🎶 Rainy Days and Mondays! Sheesh.

PA Weather
🌨️ Franklin | Rain and Snow, 38
☂️ Duncannon | Rain ending, 50→42
☔ Plymouth Meeting | Rain, 58→47

PA Sports
🏈 Eagles (10-3) | Mon vs. Seattle
🏈 Steelers (7-7) | Indianapolis 13-30 | Sat vs. Cincinnati
🏀 Sixers (18-7) | Charlotte 135-82 | Mon vs. Chicago
🏒 Flyers (17-10-3) | Detroit 1-0 | Tue vs. New Jersey
🏒 Penguins (13-13-3) | Toronto 0-7 | Mon vs. Minnesota

What We’re Hearing
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) is hosting his own event at Madonna’s concert on Monday night. One ticket will run you $3,000 and two will run you $5,000.

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Noelle Britton of Rep. Lloyd Smucker’s (R-Pa.) office

Start Your Day Smart
Subscribe to the PoliticsPA Playbook. It’s free and gives you all today’s PA political headlines in an easy-to-read format. All by 8 AM.

Top Story

1. PA Democrats Endorse Kenyatta For Auditor General, Bizzarro For Treasurer

“The Pennsylvania Democratic Party endorsed state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) for auditor general at its final state committee meeting before the pivotal 2024 election year. State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie) won the endorsement for state treasurer.

None of the five candidates for attorney general earned enough votes to receive the party endorsement.

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party did provide two unanimous endorsements on Saturday, for President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Related

• PA Democrats Give History-Making Nod To Kenyatta For Auditor General, But Won’t Endorse In The Attorney General Race. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Pennsylvania Democrats Endorse Bob Casey, Joe Biden 2024 Reelection Bids. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• PA Democrats Make 2024 Endorsements, But Attorney General’s Race Remains Open. (PennLive)

Pennsylvania Republican Party Embraces Election Fraud Conspiracy Theory Around 2023 State Supreme Court Race. “While some Republicans say the Department of State needs to answer for the (Cambria County) election night formatting error, others see the GOP’s letters and posts as evidence of a reckless willingness to dabble in election denialism with the 2024 presidential election on the horizon.” (LNP)

For Decades, Biden Has Lavished Attention On Philadelphia. It Might Save His Presidency. “As (President Joe) Biden ramps up his 2024 campaign, Philadelphia will be key to his reelection bid as the most populous city in Pennsylvania, one of the most important swing states that he’ll need to hold to remain in the Oval Office.” (Business Insider)

State

2. Wolf Reflects On Retirement, His Time In Office And The Future

“Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he has been enjoying retirement since leaving office in January, spending time with his wife, Frances, and their family.

Wolf, a lifelong York countian, and his wife recently sold their house in Mount Wolf, and they are moving to Philadelphia to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren.

Wolf said he’s not looking for another political position.” (York Daily Record)

Related

PA-13: Farnham Expected to Challenge Joyce In Central PA Race. “Beth Farnham, a former school board member in the Conewago Valley School District, has filed a statement of candidacy to run for the 13th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.” (PoliticsPA)

HD-140: Cabanas Nominated As GOP Candidate To Replace Galloway. “The Bucks County Republican Executive Committee has nominated Falls Township resident Candace Cabanas to be the Republican Party candidate in the Special Election in the 140th Legislative District.” (PoliticsPA)

HD-155: Deuso Looks to Make History. “Democrat Erica Deuso looks to make history not just once, but twice in her run for the 155th Legislative District seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.” (PoliticsPA)

SD-31: Cumberland County Man To Challenge Incumbent For PA Senate Seat. “Mark Temons, 45, of Upper Allen Township, is hoping to unseat two-term Republican incumbent senator Mike Regan, who is expected to seek re-election to a third four-year term.” (PennLive)

HD-8: Bernstine Announces Reelection Bid. “State Rep. Aaron Bernstine announced this week his reelection bid for a fifth term in Harrisburg.” (CNHI News)

Superior Court Election Spending Tops $2.6 Million. “While spending for the open seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court set a record at $19,5 million, the money allocated for the two seats on the state’s Superior Court was nothing to sneeze at.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Upgrade to PA’s Outdated Voter Roll System Canceled

“The state has canceled a planned upgrade to Pennsylvania’s system for managing voter rolls, leaving officials stuck for the foreseeable future with a process and technology they say is outdated and inefficient.

The contract cancellation will not affect the coming presidential election — the Department of State already decided to keep the older system in place for 2024. But election administrators said they’re frustrated to hear they’ll have to continue to use the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors, known as SURE, which has caused problems in the past.” (Votebeat)

Related

PA Lawmakers Strip Some Authority From DA Larry Krasner With Bill Assigning Special Prosecutor For SEPTA Crimes. “Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro stripped Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner of some of his prosecutorial authority this week — a victory for Republicans who have long sought to circumvent the progressive DA, and impeached him earlier this year in an ongoing attempt to oust him from office.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Books Targeted For Banning By Western PA School Board Members Are Almost Never Checked Out, Analysis Shows. “The request was part of a thorough check on local school libraries that are at the center of culture wars as heated debates over available books continue to infiltrate school board meetings across the country.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

As Budget Deadline Looms, Erie City Council’s President Poised To Seek $500,000 In Cuts. “Erie City Council, under state law, has until Dec. 31 to pass a 2024 budget. Mayor Joe Schember has proposed a $103.2 million general fund city spending plan for 2024 that does not include a property tax increase, but it includes garbage and sewer fee hikes that would collectively generate about $1.8 million for the city.” (Erie Times-News)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Fetterman’s Betrayal Of Progressives Is Why Young People Are Turning Off Politics. (Will Bunch)
• So Fetterman’s Not A Progressive? (Tribune-Review)
• A Third-Party Candidate Can’t Win in 2024. (Jim Messina)
• Comprehensive Mess: Council Should Turn Away Mayor’s Bid For City Plan. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Free­dom Of Speech Is Sa­cred, But It’s Not Free­dom From Con­se­quences. (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• Here’s How to Reform Social Media. (Shanin Specter and Alex Van Dyke)
• The Cost Of Living Is Too High In Pennsylvania. (Issabella Colon)
• Small Businesses Don’t Want Shapiro’s Carbon Tax. (Greg Moreland)
• It’s Time For York County To Stop Holding Secret Meetings With Fringe Conspiracy Theorists. (York Dispatch)

1 Thing

5. Bethlehem’s Christmas Tree Toss Is Weird, Wonderful — And Worth Embarrassing Yourself

There are a few things to know about the annual Christmas tree toss in Bethlehem.

1. It’s ridiculous. This is an event that started, bizarrely, about two decades ago with a frustrated auto mechanic taking out his aggression on a fully decorated tree. It turned, even more bizarrely, into a holiday pageant with a parade, bagpipers, a friendly police rivalry, and, for some reason, a goat. And it has since landed, more modestly, in the realm of holiday tradition because, well, why not.
2. It’s for charity. For all its oddity, it has for years supported good causes. This year’s proceeds benefit Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley with a suggested $5 donation per toss.
3. It’s embarrassing. Because, it turns out, there is no good way to throw a tree. (LehighValleyLive)

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