🍿 Good Thursday Morning. Get your popcorn ready with two debates on tonight’s slate.

PA Weather
🌤️ Johnsonburg | Mostly Sunny, 72
🌤️ Shrewsbury | Decreasing Clouds, 72
🌤️ Moscow | Mostly Sunny, 69

PA Sports
⚽ Union (9-10-13) | Orlando City 1-2 | Sat vs. Columbus
⚾ Phillies | Sat vs. Milwaukee/NY Mets

📆 What’s Happening Today. The candidates for U.S. Senate will meet in a debate sponsored by NewsNation beginning at 8 p.m. The candidates for PA Attorney General will meet in a debate on WGAL-TV at 7 p.m.

📊 PoliticsPA Polling Tracker (avg. of last 5 PA polls)
President: Harris +0.8% | Senate: Casey +4.6%

🗞️ Political News From THE Swing State. Where can you find all the latest news on what’s happening in Keystone State politics? Sign up for the PoliticsPA Playbook. We’ll deliver all the latest headlines in an easy-to-read format every weekday at 8 AM. And it’s free. Add your name to the list and subscribe now.

Top Story

1. Casey, McCormick to Meet For First Debate In Pennsylvania’s Battleground Senate Race

“Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Republican challenger David McCormick will meet Thursday night for their first debate in an expensive race for a swing-state seat that could help determine control of the Senate in November’s election.

Casey, 64, is a staunch ally of labor unions, a former state auditor general and treasurer and Pennsylvania’s longest-serving Democrat in the Senate. He has campaigned on preserving the middle class, abortion rights, labor rights and voting rights, and calls McCormick and former President Donald Trump a threat to all those.

McCormick, 59, is making his second run for the Senate after losing narrowly to Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022’s Republican primary. He is a former hedge fund CEO who served at the highest levels of former President George W. Bush’s administration and sat on Trump’s Defense Advisory Board.” (AP)

Elsewhere

Sen. Bob Casey, David McCormick Poised to Square Off in Harrisburg Debate. “One of the most competitive and costly races in the country, the matchup pits three-term incumbent Mr. Casey, a former state treasurer and auditor general, against a former hedge fund CEO, Army veteran and George W. Bush administration official, Mr. McCormick.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

‘We’ll Make Sure It’s Safe’: Mike Kelly Says Butler Site Will Be More Secure For Trump Rally Saturday. “Trump says spot where he survived would-be assassin’s bullet will be ‘safest place on Earth.’” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Butler-Area Residents Split On Trump’s Return For Rally at Farm Show Grounds. (Greensburg Tribune-Review)

“All Gas. No Brakes!”: Tim Walz Takes a Post-Debate Swing Through Central Pennsylvania. “While the vice president was touring parts of Georgia ravaged by Hurricane Helene, Walz led something of a mini-Democratic insurgency in heavily-Republican York County, rallying midstate supporters at the York Fairgrounds.” (PennLive)

• Walz Campaigns With Fetterman in Deep Red York County. (Penn Capital-Star)
• Tim Walz Fires Up Supporters During Campaign Stop in Reading. (Reading Eagle)
• Walz Visits York to Help the Harris Campaign Woo Republican Voters In Trump Country. (York Daily Record)

State

2. Candidates For PA Attorney General to Face Off In Pair of Televised Debates

“The first of two debates involving the major party candidates for state attorney general, Republican Dave Sunday and Democrat Eugene DePasquale, is scheduled to be televised Thursday evening by a Lancaster-based TV station and will be followed at mid month by a second debate to be aired on stations across the state.

Mr. Sunday, the Republican district attorney in York County, and Mr. DePasquale, a former two-term Democratic state auditor general, will take part in the debate to be aired Thursday at 7 p.m.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

AARP Poll: Pennsylvania Races Tight Across The Board. “It’s not just the presidential race that is too close to call in Pennsylvania this fall.” (PoliticsPA)

• Poll Tracker (PoliticsPA)

Treasurer Garrity, Challenger McClelland Lock Horns. “Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is running for reelection, traded barbs with her Democratic opponent Erin McClelland.” (DV Journal)

PA-07: Election 2024: Where Susan Wild and Ryan Mackenzie Stand on the Issues. “Susan Wild and Ryan Mackenzie, vying for Pennsylvania’s competitive 7th District seat in Congress, differ on issues like inflation, immigration and abortion, but share similar thoughts on U.S. energy policy and diplomacy.” (Allentown Morning Call)

PA-03: Dwight Evans Missed Hundreds of Congressional Votes After a May Stroke. But He Says He’s Healthy Enough For Reelection. “The Philadelphia Democrat, who is currently running unopposed for a fifth term in office, acknowledged that his rehabilitation is taking longer than expected and that he now plans to return to Washington when the House is back in session in November.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Dauphin County Voters Face Sticky Situation With Mail-In Ballots

“Some Dauphin County voters are encountering an unforeseen sticky situation.

Thanks to the rain and high humidity that has settled over the region over the past two weeks, mail-in ballots are arriving in mailboxes with return and security envelopes already sealed by the moisture.” (PennLive)

Elsewhere

Voting Gets Underway In Pennsylvania, As Counties Mail Ballots and Open Satellite Election Offices. “Voting has begun in earnest in the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania, as counties increasingly begin mailing out ballots, offering over-the-counter voting in election offices and opening other avenues to voting.” (AP)

Pennsylvania’s Young Voters Could Be Key to Presidential Election, Expert Says. “”Since senior year of high school I have been getting more into politics, I’d say, and following it, and I am excited to vote,” sophomore Patrick McManamon said.” (CBS Philadelphia)

• College Dems Energized, Republicans Seek ‘Safe Spaces’ Amid Consequential Election Season. (Public Source)

PA Government, School Retirees Want Pension COLA, Saying It’s Long Overdue. “Robert McVay’s dream of becoming a teacher turned into a retirement nightmare for the former educator and he blames Pennsylvania lawmakers for that.” (PennLive)

Farmer Support Could Lead Pennsylvania to Lift Its Near-Total Ban on Sunday Hunting. “The debate over hunting on Sundays isn’t new in Harrisburg, but this year something changed: The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau dropped its longstanding opposition to the practice, potentially clearing the way for a shift.” (Spotlight PA)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• 6 More Years of ‘Punxsutawney Bob’? (Kyle Peterson)
• Why Some Philly-Area College Students Are Not Voting in the Presidential Election. (Nina Sablan)
• Debate Between Scott Perry, Janelle Stelson Could Be Critical to Their Tick-Tight Race For Congress. (John Baer)
• Is Closing the Sale With “Inflation” Voters Enough For Trump? (Jim Lee)
• Harrisburg’s October Surprise. (Emily Greene)

1 Thing

5. ‘Nothing Is More Political Than Food’

“No matter what shape your stomach’s in when it comes to politics, there’s room at the table for everyone thanks to the creator of a website dedicated to presidential and congressional recipes who uses food to examine the American political scene.

Bennett Rea, 2010 graduate of Juniata College, returned to campus this week after a 13-year absence to talk about how candidates’ food choices can send messages to voters.

According to Rea, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was right, that “Nothing is more political than food.”” (Huntingdon Daily News)

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