PA Senate says NO to private election funding and NO to drop boxes. Fetterman holds commanding lead in F&M Poll. Oz, Mastriano lead in GOP races. Fairness in Women’s Sport Act passes House. Here is the Playbook.

PA Weather
Irwin | Showers Likely, 61
Ickesburg | Showers Likely, 74
Ivyland | Thunderstorms, 82
PA Sports
76ers | SAT vs. Toronto
Flyers | lost to NY Rangers, 4-0; SAT at Buffalo
Penguins | tonight vs. NY Islanders; SAT at Boston
Phillies | lost to NY Mets, 9-6; today at Florida
Pirates | d. Chicago Cubs, 6-2; today vs. Washington

News
PA Governor Race: F&M Poll: Oz, Mastriano Hold Slim Leads. The latest Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday shows tight races for the GOP nominations for Senate and Governor.

• Spotlight PA: Pa. primary election 2022: See how much money the GOP candidates for governor have raised
• PennLive: Latest poll shows Mastriano leading in Pa.’s packed GOP gubernatorial primary race
• KDKA: Former President Trump Injects Himself In Pennsylvania Governor Race, Attacking One Candidate And Encouraging Another
• Fox News: Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate: Illegal immigrant workers are skipping taxes, should have to ‘pay up’
• Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Corman to stay in GOP governor primary, though election logistics meant his fate was sealed
• ABC27: Abc27 to host Pennsylvania Republican Primary Gubernatorial Debate
• Daily Local News: Upper Uwchlan resident DiGiulio running for governor on Green Party ticket

PA Senate Race: PA Senate Race Causes Headaches in Trumpworld: No sooner did former president Donald Trump endorse U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz than some fissures began to show in Trumpworld.

• Post-Gazette: New Pa. U.S. Senate poll: John Fetterman pulling ahead as Democratic favorite, GOP race still wide open
• The Independent: Dr Oz to spend $1m on adverts touting Trump’s controversial endorsement
• Politico: Trumpworld scrambles to contain Oz endorsement fallout
• City & State PA: Conor Lamb’s mission is to remake the Senate Democratic primary 
• National Journal: In Like a Lamb
• Fox News: Pennsylvania Senate candidate says Dr. Oz is a ‘Hollywood liberal’ and doesn’t hold conservative positions
• Reuters: Trump endorsement of Dr. Oz in Senate race stuns advisers, divides loyalists
• LNP | LancasterOnline: Pitching in Lititz: Dave McCormick campaigns for Republican nomination in the race for Senate [photos]

PA Senate Says No Private Election Funding, Drop Boxes: The Pennsylvania State Senate said no to private funding for elections and no to drop boxes for future voting in the Commonwealth on Wednesday.

Fairness in Women’s Sports Act Passed by House: The Pennsylvania State House approved legislation that would bar transgender females from participating on female teams in school sports.

‘Legislative fix proposed to improve removal of deceased from Pa.’s voter rolls’: PennLive reports that “legislation intended to allow the state’s election officials to use more sources of information to clear voter rolls of dead people won unanimous approval Wednesday in the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee.”

‘VP Harris talks tackling crime, new mask mandates during 1-on-1 interview with Action News’: 6ABC reports that “Action News anchor Tamala Edwards sat down with Harris for an exclusive one-on-one interview covering a variety of topics.”

‘More than 664K Pa. voters have applied for mail-in ballots ahead of primary election, Pa. says’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “more than 664,000 voters have applied for mail-in ballots ahead of Pennsylvania’s May 17 primary election, state officials said Wednesday.”

‘A Pa. Republican senator’s hearing shows the depth of opposition to adult-use pot legalization in the state’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “of particular concern to experts is the potential for the wider availability of cannabis-infused candies to children.”

‘Few policy differences in 12th Congressional District debate, but contrasts in style, philosophy’: WESA reports that “a League of Women Voters debate Tuesday evening offered a rare chance to see all five Democrats seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle. And while the candidates offered only a few sharp policy contrasts, the 90-minute discussion at Point Park University’s Center for Media Innovation did showcase differences in style and governing philosophy.”

