10/7 Playbook: Court Retention Race Heats Up
???? It’s Tuesday
????️ In Today’s Playbook. State Supreme Court Battles Move to Pennsylvania. Report Names PA’s Most and Least Effective Lawmakers. The Small PA City Looking to Philly on Gun Laws. Riding the Steam Train to School.
???? Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Raspberry Beret. Prince
PA Weather
☔ Pittsburgh | Showers, 71
????️ Harrisburg | Increasing Clouds, 82
☀️ Philadelphia | Mostly Sunny, 82
PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (0-1) | LA Dodgers, 3-4 | Wed vs. LA Dodgers
???? Penguins (0-0) | Tue vs. NY Rangers
???? What’s Happening Today. The House (11:00) and Senate (1:00) are both in session.
???? What We’re Hearing. Gov. Josh Shapiro appears in a new ad that hits the airwaves on Tuesday that urges Pennsylvanians to vote “Yes” in November’s Supreme Court retention races.
???? What We’re Also Hearing. Sen. John Fetterman was one of only three members of the Democratic caucus to break ranks and vote to advance the GOP-led stopgap bill, which would fund the government until Nov. 21.
???? The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.
Top Story
1. State Supreme Court Battles Move to Pennsylvania
“There are no $1 million giveaways to voters, cheesehead hats or even candidate debates. Elon Musk is nowhere to be found.
Yet the stakes in the Pennsylvania election this fall are very much the same as they were in Wisconsin last spring: partisan control of the highest court in a crucial presidential swing state.
In November, Pennsylvania voters will decide whether three state Supreme Court justices — all Democrats — should keep their seats on a court that has been at the center of pivotal fights over voting rights, redistricting and elections.” (AP)
Elsewhere
Chrissy Houlahan Is On A Mission to Defend the Role of Women in Combat After Pete Hegseth’s Remarks. “The Pennsylvania Democrat, who served as an engineer in the Air Force, before a second career teaching high school chemistry, is on the front lines of a debate over the future of women in the military.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Jan. 6 Probe Analyzed GOP Lawmakers’ Phone Records, Senators Say. “Federal investigators collected and analyzed call records from the personal cell phones of eight senators and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) as part of an investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol building, the office of Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley said Monday.” (Roll Call)
Top Pennsylvania Democrat Beats an Anti-Robocall Lawsuit in Federal Appeals Court. “A trio of judges ruled that the federal law that restricts robocalling does not apply to state legislators conducting government business, and reversed a lower court’s decision that would have allowed a lawsuit Perrong filed against Pennsylvania House of Representatives Majority Leader Matthew Bradford to proceed to trial.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
State
2. Report Names PA’s Most and Least Effective Lawmakers – And How Partisan Divide Impacts Harrisburg
“The now months-long budget impasse in Harrisburg has many thinking: How effective are these lawmakers, anyway?
A report on legislators’ effectiveness in Pennsylvania both confirmed existing notions and raised existential questions about who among Harrisburg’s lawmakers is getting bills across the finish line – and how influential the bills will be.” (City & State)
Elsewhere
PA Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s Budget Loan Plan Called Political Ploy By Sen. Costa. “ A new loan program set up by Republican state Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity to help counties and other organizations weather a worsening state budget impasse on Monday was dubbed a political ploy by a top Democrat.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Ward Says ‘We Are The Stopgap’ After Ciattarelli Praises Shapiro. “The commonwealth’s divided government means “getting stuff done,” as Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro likes to say, doesn’t come easily. If it did, according to Republicans in the state, the commonwealth might become the “California of the East.”” (The Center Square)
Shapiro Pledged His Support For Canada, PA’s Top Export Market, While in Quebec For His First International Trip As Governor. “Before a conference of American governors and Canadian dignitaries, Shapiro gave a speech in Quebec, saying “Pennsylvania will always welcome Canadians.”” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Lancaster Country Day AI Incident Moves Lawmakers to Push Changes in Mandatory Reporting Law. “Three Lancaster County lawmakers are working on legislation that would require school administrators to report the discovery of any artificially generated sexually explicit images depicting minors, regardless of whether the perpetrator is a minor.” (LNP)
Around The Commonwealth
3. The Small PA City Looking to Philly on Gun Laws
“A series of shootings prompted York officials to ban ghost guns and machine gun converters like their colleagues in the eastern part of the state. But the laws may not stick.
The strategy of passing local laws to prevent gun violence is risky in Pennsylvania, a state with a preemption law, which gives it the sole authority to regulate firearms. Still, last February, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania upheld Philadelphia’s ghost gun ban. Since then, the city of Reading enacted a ban, as did Pennsylvania’s capital, Harrisburg, and Delaware County, which also banned switches.
Now, though, local measures in York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere are subject to a lawsuit that’s before the state Supreme Court.” (Philadelphia Citizen)
Elsewhere
Online Casinos Led PA’s $6B-Plus In Gaming Revenue For 2024-25. “Legalized gambling in Pennsylvania brought in roughly $6.4 billion in revenue to PGCB-regulated operators in the 2024-25 fiscal year, generating $2.8 billion in tax revenue for the state.” (PennLive)
Federal Funding For Housing Under Threat As Berks County Faces Record Homelessness. “Groups that serve unhoused people in Berks County may have to abandon a proven housing model or risk losing millions of dollars under expected rules from the Trump administration.” (Spotlight PA)
Clearfield County Will Make $1M In 5-Year Contracts With ICE, Moshannon Detention Center Operator. “The county enters the final year of its contracts with ICE and the GEO Group as the Trump administration has intensified efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.” (Spotlight PA State College)
Scientists Find Evidence That A Pennsylvania Town’s Water Was Contaminated By Fracking. “Three years after noticing discoloration and odors in their wells, residents in New Freeport are still fighting for clean water.” (Inside Climate News)
Editorial
4. What Do You Think?
- Federal Funding Is Not Worth Penn’s Independence | Philadelphia Inquirer
- The Trump Rules for Radical Schools | Wall Street Journal
- Pittsburgh Would Be Better Off With A Truly Contested Mayoral Race | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- The NFL Wants Your Halftime Outrage | Adriana E. Ramírez
- How the Democrats Could Stage a Comeback, According to History | Joshua Zeitz
- Two Years After 10/7, Jews Still Value Israel and Its Right to Exist | Jonathan Schulman
- Holding the Judiciary Accountable | Lowman Henry
1 Thing
5. Students Ride Historic Steam Train to School in Southern Huntingdon County
“For more than a century, the East Broad Top Railroad has been a lifeline for central Pennsylvania. Built in the 1870s, it is the oldest surviving narrow-gauge railroad east of the Mississippi — and it still runs on its original track and steam locomotives.
This fall, the railroad launched a new tradition aimed at inspiring the next generation: Take a Train to School Day. Students in the Southern Huntingdon County School District swapped out school buses for passenger cars, riding a steam-powered train directly to their high school.
“I don’t know anywhere else in the United States where you can take a steam locomotive-powered train to school in lieu of a school bus,” said Brad Esposito, General Manager of the East Broad Top Railroad.” (WPSU)
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