It’s Going to Be a Great Tuesday. Not only is it National Taco Day, but the Phillies are in the playoffs!

Yom Kippur begins at sundown. “G’mar chatima tovah” or “A good final sealing” to those who celebrate.

PA Weather
Erie | Mostly Sunny, 60
State College | Chance of Rain, 52
Wilkes-Barre | Showers Likely, 54

PA Sports
Phillies (87-73) | Houston, W, 3-0 | TUE vs. Houston
Pirates (61-99) | St. Louis, W, 3-2 | TUE vs. St. Louis

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Austin Davis.

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Top Story

1. Oz, Shapiro Stake Out Political Middle at PA Chamber Forum

Two candidates accepted … two declined the offer from the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry to attend and speak to the group at its fall dinner in Hershey.

Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate Mehmet Oz and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro took advantage of the opportunity to offer their plan for a better Keystone State without challenge from their opponents.

Oz took some shots at the “radical left,” while Shapiro stressed the centrist portions of his platform. (PennLive)

Related

Oz to Report $17.2 Million (Including a $7M Loan). “Republican Mehmet Oz’s Senate campaign in Pennsylvania raised $17.2 million between July and September — including $7 million from Oz’s own money — a campaign official tells Axios. These are big numbers and reflect a high-stakes race that may be narrowing by the minute.” (Axios)

Suffolk Poll: Fetterman +6, Shapiro +11. John Fetterman holds a 46-40 lead over Mehmet Oz in the chase for the U.S. Senate seat, while Josh Shapiro once again has a double-digit lead over Doug Mastriano for governor, 48-37. (Suffolk University)

Fetterman Campaign to Launch “Republicans For Fetterman” as PA Senate Race Tightens. “A new push about to be launched by the Fetterman campaign embraces support by current and former Republicans, and features their voices backing the Democrat as he aims to flip Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, NBC10 has learned.” (NBC Philadelphia)

Crime, Community Safety Become Focal Points in PA Senate Race. “As Mehmet Oz tosses ‘soft on crime’ accusations, John Fetterman touts experience.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Bucks County, Montco Sheriff Endorsements in Fetterman-Oz Race Raise Questions. “The elected sheriffs in Bucks and Montgomery counties have dueling political endorsements ads airing on televisions in the Delaware Valley in the hotly contested Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race as crime and public safety have become a focus of the campaign.” (Bucks County Courier Times)

Governor

2. Mastriano Launches TV Ad Campaign

It’s been a long time coming.

Republican candidate for governor Doug Mastriano is launching his TV ad campaign this week, targeting the Pittsburgh and Harrisburg markets.

The campaign had not spent any dollars on broadcast time to this point, electing to focus on Facebook. Here is a look at the first ad. (PennLive)

Related

Doug Mastriano’s Lunatic Appeal. “Mastriano’s campaign is severely underfunded, and what had been a relatively slim margin in the polls has grown larger in recent weeks as his Democratic opponent, Josh Shapiro, the state’s attorney general, has clobbered him on the airwaves. But the sheer fact that someone like Mastriano is a major-party nominee to lead the nation’s fifth-largest state is alarming.” (The Atlantic)

Shapiro Gets Donation From Illinois Governor. “Gov. JB Pritzker has given $350,000 to Democrat Josh Shapiro in his run for Pennsylvania governor. It’s all part of Pritzker’s effort to fund governor candidates who he sees as key to keeping abortion rights legal in their states.” (POLITICO)

Carrie DelRosso Spent More Than Any Other Republican House Candidate or Officeholder in PA. “Pennsylvania Republican House candidates and officeholders have spent $10.8 million during the 2022 election cycle. Among state representatives and candidates, Carrie DelRosso has spent more than any other Republican.” (The Center Square)

State

3. Fact Checking

The Times-Tribune is focusing on fact-checking the claims by the candidates for PA-08 – Matt Cartwright (D) and Jim Bognet (R).

“This analysis focuses on a commercial featuring Bognet, who criticizes Cartwright for always voting for President Joe Biden’s agenda” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Related

Fact Check: Cartwright TV Commercial That Calls Ad Blasting Him a Lie. “This analysis focuses on a commercial featuring Cartwright, who calls a Congressional Leadership Fund accusing him of ethics violations a lie and portrays Bognet as a pawn of huge corporations” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Internal PA-17 Poll: Chris Deluzio 49, Jeremy Shaffer 43. “In an internal poll from brilliant corners Research & Strategies, Democrat Chris Deluzio has forged a six-point advantage over Republican opponent Jeremy Shaffer in the chase for the 17th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.” (PoliticsPA)

Nearly 50 Top Election Officials in PA Have Left Their Position in the Last Two Years. “Over the last two years, a confluence of factors has led to the departure of nearly 50 top election officials across the state.” (NorthCentralPA.com)

• Seven States Continue to See Unusual Levels of Threats to Election Workers. (KDKA)

Around the Commonwealth

Ellwood City’s Todd Becomes State’s First Female Chief Justice. “Todd, who was born and raised in the Ellwood City area, becomes the first woman chief justice in Pennsylvania’s history. Todd was elevated to the position of leading the court because she is the justice of longest and continuous service on the court.” (New Castle News)

PA House Preview: Philly West Suburbs. “We continue our series on the candidates for the Pennsylvania State House with a look at Philadelphia’s western suburbs.” (PoliticsPA)

• Lieutenant Governor Preview: Austin Davis vs. Carrie DelRosso. (WESA)
• HD 35 Preview: Austin Davis vs. Don Nevills. (WESA)

Early Voting Is Different in PA Than Other States. Here’s What You Need to Know. “Unlike some other states, where voters can cast their ballot at a voting center days before an election, early voting in Pennsylvania only involves a mail ballot.” (Pocono Record)

Hundreds of Philly Police Officers Work Administrative Jobs That Could Be Done by Civilians, A Study Found. “Nearly 900 positions within the Philadelphia Police Department that are currently held by sworn police officers could be filled by civilians, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania who last year studied the department’s makeup.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Commentary

• How We Define an Election Denier. (Erie Times-News)
• Beating Back The Rising Tide of ‘Politics As Usual.’ (Matthew McCullough) 
• Max Baer Leaves Void in PA Judiciary. Tom Wolf Should Let the Next Governor Fill It. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• America Is At a Turning Point This Midterm Campaign Season. The Choice is Critical. (Jonathan C. Rothermel)
• Fighting For This Generation’s Chance to Prosper. (Steve Santarsiero)
• Pennsylvanians Trust Local Newspapers (Brad Simpson)
• Polls Are Useful. They Just Can’t Predict Elections in Swing States. (Perry Bacon Jr.)
• We’ve Lost The Ability to Give Each Other Respect. (Ed Rabinowitz)