‘Butler Township suing Marsicano over helipad’: The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reports that “former state trooper, commercial airline pilot, Hazleton mayor, and current congressional candidate Mike Marsicano is facing a civil suit related to the operation of a helipad on his Butler Township property.”

‘Millersville grad among Biden’s judicial nominees’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “Gregory B. Williams, who earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees from Millersville University in 1990, is one of five federal judicial nominees announced by President Joe Biden on Wednesday.”

‘Carpenters, lawmakers call for crackdown on wage theft, worker misclassification’: City & State PA reports that “union members and several state lawmakers filled the rotunda in the Pennsylvania Capitol on Tuesday to call for new measures to crack down on worker misclassification, tax fraud and wage theft as part of a nationwide initiative to shine a spotlight on labor issues.”

‘Ciresi’s Click to Cancel bill would make stopping services easier’: The Reading Eagle reports that “the bill has bipartisan support and would make it easier for consumers to stop subscriptions.”

‘State Rep. Aaron Bernstine Looking Into ‘Gender Unicorn’ Taught To Education Students’: KDKA reports that “a local lawmaker is looking into teaching material that he said is targeted at young students to learn about their sex and gender identity. It’s called the “gender unicorn.””

Legislative Election Updates

‘Judge throws out challenge to Enid Santiago’s nominating petitions in 134th House District; rematch with Peter Schweyer is on’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “a Commonwealth Court judge on Wednesday denied a challenge to nominating petitions of Enid Santiago in the 134th House District filed by Rep. Peter Schweyer and others, setting up a rematch of a very close 2020 Democratic primary election.”

‘GOP committee member running for House seat to represent part of Berks, Schuylkill’: The Reading Eagle reports that “Elle Rulavage is seeking the Republican nomination in the 124th House District.”

Regional Spotlight: Northeast
The Times Leader: Randy Robertson hired as Luzerne County’s new top manager
The Times Leader: From cancer treatment to nuclear fusion, Schott plant in Duryea touts work to Cartwright  
The Times Leader: Keller’s bipartisan legislation would expedite veterans’ records backlog 
The Times Leader: Kaufer introduces bill to help crime victims
Citizens Voice: Looming vacancy adds more uncertainty for Luzerne County Council
Times-Tribune: Flynn calls for resignation of Scranton School District recovery officer, firing of solicitor 
Times-Tribune: Scranton to NYC passenger train gets boost with New Jersey contract award
Times-Tribune: Lackawanna County’s revamped rental assistance program working well, commissioners say 
Times-Tribune: Clarks Summit Mayor Herman Johnson resigns 
Times-Tribune: NEPA leads state in poor-condition bridges 
Times-Tribune: Cartwright, Penn State and NSF officials tour Schott in Duryea 
Times-Tribune: Former Lackawanna County Prison employee files retaliation lawsuit

Opinion  
David Thornburgh: The stakes are high in Pennsylvania’s primary races
Borys Krawczeniuk: Don’t bet on Trump endorsing Barletta before primary election
Amanda Carpenter: Pennsylvania Republicans Are Going to Nominate an Election Conspiracist for Governor
Joseph Otis Minott: Pennsylvania should not oversee permitting carbon capture injection wells
Chris Kelly: Trump and Mehmet: A deal made in Oz
Charlotte Katzenmoyer: Pa.’s refusal to pay legal stormwater fees unfairly burdens residential, commercial ratepayers
John L. Micek: Pa. Republicans help kill U.S. House bill honoring iconic Black judge | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Daniel Pearson and Alison McCook: Was Philly right to bring back the indoor mask mandate? | Pro/Con
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Joe Biden, Josh Shapiro right to target ghost guns 
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Honoring the dedication and commitment of Dwayne Haskins
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: Plenty of land in Lancaster already has been developed. Using air rights to build atop of existing buildings is intriguing. 
Thomas Quinn and Abigail Dym: The teen vote is powerful. Here’s how to harness it in Pennsylvania.
Avery M. D. Davis: Please don’t forgive my student loans. Change the system instead 
Karl Qualls: The Butchers of Bucha will never face justice. That’s the lesson of history
Mike Hirsch: Morning Call editor with ALS: Confronting my greatest fear – losing my voice