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Top Story
1. Biden, Obama, Trump Stump For Candidates In PA
The big guns came out over the weekend as Republican and Democratic candidates stumped in the final days trying to make their case for why their parties’ nominees should be seated in Washington and Harrisburg.
President Joe Biden came out with former boss Barack Obama in support of Democrats’ John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro, while Donald Trump held a rally that was attended by Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Related
In Historic Midterm Election, PA Has The Political Attention Of The World. “Voters here will play a key role in determining everything from immediate, burning questions about the rights of citizens to live in safety to a defining choice about the very future of democracy.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
The Whole Country Will Be Watching PA On Election Night. Again. “Pennsylvania is again at the center of America’s political turbulence, with elections that could set the future of abortion rights, voting, and elections in the country’s fifth most populous state.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Donald Trump Makes Last-Minute Pitches For Mastriano, Oz. “Painting an apocalyptic picture of a country in free-fall, former President Donald Trump on Saturday whipped up voters in support of his endorsed candidates in two of the most important and closely watched races in the country: Pennsylvania governor and U.S. senator.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Where Are They? Here is a quick look at where the candidates are today.
- John Fetterman: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
- Mehmet Oz: Lebanon, Hazleton
Senate
2. The Battle For Bucks County
From Levittown to Quakertown. From New Hope to Newtown. Bucks County is the one to watch on Tuesday.
The collar county that borders New Jersey has a population of 650,000 and represents suburbs that swing in the wind. Donald Trump lost PA by just 3,000 votes in 2016, while Joe Biden carried the county by 17,000 in 2020. (POLITICO)
Related
For Fetterman, Campaign Trail Doubles As Road To Recovery. “After a stroke and an uneven debate against his rival, Mehmet Oz, John Fetterman is leaning into his health challenges, to cheering crowds, as he campaigns for Senate in Pennsylvania.” (NY Times)
What Do Fetterman And Oz Need To Do To Come Out On Top? “(Mehmet) Oz’s dilemma is just one of the complications he and his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, face in one of the most closely watched, expensive and pivotal Senate races in the country. ” (LNP | Lancaster Online)
“It’s Going To Come To Every Single Vote,” Fetterman Says At Harrisburg Stop. “Lt. Gov. John Fetterman sat down with state Rep. Patty Kim, D-Dauphin, at the Zembo Shrine building for a discussion with voters Sunday morning in Harrisburg, talking about his stroke, policy decisions, and what he described as the “stark choice” between himself and Republican nominee Mehmet Oz.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Final Race Ratings Point Toward Escalating GOP Gains. “The 2022 cycle has felt like a roller coaster at times, as we’ve seen glimmers of evidence that Democrats could buck the midterm trend.” (Roll Call)
U.S. Senate Preview. “It is a five-person contest for the open U.S. Senate seat in the Commonwealth.” (PoliticsPA)
- What You Need to Know About The Third-Party Candidates Running In PA’s Senate Race. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
- PoliticsPA Poll Tracker
State
3. Shapiro, Davis Make Final Case During Bus Tour
“The “Big Fights Bus Tour” rolled into Lancaster on Friday with Josh Shapiro and Austin Davis making their case to be elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively, for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
“For 13 months, we’ve been crisscrossing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, showing up here in Lancaster time and time again, because communities like this matter.” (PoliticsPA)
Related
The Colonel’s Brigade. If Doug Mastriano Wins This Election, He’ll Have A Grassroots Army To Thank. “According to conventional wisdom, Doug Mastriano should be the leader of a lost cause in this year’s Pennsylvania governor’s race.” (PennLive)
Where Are They? Here is a quick look at where the candidates are today.
- Josh Shapiro/Austin Davis: Philadelphia.
- Doug Mastriano: Newtown, Telford.
