???? Good Morning! Happy Cinco de Mayo

???? PoliticsPA Playbook Headlines. Infighting Erupts As Democrats Intervene In Contested Primaries. Garrity Says No To Approving Recreational Cannabis.  More PA Voters Are Registering As Independents, But Barriers Stop Lawmakers From Following. Ozempic Breath.

???? Your Morning Pick Me Up. Cinco de Mayo. Pitbull

PA Weather
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PA Sports 
⚾  Pirates (19-16) | Tue-Thu at Arizona
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????  Sixers (0-1) | New York 98-137 | Wed at New York
????  Flyers (0-2) | Carolina 2-3 (OT) | Thu vs. Carolina

???? What We’re Hearing. The Garrity for PA Campaign launched its first two television ads of the campaign, entitled: “Mr. Incompetent” and “Service and Leadership.” The initial ad buy is more than $500,000.

???? 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.   Infighting Erupts As Democrats Intervene In Contested Primaries

“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sparked a rare and heated bout of public infighting between House Democrats on Monday by endorsing multiple candidates who are still locked in contested primaries. 

Lamont McClure, a candidate in Pennsylvania’s 7th district, told Axios in a phone interview that being passed over won’t impact his relationship with party leaders if he wins.

“When I am our nominee and [GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie] is toast, I think the DCCC and all its members will be really happy about that,” he said.” | Axios

Elsewhere

House Democratic Campaign Arm’s Endorsements Frustrate Latino Colleagues. “BOLD PAC, the campaign committee of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told Semafor that Democrats would have to work to earn Latino voters’ trust after bypassing their preferred candidates in districts with substantial Latino populations, including Carol Obando-Derstine of Pennsylvania.” | Semafor

Shapiro Says He Didn’t Tell a Union to Support a GOP Nominee Over a Democrat Who Criticized Him. His Top Labor Allies Backed the Republican Anyway, “Gov. Josh Shapiro is facing questions about whether he tried to help elect a Republican candidate over a member of his own party who had publicly criticized him, after an audio recording leaked this week alleging that the first-term Democratic governor pushed a top labor union to support the GOP candidate for Pennsylvania treasurer in the 2024 election.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

NRCC Touts Financial Edge In Midterms. “Just six months out from the midterms, the NRCC is arguing in a new memo released Tuesday that the Republican financial advantage will help protect its House majority.” | Punchbowl News

State

2.  Garrity Says No To Approving Recreational Cannabis On Her Watch

“Probable Republican candidate for governor Stacy Garrity said during an interview that if proposed legislation to end the prohibition on recreational cannabis ever reached her desk, she would veto it.

“I don’t support legalizing recreational marijuana,” said the state treasurer, said in an interview with NBC10 Philadelphia.” | PoliticsPA

Elsewhere

Pennsylvania Suing Character AI, Claiming Chatbot Posed As A Medical Professional. “According to a lawsuit, a Character AI chatbot falsely claimed to be a licensed psychiatrist in Pennsylvania and provided an invalid license number. The state accused the company of violating the Medical Practice Act, which regulates the medical profession and defines license requirements.” | CBS News

Shapiro Joins Multistate Effort To Reverse Abortion Medication Limits. “The friend-of-the-court brief followed the ruling Friday by a federal appeals court panel that required that mifepristone — one of the most common methods of medication abortion — be dispensed only in person at clinics, thereby blocking mailing of prescriptions.” | PennLive

Six Arrested In PA Capitol While Protesting Gifts To Lawmakers. “As it stands, state lawmakers can take any amount of cash gifts from people, including lobbyists, but must disclose any gifts over $250. Federal law and at least 47 states have stricter campaign finance laws. MarchOnHarrisburg organizers argued that simply disclosing gifts is not enough.” | PennLive

Shapiro Says Regulated Utility System Is ‘Broken’. “In a letter sent to 24 electric, gas and water utilities, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told the companies’ CEOs that “the 20th century utility model is broken — we can no longer simply prioritize corporate profitability to drive infrastructure development.”” | WHYY

Around The Commonwealth

3.   More PA Voters Are Registering As Independents, But Barriers Stop Lawmakers From Following

“In February, Lehigh County Commissioner Ron Beitler made a decision that he described as a “political suicide” — he left the GOP and chose not to affiliate with any political party.

He ultimately decided that going independent would help him better communicate with constituents in his district.

“Because of these hyperpartisan silos of 24-hour cable news cycles and social media, party affiliation became a very distinct barrier, and I was just interested in removing that barrier,” he said.” | Spotlight PA

Elsewhere

School Phone Bans Boost Wellness But Not Test Scores, Study Says, As PA Mulls Statewide Policy. “As Pennsylvania lawmakers continue to try to forge a deal on a statewide school cell phone policy, a wide-ranging study has found that phone bans improve students’ well-being, but not necessarily their test scores.” | PennLive

Pennsylvania Democrats Rebuke ‘Traitor’ Fetterman As Party Threatens Primary Challenge. “The Democratic Party of Monroe County called Sen. John Fetterman a “traitor” to his state and his party over the weekend.” | Washington Examiner

2026 Primary Election: Pennsylvania State House (R). “Here is a look at the candidates in contested races for the Republican nomination to the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives.” | PoliticsPA

2026 Primary Election: Pennsylvania State House (D). “Here is a look at the candidates in contested races for the Democratic nomination to the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives.” | PoliticsPA

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• Trump Is Losing Normie Republicans | Kristen Soltis Anderson
• The Voting Rights Act Long Ago Achieved Its Original Purpose | George Will
• Mifepristone as a Tool of Coercion | Sierra Dawn McClain
• Reclaiming Independence Park | Jeffrey H. Anderson
• The Supreme Court Needs a Clock | Frank Miele
• States Are Right To Push Back on the DOJ’s Pursuit of Voter Data | Kathy Boockvar and John Lindback
• An Eye For An Eye in the Gerrymandering Wars Will Make Us All Blind | Kyle Sammin
• Free Speech Means Kimmel Has the Right to Ridicule You | Stephen L. Carter

1 Thing

5.   “Ozempic Breath” Is Boosting Hershey’s Sales of Mints and Gum

“Candy giant Hershey is getting a sales boost from an unexpected consumer segment: users of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

Hershey CEO Kirk Tanner said in the company’s first-quarter earnings call that while appetite suppressants are leading customers to consume smaller portions of popular snacks, the drugs are also boosting demand for breath fresheners. 

Along with slimming waistlines, drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy sometimes produce the side effect of bad breath, according to medical professionals.” | CBS News

Thanks for starting your day with us.
Ozempic breath, hmmm? See you tomorrow.