⛄ It’s A Snowy Tuesday Around These Parts. Thanks for reading the PoliticsPA Playbook

PA Weather
☁️ Mt. Lebanon | Mostly Cloudy, 19
☁️ Littlestown | Cloudy, 30
❄️ Nanticoke | Snow, 30

PA Sports
🏈 Steelers (NFL Playoffs) | Buffalo 17-31
🏈 Eagles (NFL Playoffs) | Tampa Bay 9-32
🏀 Sixers (25-13) | Houston 124-115 | Tue vs. Denver
🏒 Flyers (24-14-6) | St. Louis 4-2 | Thu vs. Dallas
🏒 Penguins (21-15-6) | Seattle 3-0 | Sat vs. Vegas

What We’re Hearing
“It’s a lot easier for people to blame us as election workers than to blame their candidate for running a bad campaign. We have a responsibility to make the public confident in the results.” – Thad Hall, Mercer County Election Director

Start Your Day Smarter
The PoliticsPA Playbook gives you all today’s PA political headlines in an easy-to-read format. All by 8 AM. And it’s free. Subscribe now.

Top Story

1. ‘Scared to Death’: Local Election Officials On Edge Ahead Of 2024 Vote

“Election officials across the U.S. are confident they can overcome foreign and domestic hacking threats to run a secure election this November. They’re far less sanguine that Americans will believe them.

And they’re terrified of the backlash from those who don’t accept the results

The November poll is expected to be beset by intense partisan scrutiny, insider threats and a deluge of AI-powered disinformation — making it a potential test of the strength of the American democratic system itself. And local election officials will be the ones charged with making the initial calls on what information voters can trust..” (POLITICO)

Related

State Lawmakers Seek To Tame The ‘Wild, Wild, West’ Nature Of Artificial Intelligence In Elections. “A proposed bill that is drawing bipartisan support in the Pennsylvania Legislature would ban the misuse of artificial intelligence in political campaigns and establish fines for violations.” (PennLive)

President Biden Returns To Philabundance In His Third Visit To PA This Year. “President Biden has repeatedly visited Philabundance, the region’s largest food bank. On Monday, he was joined by Philly’s newly inaugurated mayor, Cherelle L. Parker.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Biden, Casey And Other Elected Officials Mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day At Events In Philadelphia. “At a series of events across Philadelphia on Monday, President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey joined other elected officials to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been the assassinated civil rights leader’s 95th birthday.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Trump Routs Rivals in Iowa Caucuses. “Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses Monday night with the largest margin in the history of the first Republican presidential nominating contest, cementing an early victory in his defiant bid to return to the White House.” (Wall Street Journal)

Biden and the Democrats Raise $97 Million To Close Out 2023 After A December Fundraising Blitz. “The Biden campaign said Monday that it took in $235 million from its launch last April until the end of 2023 and finished the year with $117 million in cash on hand — which it said was the highest total amassed by any Democratic candidate at this point in the cycle. More than 520,000 donors made 926,000-plus contributions in the quarter, it said.” (AP)

State

2. Relief For Abuse Survivors, Other Constitutional Amendments Halted In PA’s Split Legislature

“Divided control of the Pennsylvania legislature has raised the bar for advancing proposed constitutional amendments, as Democrats and Republicans must find common ground to send a measure to voters for consideration.

Such amendments do not require approval from the governor, and good-government experts had previously expressed concerns that they were being fast-tracked under sole GOP legislative control without enough consideration of the impact.

But deep partisan differences are now keeping proposals with bipartisan support from voters, including one that would give survivors of childhood sexual abuse a chance to sue their abusers.” (Spotlight PA)

• How A Constitutional Amendment Gets On The Ballot In Pennsylvania. (Spotlight PA)

Related

Former School Board Member To Challenge In PA’s 13th Congressional District. “Beth Farnham has announced that she is running to represent Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.” (PennLive)

Democrat Ruscitto Launches Bid To Challenge GOP’s Robinson In Crucial Suburban Senate District. “Democrats have a contender in the 37th state Senate District — a seat that is considered key to controlling the legislature’s upper chamber. Educator and former Jefferson Hills borough council member Nicole Ruscitto plans to challenge first-term incumbent Republican Devlin Robinson in the swing district.” (WESA)

HD-120: Waiting On Kaufer. “Amid speculation that he is not running for re-election, Rep. Aaron Kaufer’s silence about his political future is fueling possible runs to succeed him in Harrisburg.” (PoliticsPA)

Challengers Prepare To Vie For Rep. Dawn Keefer’s State House Seat. “In the days after state Rep. Dawn Keefer announced she was running for state Senate, several challengers have stepped forward for her current 92nd state House seat.” (York Dispatch)

Bill Would Make Death Sentence An Option For Some Convicted Of Child Sex Offenses. “House Bill 1909, introduced by state Rep. Ryan Warner proposes the option of a death sentence for someone who is convicted of the rape of a child or involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child.” (Uniontown Herald-Standard)

Around The Commonwealth

3. What Are Nomination Petitions? And Why Do They Matter?

“The countdown is on as time is running out before the start of nomination petition signing season.

What? Nomination petition signing season?

In order for a candidate to appear on the primary ballot in Pennsylvania, the candidate must secure a specified number of valid signatures on nomination petition forms, from voters who are registered in the same party as the candidate.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Forward Party in Pennsylvania Targets More Local Victories. “A growing dissatisfaction with America’s two-party system might make voters more open to supporting an alternative candidate this year – something the Forward Party is banking on. ” (The Center Square)

Pennsylvania School Districts Seeing ‘Uptick’ In Superintendent Resignations, According To New Report. “Last year, superintendent attrition rates reached 16.8%, a number last reported during the 2016-17 academic year, according to a report released last week.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Sen. Marty Flynn’s Mother Sues City Over Her September Firing. “The mother of state Sen. Marty Flynn has sued the city, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and the city clerical union over her September firing.” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Biden Must Make Immigration A Priority, Not Give In To GOP Demands.
• Tribune-Review: Pittsburgh’s Sports Facility Usage Tax Needs To Be Fair.
• Brandon McGinley: The Future Looks Like Fetterman.
• Michelle Goldberg: The Evangelicals Lost Their Deal With The Devil — And Their People Too.
• Lowman Henry: Left ‘Wags the Dog’ Over Capitol Riot.
• Guy Ciarrocchi: Have Suburban Voters Finally Had Enough?
• Harry Litman: Court Has Options To Keep Trump On Ballot; All Of Them Flawed.
• David N. Taylor: Who’s The Greediest Of Them All?

1 Bird Thing

5. What PA Is Doing To Help Its State Bird Recover From Devastating Virus

“To hear a ruffed grouse drumming in a forest or witness their immense takeoff speed as they flush is exhilarating for the small-game hunter and other outdoor enthusiasts alike.

An encounter with Pennsylvania’s state bird has also grown exceedingly rare in recent decades, as habitat loss and the deadly mosquito-borne West Nile virus have exacted a heavy toll.” (LehighValleyLive)

Thanks for starting your morning with us.
Please invite your colleagues
to subscribe to the PoliticsPA Playbook