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Top Story

1. McCormick Flips Pivotal Pennsylvania Senate Seat, Ousts Casey

“Republican David McCormick has won Pennsylvania’s pivotal U.S. Senate seat, as the former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund beat three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Tuesday’s election after accusing the incumbent of supporting policies that led to inflation, domestic turmoil and war.

The victory pads Republicans’ majority in the Senate, which they wrested from Democratic control this week, and clocked in as the nation’s second-most expensive race while playing out alongside the presidential contest won by Republican Donald Trump in the nation’s premier battleground state.” (AP)

Elsewhere

In a Stunning Upset, Republican Dave McCormick Unseats Longtime U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, According to the AP. “Three-term Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has not conceded. The AP made the call Thursday, though ballots were still being counted.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

AP Declares McCormick Winner Over Casey For U.S. Senate Seat. “Dave McCormick, who ran unsuccessfully two years ago for the GOP Senate nomination, completed his comeback with a victory over three-term incumbent Bob Casey Jr.” (PoliticsPA)

• When Is A Recount Required for PA Elections? (PoliticsPA)
• Why AP Called the Pennsylvania Senate Race for David McCormick. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Why Trump Won — 9 Takeaways From the 2024 Election. “What happened in the 2024 election was a political earthquake. So how did it happen? Donald Trump’s victory starts with the issues that led to a rightward lurch in this election — and was fueled by men.” (WQLN)

Kamala Harris Needed to Outperform Joe Biden’s Successes in Philly’s Suburbs to Win PA. She Did Worse. “Three out of four of Philly’s collar counties remained solidly blue, but Vice President Kamala Harris did not win enough votes in the suburbs to offset losses in the rest of the state.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

What Happened and What’s Next After the 2024 Elections? “Observations on history in the making, House races to come and the future of polls.” (Roll Call)

State

2. Welcome to the 2028 Presidential Election Cycle

“As Democrats Wednesday-morning quarterback Vice President Kamala Harris’ election night loss, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will take on a new role: presidential front-runner.

Welcome to the 2028 presidential election cycle.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Elsewhere

Scott Perry Defeats Janelle Stelson, Wins Reelection in PA-10. “Six-term incumbent Rep. Scott Perry (R-10) defeated former news anchor Janelle Stelson in their race for the 10th Congressional district, unofficial results showed. ” (Penn Capital-Star)

GOP Flips 2 US House Seats In Pennsylvania, As Republican Scott Perry Wins Again. “Republicans knocked off Democrats in two perennially contested U.S. House seats in eastern Pennsylvania while U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, one of the hardest right members of the chamber, survived a challenge in a southern Pennsylvania district with more moderate politics.” (AP)

Dems Hoping to Hold Onto State House Majority. “In an election that favored Republican incumbents and candidates, Pennsylvania state Democrats are holding out hope that its majority in the Keystone State’s lower chamber is maintained.” (PoliticsPA)

72nd District House Race Still Undecided As Ballot-Counting Continues. “A winner in the race for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ 72nd Legislative District seat had not yet been determined as of Wednesday night. No timeline was given as to when the result will be known.” (CNHI News)

• Update: Frank Burns (D) leads Amy Bradley (R) by 936 votes (16,623 to 15,687) with 111 of 125 precincts reporting.

Shapiro Hails ‘Free and Fair’ Election in PA, Vows to Protect Freedoms. “Gov. Josh Shapiro said the “will of the people must be respected” and congratulated candidates on both sides of the ballot.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Watching It All Fall Apart in Pennsylvania

“Maybe the tell was when the mayor of Philadelphia didn’t say Kamala Harris’s name. Cherelle Parker looked out at her fellow Democrats inside a private club just northeast of Center City last night. Onstage, she beamed with pride about how, despite Donald Trump’s fraudulent claims on social media, Election Day had unfolded freely and fairly across her city.

But Parker did not – could not – telegraph victory for her party.” (The Atlantic)

Elsewhere

Republicans Flip Northeast Philly State Senate Seat, Which Dems Called ‘The Most Embarrassing Part’ of the Election Results. “Joe Picozzi, 29, will become the first Republican state senator to represent Philadelphia in more than two decades, according to the Associated Press.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

After Trump and Republicans Roll to Victory in Swing-State Pennsylvania, Democrats Look For Answers. “There will be a lot of finger-pointing, some of which may crop up in a political magazine near you. You may hear about how local politicos sought to leverage the national ticket for their own advantage, and vice versa. And while Republicans complain, baselessly, that Philadelphia produces votes that aren’t there, Western Pennsylvania pols have the opposite gripe: that right up until Election Day, Philadelphia Democrats led them to believe there’d be votes they never actually had.” (WESA Politics)

Pennsylvania Counties Counted Mail Ballots Faster This Year Than in 2020. “Workers still aren’t allowed to start processing ballots before Election Day, but changes in staffing and technology have helped them pick up the pace.” (Votebeat)

Hoax Bomb Threats Sent to at Least 32 PA Counties on Election Day, Police Say. “The emailed threats, which were all unfounded, targeted polling places, election offices and other government buildings — and some of them didn’t specify any location, according to a Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson.” (PhillyBurbs.com)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Election Lessons for Republicans — and Democrats. (Sam DeMarco)
• WTF Just Happened? (Larry Platt)
• Dave McCormick Won. Bob Casey Should Not Drag the State Through a Pointless Recount. (Kyle Sammin)
• McCormick is the Leader Pennsylvania Needs. (Guy Ciarrocchi)
• After 248 Years, America Prepares For Life Under a King. (Will Bunch)
• A Nation on the Brink: Why the 2024 Presidential Election is a Dark Turning Point in American History. (H. James Hulton)

1 Thing

5. How Death of Cursive is Complicating Our Elections

“The death of cursive has become a problem for voters and election officials.

Young people who vote by mail and were never taught cursive risk having their ballots tossed if the signature they sign on their mail-in ballot envelope doesn’t match the signature on file, which the state uses to verify their identity. That’s what happened in Nevada to some 28,000 voters on Election Day this past Tuesday.

Cursive has been falling out of fashion for a while now, and it’s had a range of cultural implications. It has prompted the federal government to seek volunteers who can transcribe historical documents written in cursive before it becomes as indecipherable to the average American as hieroglyphics.” (Fast Company)

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