inquirer)
Philadelphia Has Never Had A ‘Dark Money’ Group Play A Big Role In The Mayor’s Race. Until Now. “The “dark money” era of Philadelphia politics has officially begun. An outside spending group that has raised millions to boost mayoral candidate Jeff Brown is the first political organization to play a significant role in a Philly mayor’s race with most of its money coming from undisclosed donors.” (Inquirer)
Cumberland Rated As PA’s Fastest-Growing County, Again. “According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest county-level population estimates on change over the last two years, Cumberland County’s population grew 3.51% through July 1, 2022. That’s an additional 9,115 people.” (PennLive)
- As PA, DelVal Lose Population, Chester County Keeps Growing. (Delaware Valley Journal)
How A PA City Manager Allegedly Stole Thousands Of Taxpayer Dollars With Virtually No Oversight. “On a spring day in March 2020, as Pennsylvania teetered on the brink of the COVID-19 lockdown, an anonymous letter arrived at State Police offices. The letter, signed “Concerned Citizens,” outlined potential wrongdoing by Herm Suplizio, the politically connected manager of DuBois, a small city about two hours northeast of Pittsburgh.” (Spotlight PA)
‘Target’ On Johnstown: Could Tug of War Over Turbulent 72nd District Tip The Scales Of Power In PA House? “The 72nd Legislative District is arguably one of the most politically important and closely watched districts in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives right now.” (Tribune-Democrat)
Lancaster County Board Of Elections To Vote On Ballot Curing Measure. “The proposal put forward by Democratic Commissioner John Trescot would restrict curing to the outer envelope – a missed or incorrect date or signature.” (LNP)
Editorial
4. What They’re Saying
A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.
- GOP Wages Asymmetrical War On Democracy Because It Can’t Get The Votes. (Will Bunch)
- How The Next Mayor Can Help Philadelphia’s Schools. (Jennifer Stefano)
- The Abortion Ban Backlash Is Taking Down The Republicans. (Michelle Goldberg)
- With PA’s Highest Court Depleted, Shapiro, GOP Senate Leaders Let Voters Down. (Bruce Ledewitz)
- A Bank Fails. A Train Crashes. And You Wonder Why We Need Government Regulation? (Ray Landis)
- We’re Already Defunding The Philly Police. (Jordan McGillis)
- Military Veterans As Armed Guards Can Help Ensure School Safety. (Paul Davis)
- Public School Employees Retirement System Meter Keeps Running. (Citizens Voice)
- Focus On Critical Issues In County Executive Race. (Mike Huwar, Tom Melcher)
- PA Should Make These Tax Changes To Help People Deal With Inflation. (Ryan Mackenzie)
1 Thing
5. Roche Rules
A successful Masters pool is in the books.
And congrats go to … Rachel Roche whose team of Jon Rahm (1), Brooks Koepka (T2), Jordan Spieth (T4), Scottie Scheffler (T10) and Rory McIlroy (MC) won by four shots with a 72-hole team score of 30-under-par.
Unfortunately for Rachel, she only wins bragging rights and a mention in today’s PoliticsPA Playbook for her accomplishment.
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One Response
Abortion rights are alive and well in PA?? Only in Pittsburgh are abortion services available west of Harrisburg. The rest of western PA looks like Kentucky or TN.