September 18 Playbook: Survey Finds Democrats Up, Voters Eager For Change
Battleground District Poll shows Dems in strong position. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
📣 It’s Friday. 46 days until the midterms
🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. Soul Power Twist. Little Steven
PA Weather
🌤️ Oakmont | Decreasing Clouds, 77
🌤️ Toftrees | Decreasing Clouds, 77
🌤️ Merion | Partly Sunny, 84
PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (85-68, +1.0 GB WC) | NY Mets 3-0 | Fri-Sun at NY Mets
⚾ Pirates (76-77) | Milwaukee 7-4 | Fri-Sun vs. Kansas City
🏈 Eagles (1-0) | Sun at Tennessee
🏈 Steelers (1-0) | Sun at New England
🏈 Penn State (2-0) | Sat vs. Buffalo
🏈 Pitt (3-0) | Syracuse 27-13 | Sat vs. Bucknell
🏈 Temple (1-1) | Sat at Toledo
⚽ Union (8W, 6D, 10L) | Sat at Kansas City
🔈 What We’re Hearing. “We’ve got to regulate this. We have to have real guardrails. We have to understand this technology better. You’ve got to have third parties be in the rooms with these companies, understanding what they’re doing. When the CEO says, ‘I can’t control what I’ve built, and what I’m building could destroy humanity,’ that’s not time to kick the can down the road.” – Gov. Josh Shapiro on AI
🔈 What We’re Hearing Too. “I will take this fight wherever it needs to go. The next step is the U.S. Supreme Court, and I will continue fighting for the right of voters in PA’s 7th Congressional District to have another choice on the ballot.” – Andrew Tupone
💬 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. For the web version, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Top Story
1. Cook Political Report Survey Finds Democrats Up, Voters Eager For Change
“Democrats are in a strong position to flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives according to a new poll from The Cook Political Report.
The CPR Battleground District Poll surveyed voters in 37 districts rated as Lean Republican, Toss Up, or Lean Democratic according to the organization, including Pennsylvania’s 7th, 8th, and 10th Congressional Districts.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Shapiro’s Not An AI ‘Doomer,’ But the PA Governor Wants Federal Regulations For the Industry. “Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday called on the federal government to enact new guardrails on artificial intelligence, days after a number of tech industry figures raised concerns about the danger posed by AI’s rapid development.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Scalise Puts GOP High-Water Mark at 225 House Seats. “House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is staring at a scary political environment for Republicans and claiming to see something very different: a path to 225 seats. Why it matters: Republican leaders insist they can retain the majority, but only if they drive their voters to the polls by manufacturing the kind of voter enthusiasm Democrats are generating organically.” | Axios
Before the Final Midterm Whistle, Senate Spends Time On Sports. “The last thing the Senate does before the midterms could be a bill on college athletics. It’s been on the to-do list for a while, but as senators think about their closing message ahead of the election, not everyone is sure it’s the best call.” | Roll Call
Pennsylvania Asks CDC For Emergency Assistance Amid RFK Jr. Clash Over Measles. “The request for that assistance, known as Epi-Aid, comes on the condition that the CDC publicly recognize the four people in the commonwealth who have died from measles-related complications, which the agency has so far refused to do.” | The Hill
State
2. Gov. Josh Shapiro Spent More Than $2.4 Million on Ads This Week. His GOP Opponent Stacy Garrity Spent $672
“Gov. Josh Shapiro is dominating Pennsylvania’s media markets in his reelection campaign, spending more than $24 million with seven weeks left until the Nov. 3 election — and trouncing his GOP challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who has spent a small fraction of that on ads.
