🌞 Monday. Yes, It’s Monday. Let’s make it a good one, shall we?

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What’s Happening
The Senate convenes at 1 p.m.

What We’re Hearing
‘We just want someone sane.’ Just let that sink in. That’s what they want. – Diana Irey Vaughan

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Top Story

1. ‘We Just Want Someone Sane’: What Happens When A Small Town Goes MAGA

“Washington County was never known as Crazytown. The parameters of local power weren’t hard to discern when steel and coal dominated the economy. They’re not much different now.

Situated at the western edge of Pennsylvania, the county of 200,000 sits atop the Marcellus Shale. Gas is plentiful and the industry that extracts it is influential. Some farmers have gotten rich leasing rights to their land. Plenty of workers, blue- and white-collar, are doing well servicing the industry. The county, still crawling out of the deep pit left when union steel and coal jobs vanished, has made itself a reliable partner to drilling.

Yet if you look at local politics, the landscape appears as disfigured as a mountaintop lopped off for quick, gruesome profit.” (Washington Post)

Related

Why Is America Obsessed With The Politics Of PA? “When U.S. President Joe Biden gave his budget address in March, he chose to travel north of the White House to the Keystone State. Pennsylvania’s pivotal Senate race and the 20 electoral votes on the line next year certainly aren’t lost on the president’s team. The commonwealth — with its divided Legislature, diverse demographics and “purple state” reputation — has become both the center and litmus test for the American political universe.” (PhillyBurbs.com)

MAGA Oz Pivots Back To Being Dr. Oz. “For most losing political candidates, the months that follow defeat can be a time for reflection and dissection—time to pick apart what went wrong, to write a book, to secure a cushy gig as a cable-news contributor, or even to plot a comeback.” (Daily Beast)

A Look Back At PA’s 2022 U.S. Senate Contest And What It Says About 2024. “The competition between two unconventional candidates, in a toss-up state, with control of the Senate majority likely on the line, was naturally the most closely covered election of the season. Yet only in hindsight do we have the ability to fully analyze the result and thus properly assess the entire campaign process.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

PA Could Get An Earlier Presidential Primary – If Harrisburg’s Other Election Fights Don’t Get In The Way. “Top lawmakers in both parties want to prevent a proposal to change the date of Pennsylvania’s presidential primary from getting tangled up with other election-related issues that have long been subjects of partisan bickering.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

State

2. HD-163: PA House Majority Rides On The Outcome

“In a small corner of southeastern Pennsylvania sits House District 163.

HD-163 includes the Delaware County municipalities of Aldan, Clifton Heights, Collingdale, and parts of Darby and Upper Darby Townships.

There are a little more than 43,000 voters in the District and it will be up to them to determine if Democrats continue to hold the majority in the Pennsylvania House.

No disrespect intended to HD-108, where Mike Stender (R), Trevor Finn (D) and Elijah Scretchling (L) will square off in another special election on May 16, but that seat has been comfortably in GOP hands since 1972.

HD-163 is a different story.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

HD-163 Debate. “Leading into the special election, Democrat Heather Boyd and Republican Katie Ford participated in a debate moderated by abc27 Capitol Bureau Reporter Dennis Owens in Harrisburg.” (ABC27)

How Are You Voting On May 16? Take our reader poll. (PoliticsPA)

Three Ways Shapiro’s Budget Would Change Public Health In PA. “When Josh Shapiro pitched his first budget as Pennsylvania’s governor during a nearly hour-and-a-half speech in March, the Democrat didn’t say COVID or coronavirus. But Shapiro’s budget responds to the pandemic, which has exposed weaknesses in the state’s public health system, by proposing more funding for local health departments.” (Spotlight PA)

Debate Continues In PA School Funding Case. “Attorneys in the Pennsylvania school funding case will be back in the courtroom on May 22 for oral arguments on a motion for post-trial relief.” (Citizens Voice)

PA Lieutenant Governor Announces Wife’s Pregnancy. “Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and his wife, Second Lady Blayre Holmes have announced that the second lady is pregnant.” (PennLive)

