Good Wednesday Morning. It’s National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

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What We’re Hearing
“We showed up, we treated people with respect, and went to places that most Democrats ignore.” – Josh Shapiro.

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Top Story

1. Democrats Elected A Big Class Of Young Governors. They May Be The Future Of The Party

“This midterm class of Democrats is young and diverse, and some of its members are likely to be the next leaders of the party — or make a run at the White House sometime soon, even if it’s not in 2024.

Of the 18 Democrats elected or reelected to governorships this year, eleven are under the age of 60. Many are closer to 50. Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, 51, won reelection, and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, 49, and Arizona’s Katie Hobbs, 52, both won open seats.” (POLITICO)

Related

Shapiro Tabs Trio To Senior Posts. “He appointed Uri Monson as Budget Secretary and Jennifer Selber as General Counsel in the Office of the Governor. Shapiro also named Larry Hailsham Jr. as his Executive Deputy Chief of Staff.” (PoliticsPA)

• Shapiro Fills Top Three Staff Posts In New Administration. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Shapiro Taps Longtime Aides To Top Jobs In Governor’s Office. (Associated Press)
• Gov.-Elect Shapiro Chooses Top AG Crime Staffer As Legal Adviser. (PennLive)

DeFrank Named Costa’s Chief Of Staff. “History was made on Tuesday when Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) named Colleen DeFrank as his new Chief of Staff.” (PoliticsPA)

Washington

2. Boyle Named Ranking Member Of House Budget Committee

“U.S. 2nd District Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelphia) has been elected as the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, becoming the youngest Democrat to lead the party with the influential group since the 1980s.

Boyle, 45, is the youngest member to lead his party on any legislative committee since Paul Ryan, who served as lead Republican on the Budget Committee a dozen years ago. (PoliticsPA)

Related

Boyle To Succeed Yarmuth As Top Democrat On Budget Committee. “House Democrats on Tuesday elected Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan F. Boyle to lead the caucus on the Budget Committee next Congress.” (Roll Call)

DOJ Subpoenas Allegheny Election Officials For Trump Documents. “Special counsel John L. “Jack” Smith has subpoenaed election officials in Allegheny County, as well as others in Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona, asking for communications with or involving former President Donald Trump, his campaign aides and a list of allies involved in his efforts to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election.” (PoliticsPA)

• DOJ Subpoenas Election Officials In States Trump Disputed. (Associated Press)

Warnock’s Victory Forges Democrats’ Path Through The New Battlegrounds. “Mr. Warnock’s race was the final marker for a 2024 presidential road map that political strategists, officials and politicians in both parties say will run largely through six states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.” (New York Times)

Supreme Court Hears Case That Could Decide The Future Of Voting In US. “North Carolina Republican lawmakers are asking the justices to adopt the long-dormant independent state legislature legal theory in a fight over redistricting maps, saying it allows state legislatures to set rules in federal elections without any constraints by state courts or other state authorities.” (CNN)

Pittsburgh

3. Dems To Use Ranked-Choice Voting As Eight Vie For DeLuca’s House Seat

“Allegheny County Democratic Committee leaders will have more than a half-dozen candidates to choose from when they select a nominee to replace the late state Rep. Anthony DeLuca this weekend. And they will be using novel voting procedures to make the choice.” (WESA)

Related

Crowded Democratic Field, And Grousing Over Process, Shapes Up In Race To Replace DeLuca. “The real fight over the seat may play out among Democrats themselves, as party leaders in Allegheny County must find a champion to compete for the seat next year.” (WESA)

• 8 Democrats To Vie For Late Tony DeLuca’s Seat. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Around The Commonwealth

Krasner Impeachment Committee Racked Up $372K In Legal Bills, Other Expenses. “Combined with travel expenses, lodging, meals, renting a hearing room, and catering for two days of hearings in Philadelphia, the committee’s work cost taxpayers a total of $372,434.06, the records provided in response to a Right to Know Request by the Capital-Star show.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Meuser Elected As PA’s Representative To Republican Policy Committee. “The RPC was first established in 1949. It serves as an advisory committee to House Republicans and provides a forum for Republican members to discuss legislative proposals and topics before the House.” (Times Leader)

Yudichak Lands Job With Government Consulting Group. “After 24 years in the state Legislature, John Yudichak has landed a new job in the private sector, but he’ll still be involved in state politics.” (Times-Tribune)

Rater Announces Candidacy For Centre County Judge. “Julia Rater will be seeking the open seat that will be created by Judge Pamela Ruest’s retirement at the end of this year.” (StateCollege.com)

Voter Project Aims To Engage Every Neighborhood In Philadelphia. “Philadelphia will elect its 100th mayor next year, and a coalition of community groups and media organizations wants to ensure voters are center stage and informed.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Wolf Backs Regulatory Change That Would Formalize Discrimination Procedures For LGBTQ Pennsylvanians. “In the closing days of his final term in office, Gov. Tom Wolf is backing a regulatory change that would formalize nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people while circumventing the legislature.” (Spotlight PA)

What Can We Expect From PA’s New Freedom Caucus? “Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry made waves in Harrisburg with the announcement of a state House version of the Congressional House Freedom Caucus, but the announcement left significant questions unanswered.” (York Dispatch)

A Look Ahead At The Race To Replace City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart. “The special election for city controller will run parallel to the regularly scheduled races in 2023, with candidates competing in party primaries in May before a November general election.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Opinion

• The Political Lineage Of The County That Produced John Fetterman. (Jim McClure, York Daily Record)
• Why More Americans Are Voting. The Answer May Depress You. (David A. Hopkins, Bloomberg)
• Fetterman Was Vilified For Promoting Life Sentence Commutations, But Research Shows His Approach Is The Right One. (David Rudovsky, Kathleen M. Brown, Inquirer)
• Why The Courts Should Stop Philly DA Larry Krasner’s Impeachment Trial. (Bruce Ledewitz, Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• Why We Should End The Creation Of Race-Based Voting Districts. (George A. Nation III, The Hill)
• The Trump Effect In Pennsylvania. (Zach Kennedy, The Center Square)
• If Mastriano Can’t Learn, Will We? (Seth Higgins, Broad + Liberty)
• Wolf Administration Has Been ‘All Talk’ On Transparency Regarding Its Legal Bills And Other Matters. (LNP | Lancaster Online)
• Value-Based Politics Are Winning Politics For Democrats. (Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post)

1 Fun Thing

The Making Of The “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Soundtrack

The jazzy soundtrack to “A Charlie Brown Christmas”— which has sold 5 million copies over 57 years — happened in a hurry, AP’s David Bauder writes.

• Why it matters: The CBS special became an indelible holiday tradition. The music’s nostalgia-fueled popularity has only grown.

In 1965, producer Lee Mendelson scribbled some lyrics to jazz musician Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time is Here,” for an animated TV special featuring the Peanuts gang.

• Mendelson told his family he spent less than half an hour on it: “Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer.”

Guaraldi’s cascading piano evokes motion and lightly falling snow on “Skating.”

• The driving melody of “Linus and Lucy” is the eternal backdrop to a swinging party.
• “O Tannenbaum” shifts from the traditional carol to a bass-driven groove.