🎸 Good Thursday Morning. Excited to see Bruce tonight in Pittsburgh.

PA Weather
☀️ Pittsburgh | Sunny, 88
☀️ Harrisburg | Sunny, 88
☀️ Scranton | Sunny, 87

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (70-50) | Miami 9-5 | Thu-Sun vs. Washington
⚾ Pirates (56-64) | San Diego 2-8 | Fri-Sun vs. Seattle
⚽ Union (Leagues Cup Quarterfinal) | Sat vs. Mazatlán

👂 What We’re Hearing. “(Incumbent senators) who did reach or surpass that 50% (polling) mark had a perfect record in our analysis, but incumbents who aren’t polling over 50% often ended up winning, too.” – Sabato’s Crystal Ball

🎂 Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Sen. John Fetterman.

🗞️ Pennsylvania Headlines >> Your Inbox. Where can you find all the latest news on what’s happening in Keystone State politics? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Playbook. We’ll deliver all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8 AM. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and subscribe now.

Top Story

1. Franklin & Marshall Poll: More Good News For Harris, Casey

“In what is quickly becoming a trend, Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. once again received good polling news as the latest Franklin & Marshall College survey dropped Thursday.

Harris has a three-point advantage over former President Donald Trump, 46-43%, although the margin does fall within the +/-3.8 margin of error. It is the fourth consecutive survey of Keystone State voters that finds the VP in front of Trump in the last week.

Casey has expanded his lead over Republican challenger Dave McCormick since the last F&M poll in March. Pennsylvania’s senior senator has a 48-36% advantage – five points better than he polled previously.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Quinnipiac Poll: Harris Maintains Slight Edge Over Trump in Tight Race. “For the third consecutive poll, Vice President Kamala Harris has received more support than former President Donald Trump in a survey of 1,793 likely Pennsylvania voters.” (PoliticsPA)

• New Poll Shows Harris Beating Trump in Pennsylvania, Among Women, and in “Personality” and Honesty. (Vanity Fair)
• PA Hispanic Voters Shift Heavy To Harris Following Biden’s Exit. (WHYY)
• Luntz: Trump ‘Committing Political Suicide’ As Harris Seizes ‘Intensity Advantage.’ (The Hill)

Cook Political Report Poll: Harris Continues to Display Momentum. ““In many ways, Harris is unburdened by what has been.” That analysis comes from Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report, after the group released its latest Swing State poll on Wednesday.” (PoliticsPA)

Road to the White House Cuts Through PA, With All 4 Candidates Visiting Keystone State Through Sunday. “Need any more evidence of the crucial role Pennsylvania will play this fall in determining the next president of the United States?” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Could Kennedy Be Bounced From PA Ballot? “As the time draws near to officially place names on the fall ballot, a New York state judge has dealt a blow to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign.” (PoliticsPA)

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Tried to Meet With Kamala Harris to Discuss Cabinet Job. (Washington Post)
• Third Parties Were Having a Moment. Then Kamala Harris Showed Up. (Semafor)

State

2. Shapiro Is Still Pennsylvania’s Most Popular Politician, Following the Veepstakes

“Gov. Josh Shapiro remains the most popular elected official in Pennsylvania following weeks in the national spotlight, recent polls show.

Shapiro continues to be popular across party lines, after the first-term Democratic governor spent weeks under scrutiny as a contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, according to two statewide polls released this week.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Shapiro Mans the Electoral Fort in Pennsylvania. “Leaving Gov. Josh Shapiro back home in Pennsylvania may have been the smoothest move yet for the Harris-Walz ticket. One of the country’s most popular governors could be far more valuable in charge of a battleground state than on the campaign trail.” (The American Prospect)

Bresnahan, Cartwright Differ on Abortion. “Candidates’ abortion stances may serve as a determining factor in the race for the 8th Congressional District seat of Pennsylvania. ” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Ad Watch: Susan Wild Attack Ad, Which Criticizes Her Record On Immigration, Lacks Important Context. “It is expected to be a tight race that could determine which party claims control of the House of Representatives — Cook Political Report has named the race a “toss-up” and the New York Times has called it a “race to watch.”” (Allentown Morning Call)

