4/27 Playbook: The Independent Voter

April 27, 2026 | 8:17 AM EDT

Steve Ulrich

☀️ Good Morning! It’s the final week of April.

???? PoliticsPA Playbook Headlines. Meet Two Independent Voters. What’s Next For PA’s Human Relations Commission? Data Centers and a ‘Shotgun Marriage.’ A $77M Tax Break to Create One Job.

???? Your Morning Pick Me Up. Play That Funky Music. Wild Cherry

PA Weather
☀️ Rochester | Sunny, 74
☀️ Boiling Springs | Sunny, 69
☀️ Green Lane | Sunny. 69

???? What’s Happening Today. The House convenes at noon.

???? What We’re Hearing. “What I try to do with every piece of legislation is look at it in totality, and is it a net positive or net negative for a district? That is it,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said. “I don’t care what party, what president, what party leader supports it or opposes it, we try to take that out of the equation.”

???? Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s premier source for nonpartisan political news and analysis. Tips or press releases can be sent to [email protected].

???? The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here.

Top Story

1. Meet 2 of the 1 Million Independent PA Voters Shut Out of Next Month’s Primary

“The May primary election will likely determine who represents Bruce Parker in the Pennsylvania House. But he might not be able to cast a ballot.

Parker changed his registration in 2016, choosing to reject both major parties and become an independent for the first time in his voting career. The label — or lack thereof — is important to him. He sees it as an allegiance to the country rather than any individual political party.” | Spotlight PA

Elsewhere

Brian Fitzpatrick Thinks Josh Shapiro Will Win Reelection and Should Run For President. “As speculation builds about a 2028 presidential bid by Democratic Gov. Shapiro, a Pennsylvania swing-district Republican has already thrown his support behind those potential aspirations.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

The Trump Administration Is Dismantling FOIA. “Long-standing backlog, staffing cuts and political pressure are threatening the Freedom of Information Act.” | NOTUS

Republican Group Puts PA On Its 2026 State Legislative Target List. “The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is bullish on Pennsylvania. Despite the Democrats’ popular and well-funded governor at the head of the ticket this year, the RSLC believes Republicans can take back the state House and hold their majority in the Senate.” | Broad + Liberty

Congressional Hopeful Ala Stanford’s Black Doctors Consortium Was Fueled By $13 Million In Public Funding. “The Inquirer reviewed hundreds of pages of tax filings, financial disclosure statements, and other public documents to account for Stanford’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars that flowed from federal, local, and state sources.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

State

2. Following An Investigation And Resignations, What’s Next For PA’s Human Relations Commission?

“For 70 years, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission has enforced civil rights throughout the commonwealth.

But in a matter of weeks, the number of PHMC commissioners fell from seven to five, below the six required for a quorum, and the body’s executive director signaled he would leave in June.

The governor’s office declined to respond to questions about why Gov. Josh Shapiro hasn’t made any appointments, nor did it say if he planned to appoint any members in the near future.” | Penn Capital-Star

Elsewhere

PA-7 Democratic Debate Goes Negative Over Brooks Facebook Posts Criticizing Obama and Defending Guns. “Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure on Thursday launched sharp attacks at firefighter union boss Bob Brooks in the final televised debate for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District’s Democratic primary.” | LehighValleyNews

Democratic Candidates For 10th Congressional District Field Questions In Forum. “Congressional hopefuls Janelle Stelson and Justin Douglas made their cases to Democratic primary voters at a candidate forum on Saturday at Central Penn College.” | abc27

Bucks County Dems for Congress to Face Off At Forum Monday. “The League of Women Voters is hosting the event at 7 p.m. Monday for Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie and Quakertown mathematician Lucia Simonelli, who are vying for the PA-01 seat held by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.” | Bucks County Courier Times

PA Warns Election Officials To Be Wary Of Efforts To Access, Undermine Voting Systems. “A recent state directive on election security suggests officials keep a close eye on possible efforts to question election results this fall — including any initiated by the administration of President Donald Trump.” | WESA

Federal Court Dismisses ‘Election Integrity’ Group’s Lawsuit Over PA Election Rolls. “Pennsylvania’s ban on publishing publicly accessible voter data on the internet doesn’t conflict with federal election law or the First Amendment, a federal judge in Harrisburg ruled this week.” | Penn Capital-Star

Around The Commonwealth

3. As Data Center Site Work Starts, Neighbors Struggle With ‘The Monster Next Door’

“First, came the trucks.

Then, came the blasting.

For some of the Middlesex Township residents living adjacent to central Pennsylvania’s first hyperscale data center, the same rumbles and shakes are the first act of an anxious, shotgun marriage.” | PennLive

Elsewhere

When Could Medicaid Abortion Coverage Start In PA? “The April 20 decision could enable a major expansion in public coverage of these procedures across the Keystone State, eliminating a financial barrier that advocates say has long faced low-income women who rely on Medicaid to afford health care.” | USA Today Network

Pennsylvania Leans On Volunteer Firefighters — But Fewer Are Signing Up. “Pennsylvania is facing a worsening volunteer firefighter crisis that could leave some communities without a reliable emergency response.” | Axios Philadelphia

Meet the 2 Democrats Running to Face Sen. Jarrett Coleman In November. “The two Democrats vying for a chance to unseat Republican state Sen. Jarrett Coleman in November are hoping to represent a district poised for explosive growth over the next decade.” | Allentown Morning Call

Editorial

4. What Do You Think?

City Council’s Unaccountable Spending Makes A Mockery Of City Budget Crunch | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Democrats’ Premature Elation Trap | Frank Bruni
PA Unions Are Spending Your Tax Dollars To Pick Your Politicians | David R. Osborne
Rep. Summer Lee Really Showed Up and Showed Out Last Week On Capitol Hill | Jenice Armstrong
Pittsburgh Can Choose To Look This Nice All The Time | Brandon McGinley
Trump Administration Gets It Right On Weed | Adriana E. Ramírez
Marijuana Is For Dummies | Wall Street Journal
Fairness For Women — Or Fairness At Women’s Expense? | Beth Ann Rosica
The SAVE America Act, and Why Pennsylvania Needs It, Part 2 | Felice Fein

1 Thing

5. This Data Center Is Getting a $77 Million Tax Break to Create One Job

“On a February morning in 2024, a little-known agency in Rockland County held a public hearing on a proposed subsidy for the expansion of a JPMorganChase data center in Orangeburg, near the New Jersey border. In return for nearly $77 million in tax breaks, the project promised to create exactly one permanent job.

No one showed up. After 20 minutes of silence, an agency official called the meeting to a close. Two weeks later, the subsidy deal was approved.

The kind of tax breaks JPMorganChase received, doled out by local agencies called industrial development agencies, were designed first and foremost to attract companies that bring steady jobs. Data centers — which require major investment but few workers — call that premise into question.” | New York Focus

Thanks to you for starting your week with us.
Make it a good one. See you tomorrow.

Steve Ulrich

Ulrich has worked as managing editor of PoliticsPA since January 2022 after spending two years as the Director of Elections in York (Pa.) County. Prior to that, he spent 35 years as a college athletics administrator. Send email to [email protected]