Welcome to Thursday. In 1965, former baseball player-turned-doctor Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, who’d briefly played in only one major league game (for the New York Giants), died in Chisholm, Minnesota, at age 87. IYKYK.

PA Weather
Clearfield | Mostly Sunny, 85
Chambersburg | Mostly Sunny, 90
Coatesville | Sunny, 87

PA Sports
Phillies (69-55, 9.5 GB) | Cincinnati, W, 7-5
THU vs. Cincinnati, 7:05

Pirates (47-77) | Atlanta, L, 14-2
FRI vs. Phillies, 7:05

Journey Ends, Memories Will Never
“Hollidaysburg’s unbelievable journey to the Little League World Series came to an end Wednesday night before 17,633 fans at Lamade Stadium and the ninth-straight ESPN audience to witness this remarkable team.” (Altoona Mirror)

Happy Birthday to Rep. David M. Maloney, Sr. (R-Berks)

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Top Story

1. F&M Poll Gives Fetterman, Shapiro Double-Digit Leads

“Double the pleasure … double the fun.

John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro have double-digit leads in their respective races in the latest Franklin & Marshall College poll released this morning.

Fetterman, the Democratic lieutenant governor, leads GOP opponent Mehmet Oz, 43-30, although the race tightens when those who are leaning toward a candidate are included (45-36%).

Shapiro, the Democratic Attorney General of the Commonwealth, has an 11-point advantage over Republican state senator Doug Mastriano, 44-33%. (PoliticsPA)

Related

Support for Abortion Reaches All-Time High in PA, While Oz and Mastriano Continue To Trail Fetterman and Shapiro. “Support for abortion access among Pennsylvania voters reached an all-time high this month, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• Fetterman, Shapiro Enjoying Comfortable Leads in Latest F&M Polls. (PennLive)
• Democrats Fetterman, Shapiro Hold Large Lead Over Oz, Mastriano In New Poll. (Reading Eagle)

A High School Student Pranked Doug Mastriano With a Fake Poll Showing Him Beating Josh Shapiro. “Doug Mastriano embraced a poll showing him with a lead over Josh Shapiro in the race for governor in Pennsylvania. But the “poll” was a prank by someone claiming to be a high school student.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Oz’s Senate Bid Could Be a Muslim First But is Complicated. “If Dr. Mehmet Oz is elected to the U.S. Senate this fall, he’ll be the first Muslim ever to serve in the chamber. It’s something he hardly brings up while campaigning, his Democratic opponent isn’t raising it and it’s barely a topic of conversation in Pennsylvania’s Muslim community.” (Associated Press)

RNC Chief On Tape to Donors: We Need Help to Win the Senate. “In a private call with major givers, Ronna McDaniel lauded the quality of Republican Senate candidates but said they’re getting swamped by Democrats on the airwaves.” (POLITICO)

President

2. Biden Cancels Up to $20K in Student Loans for Pell Grant Recipients; $10K For Millions of Others

That exhaling sound you’re hearing today is from millions of people carrying student loan debt.

The Biden administration is canceling up to $20,000 in student debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for individual borrowers who make under $125,000 per year. The administration also extended the pause on repayments by four months.

It is estimated that nearly 20 million Americans could have their debt completely canceled under Biden’s plan. (PoliticsPA)

Related

For Pennsylvania Students, Who Carry Among the Highest Average School Debt, Biden’s Loan Forgiveness Announcement is Welcome News. “President Biden’s announcement that the government will forgive as much as $20,000 of federal student debt especially good news in Pennsylvania, which lags only Connecticut and New Hampshire among states with the highest average student debt.” (The Morning Call)

• Inside Biden’s Debt Relief Plan (Inside Higher Ed)
• How Will Biden’s Student Loan Plan Impact Inflation? (The Hill)
• Toomey, Casey React to Biden’s Student Loan Cancellation Decision (ErieNewsNow)

Senate

3. PoliticsPA Ad Watch

The airwaves are heating up as August begins to wind down with both candidates for the open U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania – Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz – and their supportive political action committees releasing new TV ads around the Commonwealth.

AdImpact projects that $261 million will be spent on the Senate race alone in the Keystone State. AdImpact collects, analyzes, and reports on more than 21 billion TV ad impressions daily, in real-time, involving more than 60,000 brands and advertisers. (PoliticsPA)

Related

In Billboards, Evangelical Group Urges Faith Voters to Ditch Support of Mastriano. “Vote Common Good is urging evangelical voters to ditch their support for GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.” (PennLive)

Democrats Show Reluctance to Campaign With Biden. “Some Democrats running in competitive reelections races in November are still reluctant to attach themselves to President Biden, even as he and the White House have been buoyed by a few weeks of good news.” (The Hill)

Around the Commonwealth

At Delco Bar, Mastriano Pledges to Make PA the Florida of the North. “Doug Mastriano rolled into Delaware County on Wednesday as part of his Pennsylvania bus tour — then rolled out again without answering questions” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• In Suburban Philly Campaign Stops, Mastriano Drags Shapiro, Wolf For Pandemic Policies (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

What Is The Keystone Party? “Candidates from the newly-formed Keystone Party will be on Pennsylvania ballots this fall, looking to not only pull off major upsets in their respective races, but help build a new party from the ground up.” (City & State)

State’s Poll Worker Recruitment Effort Drew 1,100 Last Week. “Pennsylvania elections officials said Wednesday that a push last week to recruit new poll workers produced more than 1,100 applicants, including at least one in 58 of 67 counties.” (Associated Press)

Surge in Women Registering to Vote in PA Since Roe v. Wade Overturned. “Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June in the Dobbs case that abortion was no longer a protected constitutional right, more women are registering to vote in Pennsylvania.” (CBS Pittsburgh)

2022 Potential Split Ticket States. “Though there is certainly no shortage of volatility in today’s politics, the trend of split-ticket voting has fallen off sharply. For example, 2016 marked the first time in the popular vote era where every state that had a Senate contest voted exactly as it did for president. ” (Sabato’s Crystal Ball)

Scott Perry Sues DOJ For Return of Phone Data. “Rep. Scott Perry (R-York) is suing the Department of Justice (DOJ) in an attempt to prevent it from reviewing the contents of his cell phone, which was seized as part of an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election.” (PoliticsPA)

• GOP Congressman Perry Asks Judge For Return of FBI-Seized Phone Data (Bloomberg)

Is The Red Wave Already Crashing? “Analysts are downgrading their forecasts for GOP gains. Republicans are suddenly struggling with cash shortages. And the party’s own Senate leader is warning publicly about the falling likelihood that Republicans win a majority in the upper chamber this November.” (Washington Examiner)

• Overturning Roe May Be Poisoned Chalice for Republicans (Esquire)

Commentary

• The Half-Trillion Dollar Student-Loan Executive Coup. (Wall Street Journal)
• White Nationalism, Fired by Social Media, Is On The Rise, Attracting Young White Men (Sophie Bjork-James)
• The Dems’ 2022 Momentum Just Shifted. GOP Overreach on Abortion Helped Power It (John L. Micek, Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• What I’d Ask Doug Mastriano – If He Were Taking Questions (John Baer, PennLive)
• Fetterman Doesn’t Get Rural Healthcare (Seth Higgins, Broad + Liberty)
• Oz Campaign Chokes on Own Vegetables (Scranton Times-Tribune)
• Let’s Continue to Support Long-Term Care in PA (Garry Pezzano, Tribune-Review)