Scott Perry Wants To Talk About Trade Protections, Not the Jan. 6 Probes. “In a relatively rare publicized appearance, Congressman Scott Perry spoke Wednesday in Harrisburg at a roundtable talk on manufacturing and afterward brushed off any concerns with the investigation into his actions regarding the 2020 election.” (PennLive)

Where The Ticket Won’t Click. “When President Joe Biden announced he wasn’t running for reelection, most Democrats quickly coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s presidential nominee — but a handful of Democratic candidates, incumbents and challengers alike, kept their powder dry,” including Janelle Stelson in PA-10. (POLITICO)

PA Supreme Court Sets Oct. 8 Argument On Claim That Life Without Parole For Felony Murder is Cruel. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Oct. 8 in an appeal that could bring hope for freedom to more than 1,000 people serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for murders they didn’t commit.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Around The Commonwealth

3. More PA Voters Have Registered As Democrats Since Harris Entered Race

“Voter registration among Democrats in Pennsylvania has spiked in the three weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, according to State Department data.

The boost in registered Democrats comes amid a flurry of national and swing state polling that reflects increased enthusiasm for a Harris ticket, impressive fundraising numbers, and a wave of hyper-specific Zoom forums (see: “Dead Heads for Kamala”) to galvanize support for the vice president.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Maria Montano, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s Communications Director, No Longer a City Employee. “It was not immediately clear whether Ms. Montano resigned or was relieved of her duties by the mayor, but multiple sources within city government confirmed that she was no longer an employee. ” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Philly-Area Teachers and Students Debate Proposed School Cellphone Ban. “Pennsylvania passed a bill this year to pilot cell phone bans in schools. Will this actually improve learning, attention and mental health?” (WHYY)

A Half Dozen People Are Thinking About Running Against Larry Krasner for Philly DA, Including a Judge. “The early interest in the district attorney’s race from a handful of Democrats — including two former City Council members and a state representative — underscores the degree to which Krasner, a national leader of the progressive prosecutor movement, is a uniquely polarizing figure.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Innamorato Nominates Ex-Peduto Staffer For Allegheny County Manager Position. “Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Wednesday nominated John Fournier — the deputy city administrator for Ann Arbor, Mich. — to serve as county manager.” (Greensburg Tribune-Review)

Washington County Paying Special Counsel $475 Per Hour To Defend Ballot-Curing Lawsuit. “The special counsel was hired after seven Washington County voters sued the county’s elections board for refusing to count their mail-in ballots due to mistakes on the outer envelopes and not giving them an opportunity to correct the errors through ballot-curing options that most other counties offer.” (Uniontown Herald-Standard)

A Start to the End of the Strike? Feds File For Temporary Injunction to Return Pittsburgh News Unions to Work. “The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday filed for an injunction seeking to have a federal court step in to end an almost two-year strike and put striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers back to work.” (Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Trump’s Rash of Bizarre Claims and Wild Tangents Is No Laughing Matter. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Should Pittsburgh Voters Decide to Cut Business Ties With Israel? (Greensburg Tribune-Review)
• The Patriotism Paradox. (Kahlie Wray)
• What Donald Trump Could Learn From Robert F. Kennedy (Sr.) (David Mills)
• What to Do When The Universities Won’t Act Against Antisemitism. (Sen. Ryan Aument)
• Pennsylvania Could Be Facing a Power Shortage. (Terry Fitzpatrick)
• Harris’ VP Pick Was Once Democrats’ Target Constituency. (David Shribman)
• The Path to Victory For Trump Is Policy, Not Personality. (David Winston)
• 5 Takeaways From a Trump Speech Focused On the Wrong Numbers. (Candy Woodall)
• Are Men Ready For Kamala? (Bill Scher)

1 Thing

5. No Sheetz?

“The Pittsburgh Pirates and Sheetz are being sued by the Major League Baseball Players Association, the union that represents the players of MLB. The action for injunctive relief and damages was brought forward by MLB Players Inc. (MLBPI), the corporate subsidiary of the MLBPA.

The issue at hand pertains to the sponsor partnership between the Pirates and Sheetz, which was announced on June 21. A complaint issued Wednesday states that the two brands knowingly misappropriated the name, image and likenesses of multiple MLB players for their promotional campaign without a license agreement or proper authorization. The complaint adds that both the Pirates and Sheetz were warned multiple times about their alleged wrongdoing.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

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