🇺🇲 Good Morning. Remember to thank a veteran this weekend

PA Weather
🌤️ Waynesburg | Becoming Sunny, 53
🌥️ Selinsgrove | Gradual Clearing, 53
🌂 Chester | Chance of Rain, 55

PA Sports
🏈 Penn State (8-1) | Sat vs. Michigan
🏈 Pitt (2-7) | Sat vs. Syracuse
🏈 Temple (3-6) | Sat vs. South Florida
🏈 Steelers (5-3 | Sun vs. Green Bay
🏀 Sixers (6-1) | Fri vs. Detroit (NBA tournament)
🏒 Penguins (6-6-0) | Los Angeles 4-3 (OT) | Sat vs. Buffalo
🏒 Flyers (5-7-1) | Fri vs. Anaheim

What We’re Hearing
“This is the election where you are cross training. This is where everyone reads the manual. This is where we do everything possible to make sure we are ready for next year.” – Chester County Director of Elections Karen Barsoum

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Sen. John I. Kane and Rep. Jennifer O’Mara on Sunday.

Start Your Day Smart
Subscribe to the PoliticsPA Playbook. It’s free and gives you all today’s PA political headlines in an easy-to-read format. All by 8 AM.

Top Story

1. Innamorato Will Lead Allegheny County As PA Sees A Growing Number Of Women In Top Positions

“Sara Innamorato didn’t think she’d be a politician.

As a student at North Hills High School, she “never planned on holding elected office,” she said Tuesday.

Now, as the newly elected Allegheny County executive, Ms. Innamorato will be the first woman to hold Western Pennsylvania’s most powerful public office. In doing so, she will join a growing number of women in both parties across Pennsylvania who have ascended to positions of political power — and helped pave the way for more women to do the same.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Related

Expensive Judicial Races Might Be Here To Stay In Pennsylvania After Record High Court Campaign. “The race for an open seat on Pennsylvania’s highest court initially resembled the sleepy contests that had played out for decades: low turnout, little media coverage and just enough spending to afford some biographical TV ads on cable. Then attack fliers began hitting mail boxes.” (AP)

Ohio Voters Said Yes To Recreational Marijuana. Here’s What That Might Mean For PA. “‘It’s not a matter of if, but when’ recreational cannabis passes in the commonwealth, a legal expert on the substance says” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

​​The Philly Building Trades Are As Powerful As Ever After They Boosted Cherelle Parker’s Mayoral Campaign. “The unions scored a big win with Parker’s victory and two losses in City Council races. They’ll maintain influence in City Hall despite the legal troubles of Johnny Doc, their former leader.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

State

2. “Hectic From The Get-Go”: How A New Polling Place Chief In PA Navigated His First Election

“Jay Schneider had a rocky start to his first Election Day as the head of his polling place.

Schneider always knew the day might not be easy. This is his first year overseeing his polling place as a judge of elections, a job he took over after the previous judge stepped down due to illness. As Election Day approached, he spoke to Votebeat and Spotlight PA about his worries, and about the extensive training that he says bolstered his own trust in elections.

His job is important. Pennsylvania’s 9,000 judges of elections do a lot of work behind the scenes that voters may never see, but it’s essential.” (Votebeat)

Related

Dauphin Dems Party Like It’s 1919. “It’s been at least 104 years since the Democratic Party has had a majority on the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners. And Dauphin Dems are on the doorstep of taking the majority away from Republicans after the results of Tuesday’s municipal election.” (PoliticsPA)

• Historic Flip Of Dauphin County Commissioners Hangs On Democratic Challenger’s Narrow Lead. (Penn Capital-Star)

PA-08: Rob Bresnahan Formally Announces Candidacy. “Local businessman Rob Bresnahan announced that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District seat, currently held by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-08).” (PoliticsPA)

HD-90: Reichard Announces Run. “Chad Reichard, a planning and zoning officer for Washington Township, announced his candidacy for the 90th Legislative District seat presently held by Rep. Paul Schemel who has announced he is not seeking reelection.” (PoliticsPA)

HD-102. PA Rep. Russ Diamond Draws Primary Challenger. “A school board director in eastern Lebanon County is joining the race for the 102nd state House District, setting up a primary challenge for the seat held by state Rep. Russ Diamond” (Penn Capital-Star)

Around The Commonwealth

3. TV Ads, Book Bans, Nice Weather: Whatever The Cause, Pennsylvanians Turned Out For This Election

“This was the little election that could.

In an election cycle filled with multi-candidate races that stopped at your municipal or county line, ordinarily with limited news coverage and only shoestring budgets for any real messaging, a funny thing happened this year.

It is evident now that in most midstate counties, voter participation rates continued on an upward trend line and, in several cases, hit generational highs.” (PennLive)

Related

How Philly Pols Answered Clout’s Three Election Day Questions. “Clout wanted to know: What is Jim Kenney’s legacy? Who will be nominated for president? And who goes to prison first, Donald Trump or John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty?” (Philadelphia Inquirer Clout)

Allegheny County Democrats Made History This Year — Why Don’t They Seem Happier? “Judging just by final results, Allegheny County Democrats have had a very good year. But these are Democrats, a tribe notoriously prone to self-doubt.” (WESA Politics)

How Stephen Zappala Survived The Toughest Challenge Of His Political Career. “The longtime Allegheny County DA convinced a bloc of moderate Democrats, Republicans, and independents to stick with him.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Briefly A Chief, Former QB Matt McGloin Declares Victory In PA Election. “A native of Scranton — home of the beloved television sitcom “The Office” and President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — McGloin began pursuing politics after his NFL career, which ended in 2020.” (ChiefsWire)

Lawmaker Calls On County Executive To Resign Over Voting Machine ‘Fiasco’. “A state lawmaker is calling on Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure to resign over the voting machine problems that plagued the start of Election Day. State Rep. Milou Mackenzie said the county also should end its contract with ES&S, the voting machine vendor.” (LehighValleyNews.com)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• American Elections Are About Abortion Now. (Tom Bonier)
• Politicians, The Media And The Responsibility For Both To Inform The Public. (Tim Zyla)
• To Keep Making History, Cherelle Parker Needs To Make Unity A Philly Thing. (Helen Ubiñas)
• Mayor-Elect Parker Will Make A Big Mistake If She Repeats NYC’s Stop-And-Frisk Abuses. (Will Bunch)
• Cherelle Parker’s Philly Shine. (Larry Platt)
• Democrats’ Big Bucks County School Board Sweep Should Unnerve Republicans Everywhere. (Salena Zito)
• Rick Santorum And The Secret Sauce Of Democracy. (Lori Falce)
• Some People Attacking “The Media” Want Us To Believe They Alone Know The Truth. (John Sigle)
• Another Casualty Of War: Free Speech On Campus. (Fareed Zakaria)

1 Thing

5. The 11th Hour of the 11th Day in the 11th Month

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Veterans Day is observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

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