📕 Good Tuesday Morning. Thanks for reading the PoliticsPA Playbook.

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⚾ Phillies (86-69) | NY Mets | Tue-Thu. vs. Pittsburgh
⚾ Pirates (74-81) | Cincinnati | Tue-Thu. vs. Philadelphia
⚽ Union (14-7-8) | LAFC 0-0 | Wed. vs. FC Dallas
🏈 Eagles (3-0) | Tampa Bay 25-11 | Sun vs. Washington

What We’re Hearing
“We’re not paying people in local election administrative jobs enough to be the subject of public scrutiny, particularly when that public scrutiny is often misguided and misinformed.” – Josh Daniels

What’s Happening
The Pennsylvania House will reconvene at noon.

The Best Political News In The State
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Top Story

1. Western PA Progressive Democrat Announces Primary Challenge To Casey

“A Pittsburgh-area Democrat has announced that he will challenge Sen. Bob Casey in the party’s U.S. Senate primary next year.

Blaine Forkner, a 43-year-old Scott Township, Allegheny County, resident described in a campaign announcement as an engineer and “two-time cancer survivor,” is running on a fairly progressive platform of universal healthcare, gun ownership reform and free tuition for college students.

“I’m running for U.S. Senate to give a voice to the teacher, the student, the nurse, the doctor, the electrician, the engineer, and everyday Americans everywhere,” Forkner said in a statement.” (PennLive)

Related

As Presidential Gossip Grows, Gov. Josh Shapiro Readies For A Trip To New Hampshire. “As America gears up for another potentially bruising presidential election in 2024, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro may have 2028 on his mind when he visits New Hampshire this weekend.” (LehighValleyNews.com)

Broadhurst Joins PA 10th Race. “Pennsylvania businessman John Broadhurst says he will be a Democratic candidate in the Pennsylvania 10th Congressional District primary next year.” (abc27)

In Some States, More Than Half Of The Local Election Officials Have Left Since 2020. “Experts say the job of an election official has grown in complexity in recent years, with county clerks now needing to be well-versed in cybersecurity, the foreign adversary threat landscape and communications, in addition to the normal tasks that go into putting on an election.” (NPR)

RNC’s Livestreaming Partner For The GOP Debate Is A Haven For Disinformation And Extremism. “By bringing viewers to Rumble to watch the GOP debate, as it did with the first one last month, the Republican National Committee is driving potential voters to a site crawling with content that flouts the rules of more mainstream ones such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.” (AP)

State

2. Bizzarro Announces Bid For State Treasurer

“A Pennsylvania Democrat announced a bid for state treasurer on Tuesday by seeking to tie his Republican opponent to two of the country’s most incendiary issues: abortion rights and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In his announcement video, Ryan Bizzarro, a member of the state House of Representatives, accuses the Republican incumbent, Stacy Garrity, of being “Pennsylvania’s highest-ranking extremist office holder.” He highlights her past support for abortion restrictions and her appearance at a rally in Harrisburg the day before the Capitol riot in which she appeared to endorse former President Donald J. Trump’s false claims that the election was rigged.” (New York Times)

Related

Information Trade: Bill Calls For Sharing Registered Voter Info With PennDOT, Other State Agencies. “After Gov. Josh Shapiro last week moved to automatically register driver’s license recipients as voters, an Allegheny County lawmaker is pushing a bill for reciprocity, saying names and addresses of newly registered voters should automatically go to PennDOT and other state agencies.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

PA House Democrats Renew Call For End To Blockade On State-Related University Aid. “Nearly three months after House Republican leaders blocked tuition aid for Pennsylvania’s state-related universities, Democratic lawmakers have renewed pressure on the GOP to stop keeping college students in limbo over “culture war” issues.” (PA Capital-Star)

Pennsylvania ‘Positive’: S&P Boosts Commonwealth’s Credit Outlook. “S&P Global Ratings said Friday it revised Pennsylvania’s credit outlook to positive from stable. At the same time, S&P affirmed its A-plus long-term rating on the state’s $10.7 billion of outstanding general obligation (GO) bonds.” (PoliticsPA)

Groups Oppose State’s Attempt To Move Money From PA Game Commission To Another Fund. “The state legislature is considering an amendment to House Bill 1300 that would transfer $150 million from the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Game Fund to the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Fund that started in 2022.” (Erie Times-News)

PA Bills To Respond To Swiftie Ticket Woes Could Have Unintended Consequences, Advocates Warn. “Consumer advocates and the tech lobby argue that as written, the bills may reinforce Ticketmaster’s monopoly on the live events industry and hurt concertgoers’ ability to buy and sell tickets to their favorite shows on the secondary market.” (Spotlight PA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. PA Lawmakers To Set Politics Aside And Team Up On Baseball Field To Fight Hunger

“How often do you see the House Republican leader and the Senate Democratic leader on the same team?

Well, Rep. Bryan Cutler and Sen. Jay Costa are among the Pennsylvania lawmakers coming out swinging on Tuesday, as they meet up on FNB Field on Harrisburg’s City Island for the seventh annual Capitol All-Stars Game.

This year’s fundraiser pits the Yinz against the Youse in their joint mission fight hunger.” (PennLive)

Related

Election 2023: What You Need To Know About The Upcoming Election, From Registration Deadlines To Who’s Running. “Voters will decide on a handful of statewide judicial races, county-level offices including Lehigh County commissioner and Northampton County Council, and multiple municipal races.” (Morning Call)

What We’re Hoping To Learn From Campaign Finance Reports From Philly Mayoral And City Council Candidates. “It’s about that time again. The nights are getting chillier, soup has started sounding more appealing, and we’re trying our darndest to get people excited about a Philadelphia general election.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Tom Conway, International President Of United Steelworkers, Dies At 71. “He was a giant in every way,” Collin O’Mara said in an interview. “Most folks have no idea the impact that he had.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• McCormick Is Dr. Oz 2.0. (Chris Kelly)
• My Day Care Was My Lifeline, And I Was Bereft When It Closed. Thousands Of PA Families Are Facing The Same Fate. (Alison McCook)
• Public Defenders Are Overworked, But ‘Funding Parity’ Is A Dead End. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Gov. Shapiro, The Fracking Clock Is Ticking. (Megan McDonough)
• Climate Litigation Would Close Pennsylvania for Business. (David N. Taylor)
• Everyone Wants To Legislate, Except Legislators. (Lowman Henry)
• Delaware County Spending Increases — Again. (Wally Nunn)
• Walking The Plank – Again. (Andy Bloom)
• ​​Shapiro, Abortion Will Be PA Dems’ 2024 Lifeline. (Dom Giordano)

1 Thing

5. Lego Hits Climate Wall

Lego scrapped a high-profile effort to make bricks from recycled plastic instead of oil-based plastics after learning it would lead to higher carbon emissions, Axios’ Rebecca Falconer writes.

Why it matters: The company’s reversal after two years shows how complex sustainability can be for even the most conscious companies.

“We tested hundreds and hundreds of materials,” Lego CEO Niels Christiansen told the Financial Times. “It’s just not been possible to find a material like that.”

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