PA-07: Wild, Scheller Make Their Final Pitches. “As Election Day approaches, candidates for Congress in the Lehigh Valley are making their final pitch to voters in what is expected to be one of the tightest Congressional races in the U.S.” (Morning Call)
When It Comes To Congress, Lehigh Valley Is The King Of Swing. “Lehigh Valley voters as a group show that political party loyalty doesn’t always influence how they vote. ” (Armchair Lehigh Valley)
PA-08: A Ripple, A Wave, Or A Tsunami. Here Is What To Watch For. “Here are five races that frequently come up as the contests the pros will be watching, including one in PA.” (POLITICO)
PA-12: A Hard-Fought Race With Historic Consequences. “On Nov. 8, Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District may elect the state’s first Black woman to Congress.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
- Vocabulary of Voting. A Glossary Guide to the Midterms. (PBS)
- All The Information You Need For Election Day. (Spotlight PA)
- What You Need To Know To Vote In Bucks County. (Bucks County Courier Times)
- Here Is Everything You Need to Know to Vote. (PennLive)
- Voters’ Guide (PennLive)
Around The Commonwealth
The PA Supreme Court Has Issued A Second Order On Mail Ballot Dates As The Legal Fight Continues. “The scramble to figure out which Pennsylvania mail ballots to count and reject based on handwritten dates continued Saturday.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Suit Seeks To Have Mail-In Votes Lacking Dates Counted. (AP)
- Where The Mail Ballots Are. (PoliticsPA)
The Daily Mail Ballot Report. As of November 4, over 1.43 million Pennsylvanians applied for a mail-in ballot – 985,000 Dems, 302,500 Republicans and 149,000 others. Of that total, approximately 1.06 million ballots have been returned or 74.1 percent.
The Enduring Appeal Of “I Voted” Stickers. “The stickers harken back to a time when elections were more celebratory and joyous occasions for communities to gather. As Eric Liu of the civic engagement nonprofit Citizen University wrote in a 2015 article for The Atlantic, cities threw parades and festivals on election days, and people hosted bonfires.” (Bloomberg)
One Street, Two Visions Of America’s Future: How Politics Divides These Pittsburgh Neighbors. “There are few places in Pennsylvania where the divide between Democrats and Republicans in this election is more evident than on Tropical Avenue in the Beechview neighborhood of Pittsburgh.” (WESA)
Facts vs. Fiction. “PolitiFact assesses the accuracy of statements by elected officials, political candidates, and other public figures in Pennsylvania.” (Politifact)
Election Deniers Are On The PA Ballot. Some Are Faring Much Better Than Expected. “While (Doug) Mastriano’s gubernatorial bid is flailing, in part because of his election-denying beliefs, a few of his colleagues in the greater Philadelphia region who also pushed forward election lies appear to be unscathed.” (WHYY)
Opinion
- Twitter, MSNBC Pre-Election Meltdowns Expose a Huge Problem For The Left. (Will Bunch)
- Will The Real Mike Doyle Please Stand Up? (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
- If We Want Better From Our Politics, It Starts With Us. (Ray Landis)
- 1000 Chaplains Need All Pennsylvanians To Ensure Peaceful Elections On Nov. 8. (PennLive)
- Mastriano’s Plan. (Thomas Benfer)
- MAGA Republicans Plan To “Pre-Rig” Election. (Chris Kelly)
- Vote – Whether Elections Are Close Or Not. (Williamsport Sun-Gazette)
- We Stood Up To Election Deniers Before. We’re Prepared To Do It Again. (Kendra Brooks)
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4 Responses
GOP are liars and crooks, scam artists. No need for voters to go deeper than that.
Abortion. The underlying driving force. R’s are doing everything possible to change the subject. It can’t be changed. Larger numbers will be out in younger voters making bad news for R’s, Oz pathetic pitiful abortion answer will impress no one in Bucks County. Trump rehashing his greatest hits will fail. Shapiro will politically crush Mastriano in votes and all the Republican hangers on will denied 4 more years of playing big shot with an appt to a state post.
Can you point to a single poll that shows abortion in the top five of issues voters care about in this election. Democrats are hoping voters care about the abortion issue; unfortunately every trip to the grocery store or gas station makes it less and less important.
I think that is the reality of the situation. If abortion is the “sleeping giant” that the Democrats are counting on, then I think they will retain both the Senate and the House, and win both elections in PA comfortably. That would of course be in defiance of virtually every data point with respect to voters’ priorities.
Shapiro will still be fine, as he was gifted with a dream opponent in Mastriano who has made zero effort to add to his base and win over “purple” suburban votes, unlike his counterpart Oz, who is trying to provide an “off ramp” for those swing voters repelled by Mastriano, and whose race in which I don’t think we’ll know the winner until around Thanksgiving.