🤠 Howdy, Tuesday. There are 86 municipalities in PA named after foreign places, including my hometown of Huntingdon (Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England)

PA Weather
Erie | Increasing Clouds, 46
State College | Mostly Sunny, 55
Wilkes-Barre | Mostly Sunny, 57

PA Sports
Pirates (16-7) | Tu-Th vs. LA Dodgers
Phillies (11-12) | Tu-Th vs. Seattle
Union (3-4-2) |Wed vs. LAFC
76ers | Next: Celtics/Hawks

What We’re Hearing
“We’ll make the two most expensive days in the commonwealth [our] election days.” – Sen. Cris Dush

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for former Rep. Keith Rothfus.

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Top Story

1. Biden Announces Re-Election Bid

“President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job” he began when he was sworn into office and to set aside their concerns about extending the run of America’s oldest president for another four years.

Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But he’s still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.” (AP)

Related

Joe Biden Is Running For President Again. And He’ll Again Need PA Democrats To Win The White House. “As President Joe Biden announces his run for reelection, he finds himself in a familiar space: well-enough liked by many, beloved by few.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Dems Relish A Biden-Trump Rematch. “Democrats see former President Donald Trump’s post-indictment political resurgence as alarming for the country … and great for Joe Biden’s reelection hopes.” (POLITICO)

Republicans Think Biden Is An ‘Easy Target’ To Unite Their Party. “President Joe Biden launched a second campaign for the presidency — and Republicans couldn’t be more thrilled about it.” (POLITICO)

Biden-Trump Rematch Is Coming Closer To Reality. “The presidential rematch many Americans say they don’t want is coming closer to reality: President Biden vs. former President Trump in 2024.” (The Hill)

State

2. PA Democrats Want Counties To Be Able To Count Mail Ballots Faster. Here’s Why Changes Are Unlikely

“Newly empowered Pennsylvania House Democrats, in a position to move election legislation for the first time since the 2020 election, are proposing a change to allow mail ballots to be processed earlier so they can be counted faster.

The change is widely backed by elections administrators across the state — but the bill doesn’t have the backing of Republicans, who control the Senate.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

House State Government Committee Approves Pre-Canvassing Legislation. “Although it still has quite a way to travel, something that Pennsylvania’s 67 counties have been asking for is one step closer to becoming reality.” (PoliticsPA)

What’s Happening Today
House convenes at 11, Senate convenes at 1

(H) Labor & Industry, 9
(S) Judiciary, 930a
(H) Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities; Tourism & Economic & Recreational Development, 930
(S/H) Agriculture & Rural Affairs; (S) Law & Justice, 10; (H) Environmental Resources & Energy; Finance; Housing & Community Development
(S) State Government, 12

‘For Every Pennsylvanian’: PA Senate Dems Release 2023 Priorities. “As the General Assembly reconvenes for the first time after more than a month of budget hearings, Pennsylvania Senate Democrats will kick off a social media push for a new policy agenda today that puts jobs that pay a livable wage, healthcare access, and equitable funding for public education front and center.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Control Of PA’s State House Up For Grabs … Again. “Regular readers of The Brew will know that we’ve written a lot about Pennsylvania House over the last six months. That’s because control of the narrowly divided chamber has shifted between Republicans and Democrats since the November 2022 elections thanks to a series of vacancies and special elections.” (Ballotpedia)

Lawmakers Advanced Sen. Kim Ward’s Bill For Women At High Risk Of Breast Cancer: ‘It Is Going To Help Save Lives.’ “When state Sen. Kim Ward was battling breast cancer, it came with the frustration of knowing that a single test almost certainly would have changed her treatment decisions. The veteran lawmaker has turned that frustration into action.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

House Committee Passes Anti-Discrimination Bill For LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. “The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee approved a bill Monday that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s nondiscrimination law, a step forward in what was described as a two-decade effort to codify rights for LGBTQ people in the state.” (PennLive)

Primary 2023 Deadlines Approach. “New Pennsylvania voters have less than a week left to register to vote in the May 16 primary, and time is running out to request a mail-in ballot as well.” (LNP)

Biden Appoints Kenyatta, Lassiter To Presidential Advisory Commission. “Pennsylvania Representative Malcolm Kenyatta and PA Human Relations Commission executive director Chad Dion Lassiter were among 19 others to be appointed by President Joe Biden on Friday, April 21, to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans. ” (Al Dia News)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Fitzgerald Throws Support Behind Lamb For Allegheny County Executive

“Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald sees someone in the field to succeed him that could carry on his work. That’s why he endorsed City Controller Michael Lamb on Monday.

