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What’s Happening Today. The PA House convenes at noon, the Senate at 1 p.m.

Daily Bruce. “You can’t start a fire, You can’t start a fire without a spark. This gun’s for hire, even if we’re just dancing in the dark” – Dancing in the Dark

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Top Story

1. How Being An Irish Woman From Allegheny County May Have Helped McClelland Secure PA’s Biggest Primary Upset

“In an otherwise quiet election, there was one surprise Tuesday: the outcome of the Democratic primary for state treasurer.

Erin McClelland, an Allegheny County native, beat the state party’s endorsed candidate who outraised her 5-1. McClelland won by 8 percentage points and will take on Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity in November.

Several Democratic insiders and experts said McClelland’s native county, name, and gender likely played a decisive role for voters who knew little about the office or the candidates.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

In Low-Turnout PA Primary, Location And Luck May Have Mattered More Than Policy. “Location, reputation, demographics, and pure luck may have mattered more than policy differences in Pennsylvania’s row office primary elections this week.” (Spotlight PA)

Analysis: Turnout in the Pennsylvania 2024 Primary. “Haley’s performance, Biden’s totals and McCormick’s gap are all reflected in the data.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Despite Climate Crisis, US Green Party Struggling For Traction. “Climate change is a major issue on the US political agenda, yet the country’s Green Party and its candidate Jill Stein are next to invisible in the presidential race.” (CNHI News)

State

2. PA House Republicans Steadfast on Blocking Embattled Rep. Boyle’s Votes

“The withdrawal of an arrest warrant earlier this week for state Rep. Kevin Boyle has not changed the resolve of Republican lawmakers to stop his vote from being counted while he is absent from the House chamber, a GOP spokesman said Friday.

Democrats, who control the House by one vote, say they are powerless under the chamber’s rules to revoke the letter that Boyle signed to allow his vote to be cast by the majority whip, a common practice among lawmakers that allows them to attend to other matters during routine votes. ” (Penn Capital-Star)

Related

DePasquale, Former State Rep and Fiscal Watchdog, Looks To Bring Decades Of Experience to AG’s Office. “The name Eugene DePasquale is a familiar one not only to York County — but arguably to Pennsylvania at large.” (York Dispatch)

Fun With Maps II: Sunday’s Path to the GOP AG Nomination. “PoliticsPA put together an interactive map of the vote totals by percentage received by Dave Sunday and Craig Williams to give you an indication of how the 67 counties cast their vote on Tuesday.” (PoliticsPA)

State Advisory Committee Releases Plan For Historic Public Defense Money. “The committee in charge of Pennsylvania’s newly appropriated public defense dollars revealed Friday just how much of the historic funding each county will be able to access, with both larger metropolitan counties and rural jurisdictions alike eligible for the largest awards.” (Spotlight PA)

General Assembly Calendar. “Here are the dates that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate will be in session through the end of the fiscal year.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Keys to Mackenzie’s Win: Name Recognition, Outside Support And ‘An Army Of Grassroot Supporters’

“When Ryan Mackenzie cruised to victory in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District last week, it was the payoff of years of patience and networking — and months of planning.

Mackenzie won across the region, eking out close wins in Northampton and Carbon counties and handily winning the district’s small portion of Monroe County.

But Mackenzie ran up the score in his home Lehigh County, where he won 49% of the vote — 11 points better than Kevin Dellicker, who finished second.” (LehighValleyNews.com)

Related

Ehasz Sees Fundraising, DCCC Attention Boost In Race For Congress. Why It Matters. “While the Army veteran helicopter pilot Ashley Ehasz lost by nearly 10 points to former FBI agent Brian Fitzpatrick when the two last went head-to-head in 2022, an early 2024 fundraising spike and potential national attention from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) could make this year’s election more than a repeat of two years ago.” (Bucks County Courier Times)

• Ashley Ehasz Ramps Up Campaign Against Incumbent Congressman. (Levittown Now)

PA Voters Talk How The Economy May Impact Their Choice For President. “In Northampton County, Pa., voters speak out about how inflation affects their views on this year’s presidential candidates.” (NPR)

Snyder County’s New Election Director Survived PA’s 2024 Primary. The Big Test Comes In November. “Even before the sun was up on primary Election Day, Devin Rhoads was putting out fires.” (Votebeat)

Pennsylvania’s Innovation Economy Remains Challenged. “Pennsylvania’s innovation economy is highly concentrated in three hubs, and expanding growth statewide remains a challenge. Though the commonwealth has some strengths in research, it’s not translating into its full potential, said the director of Brookings Metro.” (The Center Square)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• If The Economy’s Doing Great, Why Are Voters So Worried? Don’t Ask Joe Biden. (Jennifer Stefano)
• It’ll Always Be Summer-time in Pittsburgh. (Brandon McGinley)
• With a Mayoral Election In View, Three Themes For the Next Year of Pittsburgh Politics. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Supporting Our Allies Is Putting America First. (Mark Singel)
• Legislation Will Allow Pennsylvania To Crack Down On Illegal Gambling Machines. (Frank Noonan)
• This Second Chance Month, Let’s Help Returning Americans Get Back To Work. (Rep. Lloyd Smucker)
• Can Civility Return To Politics? (Tribune-Review)
• Former Republican Examines Trump’s Assault On Rule Of Law. (Gregory Hand)

1 Thing

5. Young America’s Wealth Boom

“Average household wealth for those under 40 in the U.S. is up 49% from its pre-pandemic level, Axios’ Emily Peck writes from a new analysis by the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

Why it matters: Young households haven’t seen wealth growth like this since the Fed started tracking the data in 1989.

Stunning stat: Millennials — currently ages 27-43 — saw their wealth double over this period, according to the analysis.” (Axios)

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