F&M poll shows Fetterman, Mastriano extending leads. GOP Senate still up for grabs. Oz vote in recent Turkish election raises concern. Dems rallying around abortion rights issue. Here is the Playbook.

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News

F&M Poll: Fetterman, Mastriano Extend Leads: The latest Franklin & Marshall College poll shows that Democratic senate candidate John Fetterman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano are expanding their respective leads.

The PoliticsPA Guide to the 2022 Primary: Our voters’ guide to the 2022 election. Are you registered? Where to vote? Mail-in ballots. Closed primaries. And more.

PA Senate Race: Oz Vote in 2018 Turkish Election Draws Criticism: A photograph of Mehmet Oz casting a ballot in Turkey’s 2018 presidential election is rankling some national security experts — particularly after recently saying he has “never been politically involved in Turkey in any capacity.”

• Reader Poll: Vance’s Ohio Senate Win Does Not Guarantee PA Win for Oz: 70 percent of PoliticsPA voters said they are still unsure how Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mehmet Oz will affect the GOP Senate race
• PennLive: Top candidates in GOP Senate primary meet for last time before Election Day
• AP: Attacks dominate Pennsylvania’s Senate GOP primary debate
• Inquirer: The Pa. GOP Senate candidates debated with less than 2 weeks until the election. Here are 4 takeaways.
• The Hill: Oz to speak at Trump rally in Pennsylvania
• Politico: Crypto super PAC muscles into Pennsylvania Senate race
• Fox News: GOP Senate candidate Kathy Barnette reveals she was product of rape in Pennsylvania debate
• Fox News: Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidates debate Roe v. Wade leak, abortion
• Inquirer: ‘The threat is real’: Conor Lamb rallies for abortion rights in homestretch of Pa. Democratic Senate primary
• Tribune Review: Westmoreland sheriff deputies pull out of helping Secret Service at Friday’s Trump, Oz rally
• Tribune Review: GOP senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz to tour Central Westmoreland tech center
• Levittown Now: U.S. Senate Candidate McCormick Visits Middletown Diner
• Post-Gazette: Pa. U.S. Senate Poll: John Fetterman takes commanding lead among Dems; Dr. Oz and David McCormick in tight battle for GOP top spot 
• Post-Gazette: Pa. GOP Senate debate: Frontrunners Oz, McCormick again defend conservative records
• City Paper: U.S. Senate: John Fetterman, Malcolm Kenyatta, Conor Lamb, and Alexandria Khalil 
• PennLive: Poll: Fetterman enjoys big lead over Lamb, GOP candidates battling to end in U.S. Senate, governor primaries
• The Rich Zeoli Show: Dr. Oz: It’s Against My Oath To Ignore the Life of the Mother If It is in Danger While Pregnant

PA Governor Race: ‘Mastriano Meltdown: GOP Gov. Candidate Abruptly Ends Podcast Interview Over Questions About QAnon-Linked Rally’: The Delaware Valley Journal reports that “GOP gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Doug Mastriano abruptly ended a podcast interview with Delaware Valley Journal, angry over questions about his participation in a rally linked to QAnon conspiracy advocates. The Franklin, Pa. Republican also objected to questions about his participation in the infamous January 6 protest that preceded the riot at the U.S. Capitol.”

• WITF: Pennsylvania already has some abortion restrictions, but a new governor and General Assembly could change that.
• The Times Leader: Shapiro will bring gubernatorial campaign to Democratic event in Wilkes-Barre
• City Paper: Josh Shapiro, the lone Democrat running for Pa. Governor
• City Paper: Election Guide: Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor: Austin Davis, Brian Sims, and Ray Sosa

‘Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf vows to protect abortion rights, but can only do so for the next eight months’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday added his voice to the chorus of Democratic lawmakers who oppose the potential reversal of Roe v. Wade and assured Pennsylvanians that their abortion rights remain intact — at least for the last eight months of his term.”

‘Bob Casey may face added pressure regarding anti-abortion stance if Roe v. Wade is struck down’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “as Senate Democrats protest the leaked Supreme Court opinion that signals a likely end to the constitutional right to abortion under Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion Democratic Sen. Bob Casey — whose father was at the center of the high court’s other landmark abortion decision — has remained silent except for a short statement released Tuesday.”

‘Pa. voters, buffeted by election fraud claims, aren’t happy with how elections are run, new F&M poll finds’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “Pennsylvania voters have grown increasingly dissatisfied with how elections are run over the past two years, a new statewide Franklin & Marshall College poll shows, and analysts say their concerns are directly fueled by baseless claims of voter fraud peddled by former President Donald Trump and other Republicans.”

‘Pa. Democrats are rallying behind abortion rights as they look for a new midterm election message’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “Democrats hope it will give them a boost at a time when the party’s core voters have been disappointed with President Joe Biden’s stalled domestic agenda.”

‘Auditor general’s closure of school audit bureau draws criticism during Pa. House hearing’: PennLive reports that “while the auditor general’s office maintains that years of budget cuts have led to closing this bureau, Democratic lawmakers heard from testifiers who called that decision unwise.”

‘Advocates, Democrats energized by possibility of U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “reproductive rights advocates turned out for nationwide protests on Tuesday in light of the Supreme Court draft opinion leak.”

