Working On 2026, Looking at 2028. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
It’s Friday. Let’s dance.
Your Morning Pick Me Up. Dancing With Myself. Billy Idol
PA Weather
Washington | Sunny, 63 Williamsport | Sunny, 61 Wallingford | Sunny, 61
PA Sports 
Steelers (4-2) | Sun vs. New Orleans Eagles (2-4) | Mon vs. Dallas Pitt (5-2) | Sat at Miami
Union (13W, 7D, 10L) | Sat vs. New England
Sixers (2-0) | Cleveland 114-106 | Sat vs. Milwaukee
Flyers (2-6-3) | Sat vs. Anaheim Penguins (4-6-1) | Florida 4-0 | Sat vs. Nashville
What We’re Listening To. Today, we will pull back the curtain on modern election strategies. On this episode of Voices of Reason, Steve Ulrich speaks with Andrew Arenge, Director of Operations for the Penn Opinion Research and Election Studies Department. Arenge has also been a member of the NBC Election Night team since 2016. They will discuss how campaigns spend money online, how data modelling shapes election reporting, and the realities of polling.
What We’re Hearing. “House Budget Vice Chair Lloyd Smucker confirmed to reporters on Thursday he is eyeing the top spot on the committee next year. The Pennsylvania Republican also said he believes Republicans will take up their third reconciliation bill after the election.”
The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. For the web version, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Top Story
“Josh Shapiro knows you’re going to ask.
He won’t flinch when you do. No jutted lip, no flicker of emotion. No fiddling with his wedding band or smart ring, one on each hand.
He’s been preparing for this kind of thing for decades.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
Ballot Rejections Soared in Rural Counties After USPS Reduced Mail Service. “a ProPublica data analysis shows that delays resulting from the U.S. Postal Service’s cost-cutting measures have endangered the validity of ballots cast in rural areas, not only in Washington state, but across the country.” | ProPublica
Look Up Whether Your ZIP Code is Affected by U.S. Postal Service Changes That Can Slow Mail Delivery. “My 17603 zip code is not. A Lehigh Valley zip code of 18104 is.” | ProPublica
Data Centers Are ‘Front and Center’ in Pennsylvania’s Competitive Congressional Elections. “But with bipartisan opposition growing, it’s still unclear how the issue will affect the midterm results.” | Inside Climate News
‘Come Join Us,’ Former GOP PA Lawmaker Urges Fetterman to Switch Parties. “Matthew Dowling of Fayette County, who served three terms in the House before a driving under the influence charge derailed his political career, has written an open letter encouraging the beleaguered Sen. John Fetterman to abandon the Democratic Party.” | PennLive
State
“State Treasurer Stacy Garrity launched her bid for governor last year, immediately receiving the Republican Party’s blessing and praise from Republicans across the state who saw her as their best shot at the governor’s mansion.
“This is a gift to the Republican Party,” Peter Quaglia, a delegate from Wayne County told reporters at the Pennsylvania Republican Party annual meeting last September.
With days to go until the election, however, Garrity is trailing in the most recent polls by double digits, has only raised a fraction of the funds Josh Shapiro has raked in and may have become a liability to down-the-ballot races.” | WHYY
Elsewhere
Perry’s Unsubstantiated Claims in Ad Could Lead to Stelson Lawsuit. “As the days dwindle to a few in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District contest between incumbent Rep. Scott Perry and Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson, the mud is flying around the Capitol Region.” | PoliticsPA
How a Handful of State Senate Races Could Shape Pennsylvania’s Future. “If Democrats flip the state Senate, it could give them full control in Harrisburg for the first time in a generation.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
2026 Election Preview: 40th Senate District. “A key race in NEPA pits incumbent Rosemary Brown against Democrat Brian Wrightson.” | PoliticsPA
As Pennsylvania’s Legislature Wraps Up Its Session, Many Bipartisan Bills Are Poised to Fail. “As state lawmakers wrap up their legislative session, a long list of proposals with bipartisan support and keen public interest is on track to fail, forcing those issues back to the starting line next year.” | Spotlight PA
Around The Commonwealth
“Speaking on the Michael Smerconish Show on SiriusXM on Thursday, state Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) says that children in Pennsylvania are falling farther and farther behind in the classroom and changes need to be made.
“We have to change how we educate our children,” said Williams. “That means you have to have educational choice which means the tax dollars which we are currently all pay should be spent in a different kind of way than currently we spend them.”” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Innamorato Signs First-in-Nation Paid Parental Leave Policy For Allegheny County. “County Executive Sara Innamorato signed the Allegheny County Paid Parental Leave legislation, passed by Council on Tuesday by a vote of 11-4, into law.” | PoliticsPA
Trump Administration Ordered to Pause Noncitizen Voting Probe in PA. “U.S. District Court Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in Oakland found the government’s effort is relying on data that is full of errors and that it’s leading to intimidation of groups performing voter assistance efforts.” | AP
Washington Co. Must Keep Looking For Email Referencing Investigation Into GOP Candidate. “The state Office of Open Records is telling Washington County’s government to look harder for an email apparently sent from an unidentified county elections official to a GOP campaign committee claiming Republican state Senate candidate Al Buchtan was under “active investigation” for voter fraud.” | Observer-Reporter
The Colonial DNA Behind Pennsylvania’s Purple Complexion. “At Philadelphia’s Carpenters’ Hall, the birthplace of the commonwealth, historian Colin Woodard explained how a pluralistic legacy birthed a perpetual swing state.” | City & State
Editorial
1 Thing
“The national voter turnout organization, When We All Vote, has fought for safe and intimidation-free elections for the past decade. Their strategy? Bringing the party to the polls themselves.
Party at the Polls is a national initiative that brings people together with culture, music, food, and community. When We All Vote has thrown over 3,000 parties around the country, which have directly helped increase voter turnout by 2-4 percent since its founding, making Party at the Polls an effective and fun way to fight against voter suppression.” | The Keystone
Thank you for starting your Friday with us.
It’s the weekend. Enjoy! See you Monday.
