5/11 Playbook: Inside the AOC vs. Shapiro Proxy War

May 11, 2026 | 8:13 AM EDT

Steve Ulrich

???? Good Morning! Cheers to the new week

???? PoliticsPA Playbook Headlines. Inside the AOC vs. Shapiro Proxy War. Shapiro to State Senate: “Come Back To Work” and “Do Their Jobs.” How Lehigh Valley Electorate Has Changed. No Cheesesteaks at PGA Championship.

???? Your Morning Pick Me Up. Wagon Wheel. Darius Rucker

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Top Story

1. Inside the AOC vs. Shapiro Proxy War

“Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is quietly trying to derail a left-wing congressional candidate championed by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The May 19 primary is shaping up as an early test of strength for the two potential 2028 presidential campaign rivals.

The contest is also a microcosm of the nationwide civil war between the Democratic Party’s liberal and centrist wings.” | Axios

Elsewhere

Shapiro Endorses Harvie In PA-01. “Bob Harvie’s campaign for the 1st Congressional District received a big boost on Sunday as Gov. Josh Shapiro formally endorsed the Bucks County Commissioner.” | PoliticsPA

PA-03: Big Money Is Flooding Into the Philly Congressional Race As All Three Front-Runners Hit the Airwaves. “Progressive groups have dropped $1 million on ads for Chris Rabb, while Philly’s deep-pocketed building trades unions are circulating mail to boost Sharif Street. Ala Stanford’s ads have been on TV for months.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Philly Congressman Could Hold Powerful Role If Democrats Win Big. “U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle won’t talk about it without first knocking on wood. Should Democrats gain a House majority in November, he would chair the powerful committee tasked with overseeing the federal budget process.” | WHTM

PA-07: Who Can Beat Trump-Loving PA Congressman? 4 Dems Make Their Case. “The stakes couldn’t be higher. The winner of the Democrat primary in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District will be showered with millions in campaign cash in the hope of knocking off a seemingly vulnerable GOP incumbent and helping turn the U.S. House blue in this year’s midterm elections.” | PennLive

PA-10: Democratic Candidates Speak Ahead Of Primary. “The Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District is entering its final stretch, as former television news anchor Janelle Stelson and Justin Douglas make their closing arguments to Democratic voters in interviews with FOX43” | WPMT

State

2. Shapiro to State Senate: “Come Back To Work” and “Do Their Jobs”

“Calling out the Pennsylvania State Senate that is presently scheduled to reconvene on June 1, Gov. Josh Shapiro said that the chamber should “come back to work” and “get a budget to my desk as soon as possible.”

Speaking in Lancaster County on Friday, the governor was asked by PoliticsPA for his response to a statement from Democratic Sens. Jay Costa and Vincent Hughes that Senate Republicans were “wasting time.”

“But they should come back to work. They should do their jobs. They should get a budget to my desk as soon as possible.”” | PoliticsPA

Elsewhere

Governor Urges Feds to Issue Disaster Declaration For Ag Producers Devastated By Crop Freeze. “Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Lancaster County on Friday and called upon the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expedite disaster assistance to Pennsylvania farmers impacted by a severe April freeze.” | PoliticsPA

PA House Democrats Plan Bill to Shield Minority Voters After Landmark Supreme Court Ruling. “Democrats in the state House are planning to introduce legislation that would stiffen Pennsylvania’s standards for how minority voters are represented, in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court decision that created a less-stringent interpretation of the federal Voting Rights Act.” | PennLive

Shapiro Maintains Big Cash Lead As Garrity Lags In Fundraising. “Gov. Josh Shapiro’s campaign fundraising continues to eclipse Republican challenger Stacy Garrity’s efforts as he ended the latest reporting period with over $36 million more in available cash than she did.” | PennLive

McCormick Says Gas Prices Could Drop Soon. “Sen. Dave McCormick told Axios Thursday gas prices should come down rapidly when the Iran war ends, which he expects will be relatively soon.” | Axios Pittsburgh

Around The Commonwealth

3. How Has Lehigh Valley Electorate Changed Since Last Midterm Election?

“While the number of Lehigh Valley voters grew almost 5% in the four years since the last midterm election, now totaling more than 484,000 registrants, the number of Democrats shrank by more than 5,000, or 2.4%, while Republicans surged by more than 13,000, or 8.2%.

But those who choose to be a member of neither major party grew at an even faster rate of 16.2% over four years, now topping 101,000 Lehigh Valley voters, a new Morning Call analysis of registered voters shows.” | Allentown Morning Call

Elsewhere

PA Supreme Court Ruling On Cast Vote Records Creates Uncertainty For Counties. “In a rare unanimous decision last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the public should have access to super-granular election results data, making it easier for researchers to analyze electoral patterns and for those concerned about voter fraud to inspect the results. But it’s unclear how many counties will be able to release the data due to unanswered technological questions and concern about keeping ballots secret in some jurisdictions.” | Spotlight PA

Two Southwestern PA Senators Facing GOP Primary Challengers. “State Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin, is being challenged in the Republican primary by Harry Young Cochran of Connellsville as he tries to win his fourth term in office for the 32nd state Senate District. To the west, state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll, is facing Republican challenger Al Buchtan of Cumberland Township as she also tries to win a fourth term in office for the 46th state Senate District.” | Uniontown Herald-Standard

HD-148: An Unusually Crowded Primary to Replace State Rep. Mary Jo Daley Is Playing Out In Montco. “Four candidates are jockeying for Daley’s seat: former Narberth Mayor Andrea Deutsch, Pennsylvania House staffer Megan Griffin-Shelley, environmental attorney Jason Landau Goodman, and criminal justice researcher Leo Solga.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

HD-45: Catena Apologizes For Mailer Attacking Rival Over Transgender Athletes. “Pat Catena, the Allegheny County Council President who is running for a state House seat, is apologizing for a campaign mailer which faulted his rival Brittany Bloam for being “supported by an extreme left group that advocates for transgender athletes in our sports.”” | WESA

Editorial

4. What Do You Think?

Stay and Fight — Why John Fetterman Should Remain a Democrat | Terry Tracy
Why Is A Dem Dark Money Group Spending Money to Get Me — A GOP Consultant — To Switch to Democrat? | Christopher Nicholas
$15 Minimum Wage Should Be a Nonstarter | Colin McNickle
How Pennsylvania’s New Paid Leave Bill Leaves the Sandwich Generation Behind | Kate Perepezko
Shapiro Betrayed Pennsylvania Kids In 2023. He Cannot Do It Again In 2026 | Andrew Lewis
Open Primaries Are A Bad Idea | Pat Wandling
A Clean Debate On Emissions Inspection | Tribune-Review

1 Thing

5. 7,000 Wawa Donuts and 600 Isgro Desserts Bring Philly Flavor to PGA Championship, But No Cheesesteaks

“You won’t be able to buy a cheesesteak at the 2026 PGA Championship, but provisions from Wawa, Isgro Pastries and several other Philadelphia-area companies will be on the menu at Aronimink Golf Club when play begins next week.

Patina Group, the catering partner for PGA of America, will source from a dozen other local businesses for various items and ingredients. Wawa is providing 7,104 donuts for the tournament, and South Philadelphia’s Isgro Pastries will make 600 desserts, including 90 pounds of Italian cookies. LeBus Bakery in King of Prussia will supply 1,400 bagels, and Levante Brewing Co. of West Chester will contribute 2,600 cans of its brew The Mink IPA.” | Philadelphia Business Journal

Thanks for starting your week with us.
Make it a great one. See you Tuesday.

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]