Michael Nutter. The Mayor of Philadelphia practically won re-election this week as Tom Knox joined other potential rivals City Councilman Bill Green and state Sen. Anthony Williams in endorsing him. Nutter may have lackluster poll numbers, but he’s got more than enough fundraising and political prowess to make up for it.
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DEP. You sort of have to feel bad for the folks at the PA Department of Environmental Protection. We’re sure they would prefer a robust, thorough review process for Marcellus shale drilling. We doubt the staff is excited about their controversial decision this week to scale back oversight. But it’s sort of like that scene in ‘Aladdin,’ when Jafar captures the Genie. “Sorry kid, I’ve got a new master now.”

Bob Casey. For two weeks in a row, Casey’s approval has been positive by double digits. 3 out of 5 people who have an opinion of the Senator view him favorably. And every week that goes by with no serious GOP candidate on the horizon bodes better for the Senator.
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Rick Santorum. Obama’s DOMA reversal suddenly makes a social conservative like Santorum more relevant. He’s hiring more staff in key primary states. However, the biggest headlines this week focused on Stephen Colbert and the other, less “family values”-oriented Santorum.

Fayette County. One of the biggest projects on the radar in this economically distressed county found its way to Governor Corbett’s chopping block this week. There has been a great deal of debate over whether the move was politically motivated, but there can be no debate that this was bad news for a part of the state that’s already heard a lot of it.

PA Labor. In a series of rallies around the state, labor showed this week that they’re ready for a Wisconsin-style fight if it comes. Governor Corbett conceded that he wouldn’t challenge collective bargaining. However, the Harrisburg GOP is ready to pass a Right to Work law, Corbett is eager so sign it, and the public likely wouldn’t be as sympathetic to unions on that one.