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What We’re Hearing. Carol Obando-Derstine will announce her candidacy for the 7th Congressional District seat this morning and will be endorsed by Susan Wild.

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Top Story

1. Dems Make Pennsylvania Midterm’s Ground Zero

“House Democrats are making an aggressive play in their push for the majority, targeting key Pennsylvania seats with early investments and recruiting former members to help.

Democrats are hoping to flip four seats in the Keystone State now held by GOP Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Ryan Mackenzie, Scott Perry and Brian Fitzpatrick.

Democrats are only three seats away from the House majority and headed into a midterm cycle that historically favors the minority party. Winning big in Pennsylvania could put them back in power.” (Punchbowl News)

Elsewhere

The 25 Elections to Watch This May. “Standing out this month are mayoral races in some of the nation’s most populous cities—San Antonio, Fort Worth, Omaha, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. And one of the nation’s highest-profile reform prosecutors, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, faces a contested Democratic primary as he seeks a third term.” (Bolts)

How Rep. Fitzpatrick Fared in Trump’s First 100 Days. Did the Republican Toe Party Line? “While the Middletown lawmaker introduced several bipartisan bills and publicly broke rank on support for Ukraine and unionized federal workers, the Republican rarely voted against his own party on most House votes and avoided commenting on several controversial topics.” (Bucks County Courier Times)

Dave McCormick Is Investing in Bitcoin As He Sits on the Senate Banking Committee and Will Mull Crypto Regulation Bill. “The freshman Republican senator spent anywhere from $505,000 to about $1.1 million in crypto purchases, along with several million in state or municipal bonds, according to financial disclosure reports.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• ICYMI: McCormick Makes Big Play in Bitcoin While His Committee Considers Regulation. (PoliticsPA)
• Key Crypto Group Backs Specific Lawmakers For the First Time. (Semafor)

Fracking-Powered Crypto Mine in Pennsylvania Shuts Down Without Word to Regulators. “Diversified Energy, which disputes the state’s finding that it abandoned the wells, has billed itself as innovative, giving new life to aging, low-producing gas wells that would otherwise be uneconomical to operate. Cryptocurrency aids that goal.” (Capital & Main)

State

2. Shapiro Joins 25-State Lawsuit Against Trump’s AmeriCorps Cuts

“In response to the Trump administration’s dismantling of AmeriCorps, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is joining 25 other states and the District of Columbia in challenging the decision.

The 30-year-old federal agency oversees programs that dispatch hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of people to serve in communities across the country. Pennsylvania was already approved for more than $6 million.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Five Former Pennsylvania Governors Are Teaming Up to Help Restore the State Mansion Following Arson Attack. “Former Govs. Tom Wolf, Tom Corbett, Mark Schweiker, Ed Rendell, and Tom Ridge and the former first ladies will host a private fundraiser at the governor’s mansion next week.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Cannabis Push Looks for GOP Support in Pennsylvania. “The push to legalize recreational cannabis in Pennsylvania is gaining fresh momentum — and bipartisan backing — as lawmakers look to close a looming budget gap and reclaim tax revenue lost to neighboring states.” (Axios Pittsburgh)

House Trio Wants to Speed Up Permitting For Data Centers. “Reps. Eric Nelson, R-Westmoreland, Kyle Mullins, D-Lackawanna, and Jamie Barton, R-Berks, announced the move as public agencies focus more attention on data centers and their energy needs. They said Pennsylvania needs to act more quickly to permit data centers to stay competitive with other states seeking investment and jobs.” (Capitolwire)

Around The Commonwealth

3. State House GOP Leader Says State’s Transit Agencies Should Privatize

“The state’s Republican House leader says transit agencies in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh should consider privatizing some services to become more sustainable.

State Rep. Jesse Topper suggested in a memo to colleagues this month that Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority could outsource bus operations to save money. The agency faces large deficits and possible service cuts — problems also faced by the struggling Pittsburgh Regional Transit system.” (WESA)

Elsewhere

With Transit Cuts Looming, PA Lawmakers Propose Regional System For Pittsburgh and Privatization for SEPTA. “With the state budget deadline two months away and public transit cuts on the table in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, lawmakers have unleashed a burst of ideas to raise money for transit or overhaul it in some way.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Emotional Testimony, Democratic Funding Proposal Highlight Hearing on Transit Cuts. “For nearly seven hours Tuesday, Pittsburgh Regional transit heard from dozens of riders and transit advocates about the serious problems they would face if the agency follows through with service cuts of 45%, a 62% reduction in the area served by Access paratransit and a 25-cent increase in the basic fare to $3.” (Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Tariffs Create ‘Chaos’ and Uncertainty, Central PA Small Business Owners Say. “Toy store owner Grafton Stine is taking drastic measures to avoid any sting associated with tariffs. The owner of Toys on the Square in Hummelstown is stockpiling about $300,000 worth of toys in two warehouses to get ahead of any possible price hikes. Some vendors have already canceled orders, he said.” (PennLive)

Farewell, StateImpact Pennsylvania. “StateImpact Pennsylvania is ending after 13+ years. It lasted so long thanks to the support of those who valued, read and shared our work. StateImpact launched in July 2011 as part of a collaboration between NPR and member stations in 8 states to examine how state issues and policy affect people’s lives. In Pennsylvania, the big topic was energy–specifically natural gas and the fracking boom.” (StateImpactPennsylvania)

Editorial

4. Speak Your Mind

• Tariffs Shrink the U.S. Economy. (Wall Street Journal)
• Fight Like Our Democracy Depends On It. (New York Times)
• Is Donald Trump Helping Rebuild Trust in Media? (John Baer)
• Pennsylvania Needs a Healthy SEPTA to Function. We Have to Fund It. (Omari J. Bervine) 
• Pennsylvania’s Public Servants Deserve Our Defense, Not Political Attacks. (Steve Catanese)
• We Can’t Combat Sexual Assault Without Funding the Front Lines. (PennLive)
• Shapiro ‘Price Cap’ Could Increase Electric Bills. (Gordon Tomb)
• How To Make Pennsylvania Manufacturing Boom. (Elizabeth Stelle)

1 Thing

5. Power Companies Expect Restoration Time To Be 5-7 Days In Wake of Storms

“More than 162,000 Duquesne Light customers in the region — still without power Wednesday because of the severe storms Tuesday evening — may have to wait for five to seven days before they have electricity restored, a company official said.

The storm that caused an “unprecedented event in the history of Duquesne Light” left 250,000 total customers without power, which is about 40% of the company’s customer base, said John Hilderbrand II, the utility’s vice president of operations.” (Greensburg Tribune-Review)

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