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President: Harris +0.8% | Senate: Casey +3.7%

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Top Story

1. Trump, Harris Go to Pennsylvania More Than Any Other Battleground

“Want to know which state is the most critical to both former President Donald Trump’s and Vice President Kamala Harris‘ path to the White House? Just check where they’ve made the most visits: Pennsylvania.

As NBC News mapped out, both campaigns have blanketed the state in recent months, with their presidential and vice presidential nominees making about 50 appearances over the past three months, easily the greatest total of any swing state.” (NBC News)

Elsewhere

Kamala Harris Says the Constitution Is ‘At Stake’ As She Makes An Appeal to Republican Voters In Bucks County. “Vice President Kamala Harris framed former President Donald Trump as a threat to the U.S. Constitution and pledged to unify the country Wednesday in a pitch to Republicans at Washington Crossing as she tries to expand support in Pennsylvania, the key battleground of the 2024 race.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• What Kamala Harris Needs to Win Pennsylvania, According to Former Philly Mayor and Other Experts. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elon Musk Donated Nearly $75 Million to His America PAC in the Last Quarter. It’s Responsible For Trump Voter Mobilization in PA. “Musk’s America PAC powers several of his strategies to stir up and mobilize support for former President Donald Trump in swing states, like Pennsylvania.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Rallies, Fries and Steelers Game? Here Are 5 Things to Know About Trump’s Next Visit. “Former President Donald Trump is coming to Westmoreland County for a rally, and he is reportedly adding a few new twists to his typical campaign schedule.” (Greensburg Tribune-Review)

• JD Vance Falsely Claims at PA Rally That Donald Trump Didn’t Lose the 2020 Election. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

It’s All About Pennsylvania: 3 Weeks Til Election Day. “RealClearPennsylvania’s Charles McElwee took a deep dive into a particular bellwether area of swing state Pennsylvania that has big implications for the 2024 election. You’ll get a real lesson in geography and politics in this conversation, no matter where in the country you are listening from.” (The Smerconish Podcast)

State

2. U.S. House Preview: 17th Congressional District

“This is the fifth in our series highlighting the key U.S. House of Representatives races in the Commonwealth.

The 17th Congressional District comprises Allegheny and Beaver Counties.

Democrat Chris Deluzio is the incumbent and faces Republican challenger Rep. Rob Mercuri.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Raining Money: Donors Drop $14M Into Crucial House Race Between Scott Perry, Janelle Stelson. “From a scion of Walmart’s founding family to Pennsylvania’s wealthiest man, everybody’s got an opinion about Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. And boy, are they sharing.” (PennLive)

• A Trump Loyalist on the Brink. (The Atlantic)
• Q3 Congressional Fundraising Numbers. (PoliticsPA)

Keystone Candidate Forum Preview: Rep. Scott Perry on PA Economy, Energy, and Infrastructure. “All candidates for PA-10 were invited to participate in the forum. Despite several outreach efforts, we did not receive a response from Janelle Stelson’s campaign.” (PoliticsPA)

Watch the U.S. Senate Debate. “If you missed it the first time, watch the replay of the U.S. Senate debate between Sen. Bob Casey Jr., and Dave McCormick.” (PoliticsPA)

Watch the PA Attorney General Debate. “If you missed it the first time, watch the replay of the Pennsylvania Attorney General debate between Eugene DePasquale and Dave Sunday.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. How the Suburbs in Pennsylvania Could Decide the US Election

“Pennsylvania has many slogans and nicknames. “The Keystone State.” “State of Independence.” “Home of beer, chocolate, and liberty and Taylor Swift.” And now: “centre of the political universe.”

Beyond the race for the White House, arguably there’s nowhere else with a more high-stakes race. Most notably, incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey has been exchanging barbs with Republican challenger Dave McCormick in an election that could tip the balance of the US Congress.” (RTE)

Elsewhere

York County Takes Center Stage In State AG Race Between Dave Sunday and Eugene DePasquale. “When millions of Pennsylvania voters from Erie to Chester mark their ballots this fall for the state’s top law enforcement officer, they’ll be faced with a choice between two of York County’s own.” (York Dispatch)

From Christmas City to the Coal Mines: An Inside Look at the Dems’ Ground Game In PA’s Crucial Lehigh Valley. “Democrats in the two-county Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania said they are confident in their ground game ahead of what could be another narrow election result in the perennial bellwether region.” (Fox News)

Pennsylvania County Settles Federal Lawsuit Over Ballot Paper Shortages In 2022 Voting. “Luzerne County signed off last week on the settlement with two voters who, as a result of the paper shortages, were unable to cast ballots in that election at polling places in Freeland and Shickshinny. The county will pay $30,000 for litigation expenses and will train election workers, including on the topic of ordering sufficient paper.” (AP)

PA Court Rules Pat Browne Must Testify on Allentown NIZ Records. “Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled Revenue Secretary Pat Browne must testify before the Senate over his refusal to release specific NIZ tax records. ” (CNHI News)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Ashley Ehasz for Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Fearmongering Ads in PA Senate Race Overshadow Real Problems With Social Security. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• I Grew Up in Bucks County, PA. I Went Back to Try to Make Sense of the Election. (Michael Sokolove)
• Hey, PA Voters, We Need to Talk. (John Baer)
• Black Men and Kamala Harris. (James Peterson)
• World Leaders Are Looking to Pennsylvania to Save Them From Dictators and Despots. (Joyce Davis)
• Step Up and Save the U.S. Steel Deal. (Tom Danjczek)

1 Thing

5. Gimme a (Lunch) Break

“Just because you know something’s good for you doesn’t mean you always do it. That seems to be true of the corporate lunch break, according to new survey data from ezCater’s 2024 Lunch Report.

While employees say that a lunch break improves their performance (98%), makes them feel happier (51%), and increases mental clarity while lowering burnout (49%), only 38% of workers actually take a lunch break away from their desks every day.

What’s making employees skip out on lunch? If you ask millennials, it’s a bandwidth issue: 27% say they don’t have enough time to complete their work if they take a lunch break.” (The Hustle)

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