Happy Twos-Day (2/22/22). The last time this date fell on a Tuesday was 1622 and the next occurrence will be 2422. Enjoy responsibly. GOP candidates for the U.S. Senate spar at Villanova. Announcements for office galore on Presidents Day. Mastriano’s strange financial report. The Miracle on Ice occurred 42 years ago today. Here is the Playbook.

PA Weather
Altoona | Showers 57
Selinsgrove | Showers 58
West Chester | Rain Approaching 59

PA Sports
Flyers lost to Carolina, 4-3 (OT)
Penguins, 76ers idle

News

Hunting for RINOs: The RINO – Republican In Name Only. A common and potent term used by conservative Republicans who believe that a sitting officeholder or a candidate has fallen short of certain political ideals.

School Boards Are Hot Spots for Nasty Politics: There was a time not so long ago when school board meetings were sparsely attended at best. Today, they are beginning to rival indoor scholastic championship sporting events in terms of number of spectators … and sometimes, they are just as vocal.

Challenges Await New Candidates as Petition Period Shortens: Getting on the primary ballot has never been more difficult for aspiring candidates to statewide office. A Wolf administration proposal to shorten the petition period from 19 to 12 days raises the bar for political campaigns to obtain the necessary signatures to qualify for the May 17 ballot.

‘GOP candidates meet for U.S. Senate debate – with a few key absences’: City & State PA reports that “four out of the seven Republican candidates running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat took the stage at Villanova University Monday night for a debate sponsored by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the conservative online news outlet Broad + Liberty.”

‘Pa. Republicans vying for U.S. Senate face off in debate’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “four GOP candidates vying to fill Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat took the stage Monday night, giving voters a chance to see where they stand on issues ahead of the May 17 primary election.”

‘Doug Mastriano’s ‘strange’ financial report raises questions about his campaign for Pa. governor’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “the financial disclosure by a front-runner for Pennsylvania governor left some GOP insiders scratching their heads — and raised questions about whether his campaign is following the rules.”

‘Mehmet Oz wants us to know why he’s here in Pa. Will enough voters buy it?’: WHYY reports that “as Oz embarks on an outsider campaign to win Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, he’s using these town hall events — he’s done nearly a dozen — to introduce himself to the commonwealth as a serious, conservative politician.”

‘A closer look at the racial and ethnic wealth gap in Pa. | The Numbers Racket’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “Pennsylvania had the 14th highest racial wealth gap among states with a ranking of 49.14.”

‘What’s the true COVID-19 death toll in Pa.? New analysis sheds light’: PennLive reports that “a new analysis concluded Pennsylvania saw 19,776 excess deaths in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, and 18,880 in 2021.”

Legislative Election Updates

‘Community advocate announces bid for House seat representing Cumberland, Dauphin counties’: PennLive reports that “community advocate Heather MacDonald has announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the redrawn 103rd House District seat representing parts of Dauphin and Cumberland County.”

‘Swatara Township commissioner announces bid for Dauphin County House seat’: PennLive reports that “Swatara Township Commissioner Shaela Ellis has announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination to the reconfigured 104th state House District representing parts of Dauphin County.”

‘Kyle Donahue joins Bill Fox in Democratic House race’: The Scranton Times-Tribune reports that “we have a Democratic race for the state’s 113th House District seat. City Councilman Kyle Donahue recently announced he’s running for the seat. The South Scranton resident joins former city Tax Collector Bill Fox in the race so far.”

‘Billow announces House candidacy’: The Altoona Mirror reports that “Renae Billow, a lifelong resident of Johnstown, has announced her candidacy to represent the citizens of the 72nd District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.”

‘Spencer makes it official; announces bid for 158th District seat’: The Daily Local News reports that “Leon Spencer, former Kennett Square mayor, announced his bid for the 158th Legislative District seat.”

Regional Spotlight: Central
York Daily Record: York County District Attorney Dave Sunday to speak about policy, re-entry at CPAC 2022 
Patriot News: HACC faculty rallies ahead of the start of a vote to unionize
LNP | LancasterOnline: The mostly pointless way Pennsylvania sorts its counties, and how Lancaster could change its county class soon [Lancaster Watchdog]
LNP | LancasterOnline: PA Court of Judicial Discipline finds Lancaster District Judge violated conduct rules as candidate

Opinion  
Mike Schlossberg: Our fates are bound together. Let’s govern like it
Bill Yates: Fetal tissue research is invaluable to medicine
Inquirer Editorial Board: Philly officials should steer clear of cryptocurrency
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Passenger rail expansion means better connections 
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: An opportunity for healing after racist incident at Winchester Thurston
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: Lancaster County taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for former DA’s lawsuit
Kate Boulton: It’s time for Pennsylvania courts to stop discriminating against people with opioid use disorder 
Jenice Armstrong: After last week’s student death at Lincoln University, school leaders owe us answers 
Tony Norman: Great teachers are gonna teach
Dick Polman: The Sandy Hook parents beat the gun merchants