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What We’re Hearing
“What I heard from voters is that Bucks County residents need help supporting their families, want control over their own bodies, and ensure they have the ability to chart their own paths in life.” – Jim Prokopiak

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Top Story

1. My First Trip to the Trump Show

“As I began my PoliticsPA career just two years ago, the thought of attending a Trump rally never really crossed my mind. Not following the MAGA dogma might have had something to do with that.

But this was different. How could I truly understand what the electorate is thinking without experiencing a Trump rally? Reactions from my friends and family were not unexpectedly mixed. But on Friday afternoon, February 9, I made the trek to the capitol city, not knowing what lay before me.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Who Made It On The 2024 Ballot. “Here are the names of those who submitted nomination petitions for the 2024 ballot for President, Senator, Congress, statewide offices, the State Senate and the State House.” (PoliticsPA)

Pennsylvania’s 2024 Primary Election Features Contests For Attorney General And Congress. “Pennsylvania’s 2024 primary election may lack drama in the high-stakes races for president and U.S. Senate, but the fields for lower-ballot contests filled up for the state’s attorney general’s office and a handful of its 17 seats in the U.S. House.” (AP)

The Petitions Are In. Here’s Who’s Running For Pennsylvania Attorney General. “The field for Pennsylvania’s hotly contested attorney general race was solidified on Tuesday, with a filing deadline that signaled candidates’ last chance to throw their hat into the ring.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Aspiring PA Lawmakers Finish Gathering Hundreds Of Signatures And Talk Of Hard Work And Video Doorbells. “Tuesday was the last day in the 22-day stretch for candidates for many offices to seek and file signatures to get their names on the April 23 primary election ballot. State representative candidates needed 300 signatures and senator candidates 500.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

State

2. Prokopiak Captures HD-140 Special Election

“Levittown attorney and Pennsbury School Board member Jim Prokopiak is the winner of the Pennsylvania State House special election in the 140th Legislative District.

With all 33 precincts reporting, Prokopiak, a Democrat, received 67 percent of the vote, while Republican candidate Candace Cabanas pulled in 32%.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Democrats Retain Majority In The Pennsylvania House With A 102-100 Partisan Divide. “Jim Prokopiak’s election to the Bucks County seat will give Democrats a 102-100 majority in the House, which they have sought to defend in four special elections in the past year. ” (AP)

• Democrats Maintain Control Of Pennsylvania House After Bucks County Special Election. (Spotlight PA)
• Dems Retain Slim Majority In PA House With Lower Bucks County Win In 140th District. (Bucks County Courier Times)

VP Harris Returning To Pittsburgh To Tout Biden Administration’s Record. “Harris will be accompanied by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan on what is being billed as the fourth Investing in America tour. They’ll discuss the administration’s efforts to improve water quality.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

John Fetterman Faces Heat From Progressives But Also Keeps Endorsing Them. “Fetterman Wednesday endorsed incumbent State Sen. Nikil Saval, an outspoken proponent for a cease-fire in Gaza.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Around The Commonwealth

3. As Trump Repeats ‘The Big Lie,’ This Group Is Working To Boost Faith In PA’s Elections Ahead Of November

“Trump’s most faithful believers may never come around, especially as Trump has continued to push a false narrative of election denialism — as he did Friday in Harrisburg when he wrongly claimed he won Pennsylvania twice. But others hope voters who have some skepticism about elections or susceptibility to misinformation can be reached simply by demystifying the process of how elections work.

“I think what we saw in ‘20 was a lot of people not understanding the system,” former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said. “And I think they still don’t.”” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

PA Nonprofit Involved In Controversial 2020 Election Grants Now Making Donations To Democrat-Aligned PACs. “A relatively new nonprofit that orchestrated the distribution of grants to county election offices all across Pennsylvania in the runup to the 2020 presidential vote has recently made donations to Democratic-aligned political action committees, further undercutting the organization’s own claims it is nonpartisan.” (Broad + Liberty)

Six Democrats File To Challenge Perry in PA-10. “The seven candidates filing for the seat in 2024 make it the most crowded Congressional race in Pennsylvania this cycle. ” (Penn Capital-Star)

Who’s Running

• Who’s Running In Allegheny County Elections In 2024? (Public Source)
• Here’s Who Is Running To Represent South Central PA In State House, Senate. (PennLive)
• Here Are The Pennsylvania Legislative Districts That Will Have Competitive Primaries In April. (Penn Capital-Star)
• Election 2024: The Lehigh Valley’s Primary Races Take Shape. (LehighValleyNews.com)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• ‘We Did Nothing’: Trump Is A Coward. At NRA Gun Show, He Admitted As Much. (Chris Brennan)
• Shapiro’s Subtle Campaign to Succeed Joe Biden. (Lowman Henry)
• Legislators Must Keep Shapiro’s Disability Care Funding Intact. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• The Republican Elites Don’t Understand Why Their Voters Like Trump (And Not Them). (Sean Trende)
• Pennsylvania Needs To Increase Diversity In The Legal Profession. (Amanda Jonas Lorentson)
• The Isolationist G.O.P., Again. (Bret Stephens)
• Biden’s Memory Problems, and Mine. (Joseph Epstein)
• Pennsylvania’s Low-Wealth School Districts Must Get Funding They Need, But Legalizing Marijuana Isn’t The Answer. (LNP)

1 Thing

5. Presque Isle Like You’re “At The Ocean”

“The curved sand spit jutting into Lake Erie pulls in crowds rivaling the Jersey shore. It made Presque Isle State Park the most visited in Pennsylvania’s park system in 2023.

It’s a distinction bestowed on the park for several years. With 7 miles of sandy beaches, it is the state’s only “seashore.”

“It’s so unique when people come here for the first time [and] walk onto the beach,” said Mathew Greene, park operations manager for Presque Isle. “It’s like you are at the ocean and they can’t believe they are here in Pennsylvania.” (Meadville Tribune)

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