PA Senators Call For Parental Consent For Youth’s Use Of Social Media. “The proposal, which grows out of increasing concern over the impact the technology is having on young people’s mental health, would require parental consent for minors 16 and under to open a new social media account.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. PA Cities’ Woes Could Offer Lessons For Lancaster Voters Considering Home Rule Ballot Question

“A situation like Shamokin’s is something Lancaster city Mayor Danene Sorace has brought up in talking about home rule, which she says will allow the city to develop its own approach to local taxes instead of relying on state benefits that would eventually be stripped.” (LNP)

Related

Poll: Still Statistically Tied In Philly Mayor Race. “In a poll released Friday morning by the campaign, the race for the Democratic nomination for Philadelphia mayor is still too close to call.” (PoliticsPA)

The Most Expensive Philly Mayor’s Race In History Has Now Topped $31 Million. “The remarkably competitive Philadelphia mayor’s race continues to attract millions in campaign cash, with the five major Democratic candidates and the groups supporting them raking in another $10.5 million in April, according to the latest campaign finance reports.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• GOP Mega-Donor Jeff Yass Is Largely Behind A Super PAC Funding Negative Ads About Helen Gym. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Mail Voting Is Most Common In Philly Neighborhoods That Have High Turnout Overall. (Billy Penn)

New Twitter Rules Expose Election Offices To Spoof Accounts; Allegheny County Pays For Blue Check. “Tracking down accurate information about Philadelphia’s elections on Twitter used to be easy. The account for the city commissioners who run elections, @phillyvotes, was the only one carrying a blue check mark, a sign of authenticity.” (WESA)

Months Of Campaigning. Days Left. And The Race For Allegheny County Executive Is Anybody’s Guess. “After more than $2 million in commercials and months of campaigning, the race for Allegheny County’s top elected office is a toss-up one week before the finish line. ” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Big Checks Flow Into Allegheny County Races, But Weinstein’s Latest Donors Remain Unknown. (Public Source)

Kaufer, Ryncavage Stand By LGBTQ Bill Vote. “Two Republican legislators from Luzerne County are facing criticism over their votes to approve a bill to broaden protections for LGBTQ+ people that passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives on Tuesday.” (Times Leader)

Once A Stronghold, Washington, Fayette and Greene Counties Have Slipped Away From Democrats. “To fully grasp the hold the Democratic Party once had on Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, the clock needs to be turned back to 1984.” (Observer-Reporter)

Halcovage Discusses ‘Emotional Impact’ In Welcoming Potential Settlement. “Schuylkill County Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr. is open to settling allegations of sexual harassment he faces in a federal suit through mediation in court, he said recently in a written statement.” (Standard-Speaker)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

Editorial

• PA, WV Officials Deserve Praise For Landing Manufacturing Projects. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• For Mayor, The Tribune Endorses Cherelle Parker. (Philadelphia Tribune)
• PA Has Real Role In Regulating Rail. (Tribune-Review)
• Cross-Filing And PA Political Identities. (Tribune-Review)
• Let Independents Have Their Say In Primaries. (MediaNews Group)

Opinion

• Public Sector Union Employees Deserve More Power Over Their Leadership. (Jennifer Stefano)
• A Governor Who Governs: Josh Shapiro Looks Back, And Forward, After 100 Days In Office. (Salena Zito)
• Firings Of Don Lemon, Tucker Carlson Doesn’t Mean End Of Hyperpartisan Cable News Networks. (Nolan Higdon)
• Sure The Budget Jockeying Is Interesting. But Don’t Forget It Impacts Real People. (Ray Landis)

1 Thing

5. The End For Cars With AM Radio?

“When emergencies unfold in rural Pennsylvania’s internet and cellular dead zones, time-tested terrestrial radio often keeps motorists from driving blindly into a tornado.

Since its signal travels a greater distance, the AM band in particular has long been a vehicle for news, weather updates, and police emergencies. Across rural America, including Pennsylvania, where broadband and cell phone service can be dismal, some residents, lawmakers, and emergency management coordinators are concerned that more auto manufacturers, like Ford, are phasing out AM radio altogether in future models.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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