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⚾ Phillies (1-0) | Mon-Wed vs. Atlanta
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🏈 Temple (2-4) | UTSA 34-49 | Sat vs. North Texas
🏈 Eagles (5-0) | LA Rams 23-14 | Sun vs. NY Jets
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What We’re Hearing
“The fact that sharing that I voted for a person that half of the country supports can lead to physical and verbal abuse, losing my job, it is so beyond repulsive and unfair, you don’t even know what to say.”

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Top Story

1. No One Expects Them To Vote For Donald Trump, But They Will

“Chrissy Eckenrode is a progressive super PAC’s perfect targeted voter. The 34-year-old lives in the suburbs outside of Allegheny County, grew up in the upscale progressive neighborhood of Mt. Lebanon, is married with two small children, is college educated, and works as a nurse at a Pittsburgh hospital in one of the premier healthcare systems in the state.

Every day, sometimes every hour, she is hit with targeted ads meant to persuade her to vote for Joe Biden. They appear on all of her social media platforms and the YouTube channels she watches, lauding the Democrats and putting down the Republicans, calling them “extremists.”

Ms. Eckenrode, however, is not persuaded: The petite blond with a broad smile who is a dedicated volunteer in her community voted for Trump in 2016, did so again in 2020, and will do so in 2024 if Mr. Trump is the Republican Party’s nominee.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Related

Pennsylvania Voters ‘Depressed’ At Prospect Of Biden-Trump Rematch. “Panelists tell Meet the Press Moderator Kristen Welker they would not feel confident casting their ballot in a Biden-Trump rematch, which recent polling suggests is likely.” (NBC News)

How Third-Party And Independent Candidates Could Threaten Democrats And Republicans In 2024. “While the politics are murky, the fresh frenzy of outsider candidates threatens to weaken both major parties as President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump tighten their grip on their party’s presidential nominations.” (AP)

Inside A Tangled Web Of PA Businesses And Big Campaign Cash. “Flood of donations tied to convicted felon shows how use of corporations to dump money into elections is ‘undermining electoral transparency.’ (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Impeachments And Forced Removals From Office Emerge As Partisan Weapons In The States. “A Georgia Republican called for impeaching the Fulton County prosecutor who brought racketeering charges against former President Donald Trump. Republicans in the Pennsylvania House have already impeached the top prosecutor in Philadelphia. None of the targets met the bar traditionally set for impeachment — credible allegations of committing a crime while in office. Their offense: staking out positions legislative Republicans didn’t like.” (AP)

Dem-Leaning States Project Group Pours $4.5 Million Into Virginia Legislative Races. “After Virginia, The States Project also plans to spend millions more on other state legislative races across the country in 2024. The investments follow the organization putting $60 million in statehouse races in 2022. The group’s leaders credit these funds with fueling new Democratic majorities in the House chambers of Michigan and Pennsylvania and the Minnesota state Senate. ” (POLITICO)

An Indicted Senator’s Worst Nightmare? Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman. “Indicted U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez’s worst nightmare in Congress is a fellow Democrat from a neighboring state: John Fetterman.” (PennLive)

State

2. Infused By National Politics, School Board Races Look Like The Main Event In November Elections

“Remember when school board elections used to be dominated by discussions about property taxes and hyper-local issues like whether to install synthetic turf at the football stadium?

Not in Pennsylvania, not in 2023.

