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September 16: Faith

Josh Shapiro

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Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Brian Sims and Rep. Mary Jo Daley. Advance wishes (Sunday) to Rep. Keith Gillespie and Sen. Marty Flynn.

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Top Story

1. Josh Shapiro Puts His Faith at the Center of Campaign vs. Mastriano

Pennsylvania’s Attorney General and Democratic candidate for governor describes himself as a conservative Jew from the Philly suburbs.

He is running for the highest office in the Commonwealth against state senator Doug Mastriano, who has been painted by many as a Christian nationalist who has fended off criticism that he endorses anti-semitism.

The battle for governor in Pennsylvania is one of the most significant in the country and could determine whether women have the right to an abortion and all voters have the right to cast a ballot in a pivotal battleground state. (POLITICO)

Related

Shapiro Rolls Out New Ad Hitting Mastriano Over 2021 Thesis. “Democratic Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro’s campaign dredged up a past thesis written by GOP candidate Doug Mastriano in a new ad on Thursday, marking the campaign’s latest effort to paint the Republican as an extremist. ” (The Hill)

CNN’s Tapper Rips PA’s Mastriano For Calling Opponent’s Private Jewish School ‘Privileged.’ “CNN host Jake Tapper on Wednesday accused Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano of anti-semitic behavior for criticizing Democratic opponent Josh Shapiro for attending a private parochial Jewish school as “privileged.”” (RealClearPolitics)

  • GOP Candidate Hits Rival Over Past School. Tapper, An Alumnus of the School, Reacts. (CNN)
  • Doug Mastriano Doesn’t Call Himself a Christian Nationalist, But He Gives It a Platform. (PennLive)

 

Senate

2. Oz, Fetterman Both Target Suburbs

As the seasons begin to change and summer vacations turn into the return to school, John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz have changed their travel itineraries from the “T” to the ‘burbs.

Both are spending more time in Philadelphia’s heavily populated suburbs, holding rallies, bringing in surrogates and launching hard-edged TV ads aimed at wooing influential swing voters, particularly women. (AP)

Related

Should This Decision Be Made By Our Dr. Oz? Abortion Rights Fight Taking Center Stage In Pennsylvania Senate Race. “Democrats like John Fetterman are leaning hard into the abortion debate ahead of the midterms, seizing on post-Roe energy and clarifying what’s at stake if Republicans control the Senate and state governments.” (Vanity Fair)

Where Do PA’s U.S. Senate Candidates Stand On a Proposed National Abortion Ban. “Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion access has become a cornerstone of the 2022 mid-term elections, including in Pennsylvania’s already high-profile U.S. Senate race” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

  • How Fetterman and Oz Differ On Differ on Policy. (Reading Eagle)

 

Fetterman’s Got a ‘Mythology” Around Him and Avoided a ‘Real Campaign.’ “Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, running for U.S. Senate, has a decent chance at flipping outgoing Sen. Pat Toomey’s, R-Pa., seat despite mounting criticism, Karl Rove said Thursday.” (Fox News)

 

Philadelphia

3. What Cherelle Parker’s 50th Birthday Party Says About Organized Labor and the 2023 Mayor’s Race

“Philadelphia’s mayoral primary isn’t until May, and there’s a gigantic midterm election between now and then. But it’s already time to start speculating about how the city’s political class and its powerful labor unions will line up in the race to replace term-limited Mayor Jim Kenney.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Philly Mail Ballots Will Be Further Delayed Because of a Zoning Dispute Between the Mayor and City Council. “Council President Darrell L. Clarke issued writs of elections for the two at-large seats hours after Mayor Jim Kenney vetoed a bill aimed at preventing “smoke shops” in the 9th District.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Philadelphia Needs 8,500 Poll Workers For The November Election. It’s Pretty Easy to Become One and You Also Get Paid. “Have a free day on Nov. 8? Want to play a non-partisan role in the democratic process and earn a couple hundred bucks along the way?” (Billy Penn)

 

Around the Commonwealth

RJC Announcing Massive $750,000 Ad Buy in Pennsylvania. “The Republican Jewish Coalition spent $500,000 on the race in 2020 and decided to increase its spending this cycle.” (Jerusalem Post)

Gov. Wolf Orders PA Flags at Half-Staff to Honor Former State Rep. “In honor of former Pa. State Representative Jeff Pyle, who died Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the commonwealth flag on all commonwealth facilities, public buildings and grounds to fly at half-staff immediately.” (PennLive)

Democrats Choose Barb Warwick as Nominee in City Council Special Election. “Warwick’s win means she will face Republican Eugene Bokor in the special election, which will be included on the Nov. 8 ballot. The district includes areas that include Greenfield, Hazelwood, Lincoln Place and portions of Squirrel Hill.” (WESA)

This Is a Model That Works. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, U.S. Education Secretary Praise Allentown Schools in Lehigh Valley Visit. “Cardona and Emhoff made several stops in Pennsylvania as part of a six-state listening tour to learn about how school communities are helping students as the country recovers from the pandemic.” (Morning Call)

November Election Won’t Have Referendum on Voting Machines. “There will not be a referendum in the Nov. 8 general election asking Washington County voters whether they want to get rid of the electronic voting machines after the group pushing the effort failed to gather enough signatures to place the question on the ballot.” (Observer-Reporter)

Fayette Commissioners Address Lawsuit Over Ballots. “The Fayette County commissioners said Thursday that county officials complied with a court order to count undated mail-in and absentee ballots from the May primary. ” (Uniontown Herald-Standard)

 

Commentary

  • Rising Crime – A Sleeper Issue in PA Races (Lowman Henry)
  • Powerful Political Weapon (Mike Glazer)
  • Conflicts of Interest Undermine Confidence in Government (Gina L. Pope)
  • Rules We Need to Prevent Corruption in Harrisburg (Kevin Branco)
  • To PA Lawmakers, Stop Trying to Rush New Laws That Sidestep Our Normal Process (Al Schmidt)

 

4 Responses

  1. Everyone reading this newsletter knows if you hang around with someone who is spewing bigoted rhetoric and especially if you donate to their political cause you are endorsing their negative goals. It just seems like Mastriano is a politically incompetent candidate for Governor who seems friendly with some unpleasant political factions. I don’t think there has ever been a candidate so ill equipped for the political big time and so incompetent as a political candidate as Mastriano.

  2. Mastriano said “I reject antisemitism in any form” following his flirtation with Gab. Once again, he’s showing his antisemitic bent by criticizing Josh Shapiro and his children for attending a private parochial Jewish school as “privileged”. Mastriano is despicable for spewing such hate.

    1. You can’t possibly believe a word you’re writing. The private school, which Tapper should have recused himself from commenting on, is extremely elite by the nature of its price tag and location. It’s $37,000 a year in perhaps the most expensive neighborhood in the state. Doug Mastriano has zero problem with the Jewish people. The ACLU once fought for the Nazis to march in Skokie.

      1. Get your facts together Bryan. The Hebrew Academy has financial aid in the form of scholarships and tuition assistance. The ACLU has no bearing on your statement. Mastriano attacked Josh and his kids as privileged because he’s an anti Semite.





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