‘If Roe v. Wade falls, Pennsylvania’s pro-life Sen. Bob Casey becomes a linchpin for abortion rights’: Billy Penn reports that “he was one of two Dems who didn’t join 48 other senators in co-sponsoring the Women’s Health Protection Act.”

‘One Of Three Congressional Candidates Comment On Draft Abortion Decision’: Levittown Now reports that “Democratic candidate for Congress Ashley Ehasz issued a statement on the draft decision. Republicans Alex Entin and incumbent Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick did not respond to requests for comment.”

‘Abortion debate animates race between GOP candidates in 17th Congressional District’: WESA reports that “a Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade hasn’t landed yet, but the debate about what comes next is already shaping the race among Republican candidates competing in the May 17th primary.”

‘State rep. wants students to take classes they want no matter where they live’: KDKA reports that “a new bill going through Harrisburg is trying to level the playing field for education. It would allow students who don’t have access to a class at their school to take the class through a statewide online catalog.”

‘Pa. Chamber of Business & Industry names Bernstein new president and CEO’: The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reports that “the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry Board of Directors Tuesday announced Hazleton area native Luke Bernstein as its next president and CEO.”

‘Pennsylvanians expected to receive restitution after $141M multistate settlement with Intuit’: The Pittsburgh Business Times reports that “an estimated 158,000 Pennsylvanians are expected to receive restitution as part of a $141 million multistate settlement with TurboTax maker Intuit Inc., the Office of the Attorney General announced on Wednesday.”

‘Pa. primary 2022: Everything you need to know about requesting, filling out, and returning your mail ballot’: Spotlight PA reports that “registered Democrats and Republicans in Pennsylvania will vote on May 17 in primary elections to pick their candidates for governor, U.S. senator, and other key positions.”

‘A Q&A with Pennsylvania Health Care Association President and CEO Zach Shamberg’: City & State PA reports that “this long-term care advocate says workforce shortage threatens access to care for aging residents.”

‘Company seeks to withdraw water from western Pennsylvania trout stream for fracking’: StateImpactPA reports that “a gas drilling company is asking the state to reconsider its request to withdraw water from a Western Pennsylvania trout stream.”

Legislative Election Updates

• City Paper: Election Guide: Pennsylvania State House District 19: Aerion Abney and Glenn Grayson 
• City Paper: Election Guide: Pennsylvania State House District 24: Martell Covington, La’Tasha D. Mayes, and Randall Taylor
• City Paper: Election Guide: Pennsylvania State House District 34: Summer Lee and Abigail Salisbury
• PennLive: Republican candidates for Cumberland County house seat tout fiscal discipline, conservative values

Regional Spotlight: Northeast
The Times Leader: Legislators, candidates react to SCOTUS leak
Times-Tribune: Lackawanna County elections board debates drop boxes
The Times Leader: Luzerne County ethics commission needs outside attorneys
The Times Leader: Yudichak responds to Luzerne County Council gambling revenue concern
The Times Leader: Request for Luzerne County guarantee on infrastructure borrowing not well received
The Times Leader: Aging Secretary Torres addresses senior concerns during Wilkes-Barre visit
The Times Leader: City of Pittston receives $1 million PennDOT grant for new trail
The Times Leader: Luzerne County Election Board member’s actions debated
Times-Tribune: Pittston drop box will not be available this week; four other drop boxes are open
Times-Tribune: Scranton School District appeals bus contract decision
Times-Tribune: Former PEL official tapped for Scranton finance director post 
Times-Tribune: Clarks Summit appoints former mayor, current councilman as new mayor
Citizens Voice: Election board chair wants better chain of custody for mail ballots
Citizens Voice: Political scene 5/5/22
Citizens Voice: Political scene 5/2/22

Opinion  
John Baer: Don’t let the devil, gun-toting candidates or Kathleen Kane distract you from Pa. primary elections 
John L. Micek: Yass, he can: Pro-charters billionaire jumps into key Pa. House, Senate races | Thursday Coffee
Fletcher McClellan: Alito just threw the Dems a midterm lifeline. Will they use it? 
Lamont McClure: How Harrisburg’s delays have injected chaos into this month’s primary
Inquirer Editorial Board: Sealing the criminal records of more former offenders is the right move for Pa. 
Inquirer: As Roe v. Wade is threatened, Inquirer readers respond
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Pennsylvania’s McJustice
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: Thankfully, incident in Lancaster’s Penn Square proves to be benign. We still need to be vigilant.
Christine Vasui: Pennsylvania must increase wages for personal care attendants: Here’s why
Paul Muschick: What today’s politicians can learn from John Stoffa
David A. Harris and Daniel Pearson: Philly just dropped its residency requirement for police. Is this a mistake? | Pro/Con
Candace McKinley and Dorsche Krevitz: Public defenders deserve more than a $0 increase in Kenney’s budget
Joyce M. Davis: Catherine and Milton Hershey can’t come too soon to Harrisburg | Social Views
Jonathan Zimmerman: Let our teachers speak
Elicia Gonzales: Abortion restrictions are white supremacy in action
Jill Maderer: Religion doesn’t always justify anti-abortion rhetoric. Look at Judaism.
Rann Miller: A student once asked me if she should have an abortion. Without Roe, what would I say?