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Top Story

1. Battle For Blue-Collar White Voters Raging In Biden’s Birthplace

Does the fate of traditional and reliable Democratic support rest in the votes of working class voters in northeastern Pennsylvania this cycle?

Is it all about support of white, non-college educated, small town and rural voters? Is it truly about bettering economic conditions? 

Or is it now all cultural and social issues? (NY Times)

Related

Battle For The Senate Comes Down To Final Desperate Scramble. “Neither party has a clear advantage in the polls or in early voting in the handful of races that will decide control of the Senate.” (POLITICO)

Many Midterm Races Focus On Rising Crime. Here’s What The Data Does and Doesn’t Show. “So are crime rates in the U.S. actually skyrocketing, as some claim?” (WHYY)

Democrats Scramble to Push Fetterman Over The Finish In PA. “Democrats in Pennsylvania are scrambling to flip the script on a less-than-stellar performance from Senate candidate John Fetterman during the state’s first and only televised debate and throwing the kitchen sink at pushing him over the finish line.” (The Hill)

Fetterman and Oz Change Views On Fracking, Trying to Match Voters. “Each candidate has at one time opposed fracking. Now they both support it.” (WESA)

‘I’ll Be Much Better But He Will Still Be a Fraud’: Fetterman Flips Own Health Struggles Against Oz. “Fetterman juxtaposed his medical issues with a portrait of Oz as a fundamentally flawed candidate who would stick to the Republican party line.” (PennLive)

Siena Poll: Fetterman 49, Oz 44. “Control of the Senate rests on a knife’s edge, according to new polls by The New York Times and Siena College.” (NY Times)

Dr. Oz’s Campaign Filled With Jan. 6 Rally Attendees. “The Republican has kept his distance from the “stolen election” lie while running for Senate, but records obtained by Rolling Stone reveal some of his staffers have embraced it wholeheartedly — and even attended the Jan. 6 rally to overturn the election” (Rolling Stone)

Elections

2. In PA, The Big Lie Is Spreading Its Roots

Election denial continues to rage in the Commonwealth.

Recently, Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams) answered a softball question – “Do you think the 2020 election was free and fair – with the answer that troubles many. 

 “Who’s ever going to know?” he replied. (Washington Post)

Related

How Election Subversion Went Mainstream in PA. “In the state’s midterms, Democrats are fighting for the vote. Republicans are fighting to undermine it.” (New Yorker)

Doug Mastriano Ally Toni Shuppe Has A Plan To ‘Stop The Steal of 2022.’ It’s Full of Misinformation. “MAGA activists and conspiracy theorists are flooding elections offices with requests. Some Pennsylvania officials say it is a deliberate attempt to jam up the system.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Election Deniers Have Been Hard At Work. Here’s What They Have Previewed For The Midterm Elections. “Over the nearly two years since former President Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania by 80,000 votes, conservative groups and some Republican politicians have worked tirelessly to undermine confidence in an election system they declared, without evidence, to have cheated Trump out of winning reelection in 2020.” (LNP | Lancaster Online)

Why Are Undated Mail Ballots Such a Big Deal In PA? “This new case on undated ballots splits down fault lines that have become common in Pennsylvania election litigation.” (Spotlight PA)

Churches Are Breaking The Law By Endorsing In Elections, Experts Say. “For nearly 70 years, federal law has barred churches from directly involving themselves in political campaigns, but the IRS has largely abdicated its enforcement responsibilities as churches have become more brazen about publicly backing candidates.” (ProPublica)

U.S. House

3. PA-12: Race Between Lee and Doyle Remains Under The Radar

“The race for the 12th Congressional District is seemingly lost in the barrage of ads for Pennsylvania’s higher-profile Senate and gubernatorial races.

It pits state Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Swissvale, against a Plum councilman who shares a name with the person who currently represents the area — Rep. Mike Doyle.

But the Mike Doyle on the ballot is a 56-year-old Republican who lost bids for the state House to former state Rep. Joe Markosek in 2010 and 2012.” (Tribune-Review)

Related

PA-12: U.S. House Preview. It will be Democrat Summer Lee against Republican Mike Doyle. (PoliticsPA)

PA-16: New Legislative District Map Confusing Some Voters. “The county Bureau of Elections, county commissioners office and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly’s Butler office have been receiving calls from voters who are confused about the candidates on their ballots for the Nov. 8 elections.” (Butler Eagle)

PA-17: Deluzio, Shaffer Square Off. “Iraq War veteran and voting rights attorney Chris Deluzio faces former Ross Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer in a race to replace U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s newly redrawn 17th Congressional District.” (Fox Chapel Herald)

Around The Commonwealth

Endorsements

• Oz Better Prepared To Lead. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Fetterman Is Prepared and Able To Serve. (Citizens Voice)Shapiro Right For PA. (Daily Item)
• Shapiro, Fetterman, Daniels Fulfill Important Requirement. (PennLive)
• Shapiro Is The Only Responsible Choice. (Citizens Voice)
• Our Endorsements For State House. (Citizens Voice)

‘We Love Israel More Than Most Jews.’ Doug Mastriano’s Wife Response Draws Scrutiny. “The wife of Doug Mastriano objected to criticism of her husband’s alleged close relationships with antisemites and his trafficking in antisemitic tropes, saying the couple loves Israel more than many Jews.” (PennLive)

Oz-Mastriano. An Awkward Pair Atop PA’s GOP Ticket. “Oz, the heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity, and Mastriano have national political winds at their back. But they are running dramatically different campaigns and targeting two very different types of voters — in ways that may hinder, rather than help, the other.” (AP)

• State House Election Guide. (PoliticsPA)
• Legislative Races We’re Watching. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• Seven Open House Seats in Representing Southcentral PA Up For Grabs. (PennLive)
• HD 16: Rico Elmore vs. Rob Matzie. (Beaver County Times)
• SD 20: Baker vs. Baker (Citizens Voice)

Opinion

• Did You Miss The Debate? It Didn’t Matter Anyway. (David A. Hopkins)
• Democrats’ Midterm Messaging Is Failing. (Kyle Sammin)
• Who Threatens Democracy? (Ruth Ann Dailey)
• I’m A Stroke Survivor. The Fetterman-Oz Debate Shows The Challenges We Face. (Kathleen Marchetti)
• This Is Why We Won’t Have Results On Election Night. (Leigh M. Chapman)
• Americans Who Aren’t Sure About God Are a Fast-Growing Force In Politics. (Ryan Burge)
• If the GOP Can’t Be Reformed as Constituted, It Must Be Defeated At The Polls. (Stephen Young)
• ‘Neither’ Is Not An Option In PA Senate Race. (Albert Hunt)