“There’s only one candidate with the qualifications, track record, honesty and integrity to lead this county for the next four years. And that’s Michael Lamb,” Fitzgerald said. “Michael knows how to make government work and to attract the best people to get the job done.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Fitzgerald Backs Lamb In County Executive Race, Weinstein Boosted By Former Rivals. “Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced his choice to succeed him in the office next year: City Controller Michael Lamb. But one of Lamb’s top rivals, John Weinstein, got a boost from two former contenders for that office.” (WESA)

Innamorato Has Fans In Harrisburg But Little To Show For It As She Runs For Allegheny County Executive. “When state Rep. Joe Ciresi talks about his legislation to create community centers specifically for use in emergencies, he partly credits a colleague from the opposite side of Pennsylvania: Rep. Sara Innamorato of Allegheny County.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Washington County Official Threatened With Lawsuits After Posting Story On Facebook With Altered Quotes. “Washington County Clerk of Courts Brenda Davis, who was jailed last year on contempt of court charges, has drawn criticism from multiple sides after she altered parts of a Washington Observer-Reporter story that she posted on her personal and campaign Facebook pages without the paper’s permission.” (Times-Tribune)

State Supreme Court Hopeful: Politics From Bench ‘Must End.’ “Montgomery County President Judge Carolyn Carluccio, who is seeking the Republican nomination for state Supreme Court justice in the May 16 primary, believes politics has entered Pennsylvania’s courts, and that must end.” (The Derrick)

Four Things To Know About The Upcoming Poll In Philly Mayor’s Race. “The good-government group Committee of Seventy, in partnership with a handful of other organizations, is planning to release a survey of 1,000 Philadelphians that will show where the top candidates stand with just a few weeks to go until the May 16 primary election.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Debate Night In Philly. (Chamber of Commerce, 6abc)

The Super PAC Backing Jeff Brown’s Mayoral Campaign Has Agreed To Sit On The Sidelines Through The Primary. “A judge on Monday approved a limited agreement between the Philadelphia Board of Ethics and For A Better Philadelphia, a super PAC backing Jeff Brown’s campaign for mayor, that will keep the political group on the sidelines through the May 16 primary.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

Editorial

• Helen Gym’s Plans For Philly Are Long On Ambition, Short On Specifics. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• PA Youth Service Corps Deserves Bipartisan Support. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• If We Want Representative Nominees, PA Needs Two-Round Primaries. (Broad + Liberty)
• Another Push To Open Primaries In PA. (Daily Item)

Opinion

• Are Influential DEI-Trumpers Trying To Turn PA Into Florida? (Michael Coard)
• What McCarthy, GOP Should Fear About The Never-Ending Abortion Controversies. (Walter Shapiro)
• Stop Idolizing Politicians Like They’re Celebrities. (Jamille Q. Duncan)
• To Win Again, PA Republicans Need To Compete In Mail-In Voting. (Arnaud Armstrong)
• Swing Voters: Still Not Into The Anti-Woke Stuff. (Rich Glau)

1 Thing

5. Aurora Borealis Visible In PA

Never would have imagined seeing this in central Pennsylvania, but here we are. Beautiful aurora substorm facing northwest from Jo Hays Vista in Centre County last night, just outside State College.#PAwx #aurora #AuroraBorealis #StormHour #ThePhotoHour @spann @NWSStateCollege pic.twitter.com/vh3Z7iTTz2

— Justin Hassel (@JustinH_wx) April 24, 2023

A rare sight was visible in the Pennsylvania sky Sunday night – the aurora borealis. Also known as the northern lights, the colorful phenomenon is the result of a geomagnetic storm. (WGAL) / (KDKA)

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