Good Thursday Morning. Let’s be safe out there today.

PA Weather
Somerset | Freezing Rain, then Wintry Mix, 34
Wellsboro | Snow/Sleet, 33
Swarthmore | Rain mixed with Snow, 44

PA Sports
Flyers (9-14-7) | THU vs. New Jersey
Penguins (17-8-4) | THU vs. Florida

What We’re Hearing
“To see them being accused of things that just aren’t accurate, it’s disappointing because I know how much they care about their jobs. I know how much they care about doing a good job.” – Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Stephen Kinsey.

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Top Story

1. Recount Requests Delay PA Election Certification

“Five weeks after Election Day, winning candidates in Pennsylvania from governor to Congress are waiting for their victories to become official.

An effort that appears to be at least partially coordinated among conservatives has inundated counties with ballot recount requests even though no races are close enough to require a recount and there has been no evidence of any potential problems.” (Associated Press)

Related

“Courts Are Not Places Where One Comes To Hedge Their Bets’: Chester County Judge Dismisses Recount Petitions. “Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Sommer has denied all of the recount petitions residents filed contesting the validity of the 2022 midterm elections.” (WHYY)

Harrisburg

2. Shapiro’s Bipartisanship Talk Welcome In Fight-Weary Capitol

“Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro will take office next month talking about how voters across the political spectrum in Pennsylvania gave him a mandate, a message he will carry into a state Capitol riven by partisanship and, recently, a breakdown in lawmaking.

Shapiro, the state’s two-term attorney general and a former state lawmaker and county commissioner, has possibly a better understanding than any recent predecessor about what it takes to get legislation through the nation’s largest full-time Legislature.” (Associated Press)

Related

Courts Hear Arguments From Democratic Lawyers That Combined Constitutional Amendments Are Illegal. “Attorneys for the Wolf administration and Democratic lawmakers argued Wednesday that the Commonwealth Court should rule that the General Assembly used illegal procedures in lumping a group of proposed Constitutional amendments together in a single bill passed last summer.” (Capitolwire)

Federal Marriage Protection Law Is A Win, But ‘More Work Remains,’ Says Benham In D.C. “Pennsylvania state Rep. Jessica Benham, an Allegheny County Democrat who is among the openly LGBTQ members of the General Assembly, attended Tuesday’s signing ceremony. In a Twitter post, she noted the codified protections in the bill.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

• Respect For Marriage Act; How Lehigh Valley’s Lawmakers Voted. (LehighValleyNews.com)

DelRosso Won’t Run For DeLuca’s Seat. “Carrie Lewis DelRosso will not seek the Republican nomination for representative of the state House’s 32nd District.” (Tribune-Review)

Lawton Announces Candidacy For Open State Senate Seat. “A longtime educator announced Wednesday her candidacy for the upcoming special election to fill the open state senate seat in the 27th District.” (News-Item)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Attorney, Former County Council Dave Fawcett Joins Race For County Executive

“The race next year to replace Rich Fitzgerald as Allegheny County Executive is getting crowded. But attorney Dave Fawcett may be the only candidate whose pursuit of results prompted him to take part in a lawsuit against the county he hopes to govern.” (WESA)

Related

State Rep. Amen Brown Will Launch A Run For Philadelphia Mayor Friday. “State Rep. Amen Brown, a Democrat who represents parts of West Philadelphia and has championed tough-on-crime policies like new mandatory minimum sentences, will announce a run for Philadelphia mayor Friday.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• What To Know About Amen Brown, The State Rep Running For Philly Mayor. (Billy Penn)

Fitzpatrick Among 9 GOP Members To Vote For Stopgap Funding Bill. “Nine House Republicans voted with Democrats on Wednesday to pass a stopgap funding bill that will avert a government shutdown, despite GOP leadership recommending a “no” vote.” (The Hill)

Pat Toomey Q&A: Tax Cuts, Gun Legislation, Jan. 6 And Trump. “Now in his final weeks in public office, Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) plans to deliver a farewell speech on the Senate floor Thursday.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Luzerne County Elections Board Wants Return To Electronic Poll Books In Special Election. “Against objections from Luzerne County Acting Election Director Beth McBride, the county’s five-citizen Election Board unanimously voted Wednesday on a tentative plan to use electronic poll books instead of paper ones for voter sign-in during the Jan. 31 special election.” (Times Leader)

Thomas’ Defense Asks Judge To Step Down From Case, Saying He’s Biased. “Suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas is asking the judge presiding over his case to voluntarily step down, arguing he’s shown “strong bias” against his defense and a potential expert witness.” (Tribune-Democrat)

• Suspended Somerset DA Jeffrey Thomas Defense Team: Judge, Recuse Yourself. (Somerset Daily American)

Wolf Administration Touts $4.5B In Contract Spending With Small, Diverse and Veteran Businesses Since 2015. “Since taking office in 2015, the Wolf Administration says it has spent over $4.5 billion in state contracts with small, diverse, and veteran businesses across Pennsylvania. Fiscal Year 2021 saw a record in that spending, just shy of $1 billion.” (ErieNewsNow)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Voters Control The PA House, Not The Parties. (Tribune-Review)
• The LA Journalist Making Americans Smarter About Politics. (Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post)
• Taxpayers Will Pay As PA House Fights Over Which Party Is In Control. (John Baer, PennLive)
• Republicans’ Next Move? Re-Write The U.S. Constitution. (Steve Corbin, PA Capital-Star)
• Why The ‘Twitter Files’ Are Falling Flat. (Joan Donovan, POLITICO)
• Trump Made A Huge Mistake By Announcing Early. (Rich Lowry, POLITICO)

1 Thing

5. “We The People”

On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, went into effect following ratification by Virginia.

“With three simple words — “We the People” — the United States Constitution set in motion the most extraordinary experiment in self-governance that the world has ever known.  The Bill of Rights made this possible, ensuring ratification by every State then in our new Nation.  On Bill of Rights Day, we celebrate the fundamental American freedoms enshrined in those first 10 Amendments to our Constitution and recommit to making the full promise of America real for all Americans.” – proclamation by President Biden

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