Hi, Tuesday. Thanks for reading the PoliticsPA Playbook

The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.

Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Chain of Fools. The great Aretha Franklin

PA Weather
⛈️ Meadville | Partly Sunny, PM T-storms, 79
☀️ Lewistown | Mostly Sunny, 86
☀️ Pottstown | Sunny, 80

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (15-13) | Tue-Thu vs. Washington
⚾ Pirates (11-18) | Tue-Thu vs. Chicago Cubs

PA Money | Futures (as of 7:43 a.m.)
💰 Dow 🔼 +173.00 | NASDAQ 🔽 -7.25 | S&P 🔼 +1.25

🔊 What We’re Hearing. The League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh will hold a forum with all four candidates for mayor tonight, beginning at 6 p.m.

✅ Reader Poll. Did Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro really want to be Kamala Harris’ vice president? Or did he ‘tank’ his interview with the vetting committee to better position himself for 2028? (PoliticsPA)

Top Story

1. “More Ambitious Than Loyal.” Why Josh Shapiro Was Not Selected to Join the 2024 Presidential Ticket

“Did Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro intentionally “tank” his vetting interview for the Vice Presidential slot on the 2024 Democratic ticket alongside Kamala Harris?

Was it arrogance? Was it “honesty, not self-sabotage’?

Or was it a question of whether the governor of the most important swing state in the country could be “a loyal Number two”?” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

DNC Calls Out “100 Days of Trump” in Pennsylvania. “While 100 days in office is celebrated in most political circles as a time to look back at the accomplishments of the first three months, the Democratic National Committee is drawing attention to what it says are abject failures in Pennsylvania.” (PoliticsPA)

10 Key Numbers That Sum Up Trump’s 1st 100 Days. “While the first 100 days don’t necessarily determine the rest of a president’s term, they may foreshadow priorities, achievements and problems to come.” (WQLN)

Trump’s Next 100 Days: Trade Deals, Foreign Policy and Reconciliation. “As President Trump looks to his next 100 days in office, White House officials said his focus can be summarized in five words: Trade deals and peace deals.” (The Hill)

Trump Transportation Secretary Says Public is Looking at DOGE Layoffs the ‘Wrong Way’ During Philly Shipyard Visit With McCormick. “Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended the federal cuts spurred by the Department of Government Efficiency during a visit to the Hanwha Philly Shipyard as Trump prepares to mark 100 days in office this week.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

State

2. Voices of Reason: Did Shapiro ‘Tank’ His VP Interview?

“On this edition of PoliticsPA’s podcast, Voices of Reason, host Steve Ulrich talks with one of the authors of the New York Times bestseller, Fight. Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House.

Jonathan Allen, senior national politics reporter with NBC News, talked about the genesis of another campaign book, the maneuvering surrounding President Joe Biden’s departure from the race, and the behind-the-scenes machinations on the vetting process for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Janelle Stelson ‘Strongly Considering’ Rematch Against US Rep. Scott Perry. “Central Pennsylvania could be in for a rare Congressional rematch in 2026.” (PennLive)

PA Democrats Face ‘Death Knell’ From Black Voter Trends; GOP Must Take Advantage: Report. “Republican consultant Albert Eisenberg says the GOP has a unique opportunity in Pennsylvania to win over traditional Democratic voters, and the time to act is now.” (PennLive)

Chapman U. Hosts Screening, Q&A With DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta. “Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts welcomed Pennsylvania state representative and Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta, accompanied by a screening of the 2022 documentary “Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn.”” (The Panther)

SEPTA Should Privatize Its Bus Routes to Save Money, PA Republican Leader Proposes. “He wants SEPTA to enter into a public-private partnership to operate its 125 bus routes, saying a contractor would save money.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

PA Educators Push For Additional Dollars to Equitably Fund Schools. “As education experts continue to note inadequate funding among the majority of the state’s K-12 schools, New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck knows there is still a long way to go in properly supporting Pennsylvania’s students.” (Greensburg Tribune-Review)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Trump Administration Finds Penn Violated Title IX With Trans Athletes

“The department said it had notified Penn President J. Larry Jameson of the finding and distributed a proposed resolution agreement to be signed within 10 days requiring the school to bar transgender athletes from women’s athletic programs and send letters of apology to female athletes whose experiences have been “marred by sex discrimination.”” (The Hill)

Elsewhere

Out-of-State Group Can’t Sue For PA Voter Registration Records, Federal Appeals Court Rules. “The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Virginia-based Public Integrity Law Foundation has no standing to sue the Pennsylvania Department of State for voter registration records under a federal law intended to increase participation in elections.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Pittsburgh City Council Members Raise Concern About City Officials’ Involvement in Gainey Re-Election Campaign. “A group of City Council members is raising concern that one of Mayor Ed Gainey’s top aides is coordinating political messaging for the mayor’s campaign with a network of outside groups and city politicians.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Hard Math on Affordable Housing Doesn’t Equal Gainey or O’Connor Claims. “Each Democratic mayoral candidate wields data showing they’re right about Pittsburgh housing.” (Public Source)

County Mailing Correct Ballots to City GOP Voters Affected by Error. “Lackawanna County planned Monday to mail correct ballots to 545 Republican voters in Scranton who, due to a printer’s error, were recently sent ballots for the 2024 primary election instead of the upcoming primary May 20.” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Editorial

4. Speak Your Mind

• Electing Judges Injects An Unseemly Mix of Money and Politics Into What Should Be a Merit-Based Process. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• At 100 Days, Trump 2.0 is in Trouble. (Wall Street Journal)
• Trump’s First 100 Days: The Start of a Golden Age. (Adam Gibbs)
• Trump’s First 100 Days: A MAGA Mess and Authoritarian Overreach. (Don Kustler)
• I’m a Conservative Economist. Here Are 6 Reasons Trump’s Plans Won’t Work. (Jessica Riedl)
• The Road to Energy Dominance Runs Through Pennsylvania. (Sen. Dave McCormick)
• Bring Domestic Steel Manufacturing Into America’s Golden Age. (Nathan Benefield)
• Pulling Back the Curtain on the Ugly Campaign to Re-elect Ed Gainey. (Brandon McGinley)

1 Thing

5. Median US CEO Pay Hits Record $16.8 Million on Soaring Stock Awards

“Median pay among top U.S. CEOs rose 7.5% to a record $16.8 million for 2024, a new study found, as big stock grants boosted leaders’ reported earnings well beyond the pay received by U.S. workers.

The executives did relatively well; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows average hourly earnings for U.S. workers rose 4% last year, while Commerce Department data shows inflation ran at just below 3% in 2024.” (Reuters)

Thank you for starting your morning with us.

And reading the PoliticsPA Playbook