This year, you’re just as likely to find a common set of issues dominating the discussions statewide, including questions about how schools teach about race or sexuality, what’s in the library and who controls that, or to what degree districts should involve themselves in character education.” (PennLive)

Related

PA Election 2023: A Complete Guide To Who Is On The Ballot, When To Vote, How To Vote, Where To Vote, Casting Mail Ballots & More. “On Nov. 7, Pennsylvanians will cast their vote for a new state Supreme Court justice, as well as for new judges to sit on Commonwealth and Superior Courts. Voters will also decide whether two appellate judges on Superior Court should get another term.” (Spotlight PA)

Scandal May Have Brought Down Shapiro’s Lead Budget Negotiator. Here’s What We Know. “On Sept. 27, the office of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that a top staffer was leaving the administration. A potential reason for the resignation of this staffer, former state Rep. Mike Vereb, has created backlash in the Capitol.” (Erie Times-News)

Property Taxes Paid Late Twice On McCormick’s Pittsburgh House, Records Show. “David McCormick, the GOP candidate running to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, apparently paid the county property taxes on the house he owns in Pittsburgh late the past two years, public records show. ” (Penn Capital-Star)

States That Send A Mail Ballot To Every Voter Really Do Increase Turnout, Scholars Find. “Lately, a rough consensus has emerged among people who study the impact of voting policies: Though they often spark fierce partisan fighting, most changes to voting laws do little to affect overall turnout, much less election results. But one fast-growing reform appears to stand out as an exception.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Around The Commonwealth

3. ‘It’s Going To Be Close’: The Race For Allegheny County Executive Enters The Homestretch

“The race for Allegheny County executive is shaping up to be more of a nail-biter than expected.

With a two-to-one voter registration advantage, Democratic candidates have cruised into the county’s top office over the last 20 years, never winning less than 60% of the vote. In Dan Onorato’s first reelection campaign in 2007, Republicans didn’t even field a candidate. The outgoing, term-limited Democratic incumbent Rich Fitzgerald won his first race in 2011 with 62% — easily the closest of his three races.

But this year just might be different.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Related

When Will Recreational Weed Be Legal In Pennsylvania? The Outlook Is Hazy. “Although another push for legalization is underway in the state legislature — the same push that’s been ongoing since before the pandemic — there still isn’t enough bipartisan support to get recreational marijuana on shelves in Pennsylvania.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Can Allan Domb Move Philly Forward Through Business Instead Of Politics? He Plans To Try. “The day after Allan Domb lost the Democratic primary for mayor of Philadelphia, following months of round-the-clock campaigning, he allowed himself a small break.” (Billy Penn)

Early Primary Could Cause Logistic Concerns For Cumberland County. “No matter what date is chosen, an early primary election would be a logistical challenge for Cumberland County. That was the word Thursday from Bethany Salzarulo, county director of elections and voter registration.” (The Sentinel)

County Dealing With Mail-In Ballot Issue. “An error on Bedford County’s original mail-in ballots for the 2023 general election has caused consternation among some residents.” (Bedford Gazette)

Delaware County Judge Orders Upper Providence To Redraw Voting Districts. “A Delaware County judge has ordered Upper Providence Township to revise its voting district map after a group of township residents called the most recent version gerrymandering.” (Delco Times)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Amid Harassment Scandal, The Myth Of Josh Shapiro Collapses. (Brandon McGinley)
• The Appeal of Sara Innamorato. (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• Facts Over Fear: Automatic Voter Registration Will Let More Voters’ Voices Be Heard. (Natalie Bencivenga)
• What Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ Tour Tells Us About Trump’s Appeal. (Joanna Weiss)
• “Magic Seats” Undermine Democracy. (Karen Bojar)
• More Questions Than Answers In Shapiro’s Motor Voter Switch. (Stu Bykofsky)
• We Should Honor, Not Disparage, America’s Best. (Joseph Sabino Mistick)
• PA Leaders Must Act On Primary Changes. (MediaNewsGroup)

1 PowerBall Thing

5. What Would You Do With $1.55 Billion?

One of the largest Powerball jackpots in history has grown even larger, to $1.55 billion, after no one selected the winning numbers in Saturday’s lottery drawing.

The next drawing, on Monday night, will be the fourth largest jackpot ever in the United States. Huge jackpots have become increasingly common in the multistate Mega Millions and Powerball lottery drawings, because of changes to the games over the years and higher ticket prices. (New York Times)

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