Shapiro, a Democrat seeking reelection and potentially a 2028 White House bid, has spent more than $2.4 million per week since Aug. 25 in advertisements from his campaign war chest topping $50 million, according to media tracking firm AdImpact. He’s also released a number of audience-specific ads to reach Black and Latino voters, including a radio advertisement in Spanish in the Lehigh Valley.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
Election 2026: The 6 State Senate Races We’re Watching. “We are now less than 50 days from the midterm elections and if Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to see his dream of the Democratic trifecta in Harrisburg come true, his party has to hold the governor’s mansion and its majority in the State House, while flipping the majority in the state Senate.” | PoliticsPA
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Says No To Andrew Tupone in PA-07. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling to keep Andrew Tupone, a Green Party candidate, off the 7th Congressional District ballot.” | PoliticsPA
PA-09: Meuser-Wallace Debate Announced, Hits Capacity. “The Schuylkill County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the PA-09 contenders debate at Penn State Schuylkill on Oct. 20. Public registration closed after the 250-seat venue filled within hours of the debate’s announcement, challenger Rachel Wallace’s campaign said in a release.” | NorthCentralPA.com
‘So Much Chaos’: Escalating Trade War With Canada Impacts PA’s Largest Export Market. “Christian Klanica has seen so many changes in tariff policies that he’s struggling to keep up with the latest levies flying between the U.S. and Canada and the impacts they could have on his Hempfield-based machining company. Already, tariffs have forced up prices and prompted him to pause purchases.” | Tribune-Review
“Nobody’s Coming to Save Us”: One Small Pennsylvania Town Fights Off A Data Center. “I went to rural Pennsylvania last week to answer a question: As fervor grows around data centers and politicians in both parties take stances that restrict their development, how do voters deeply invested in the issue choose which candidate or political party to trust?” | Out of State
Around The Commonwealth
3. The Protect College Sports Act: What Does It Mean For Penn State, Pitt, Fetterman and McCormick?
“It is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in collegiate sports history and Pennsylvania’s senators find themselves in a unique position as the Protect College Sports Act reaches the Senate floor.
The Protect College Sports Act is a bipartisan federal bill introduced in May 2026 to create a uniform national standard for college athletics. It replaces a confusing patchwork of state name, image, and likeness (NIL) laws with a single federal rulebook. The bill grants athletic associations a limited antitrust exemption. This safe harbor allows organizations to enforce rules on revenue sharing, transfer windows, and athlete eligibility without facing frequent federal lawsuits.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Mayor Parker Has Ordered a Task Force to Study Data Centers in Philly and Report Back by June. “Cherelle Parker said the issue is of “grave importance.” But activists who have called on the city to pass a moratorium on data centers called her move too little, too late.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Right-Wing Operative Brags That This Big Tech Billionaire Controls PA Republicans. “Progressives across Pennsylvania have spent years warning about Jeffrey Yass’ sway over state politics, and now, one of his top operatives is boasting about the influence Pennsylvania’s richest billionaire has over the Republican Party.” | The Keystone
Rise in Political Violence Takes Center Stage at Pittsburgh’s Eradicate Hate Summit. “Hate has moved out of the fringes, experts say, and public support can nudge volatile people over the edge.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Norcross v. Inky. “Democratic power broker George Norcross has made good on his threat to sue The Philadelphia Inquirer, which he once co-owned, for defamation and four other counts, demanding an eye-popping $100 million in a lawsuit filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.” | Politico
Jury Delivers Mixed Verdict in Allentown Federal Discrimination Trial. “The attorney for a former employee suing the city is asking council members to issue another vote of no-confidence against Mayor Matt Tuerk.” | Lehigh Valley Public Media
Editorial
4. What Do You Think?
- Should Larry Krasner Still Lead the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office? | Philadelphia Inquirer
- Pennsylvania Wasn’t Just the Birthplace of Democracy, It Was A Key Inspiration | Tom Riley, David Seltzer, and Shawn McCaney
- Local Churches Call It Genocide — And Say Silence Is No Longer An Option | Joyce M. Davis
- Calm Down — AI Isn’t Ending Humanity Any Time Soon | Keith Naughton
- Fetterman and Trump, Political Twins | Joseph Sabino Mistick
- America Deserves Better Guidance on How to Avoid Getting Sick | Robert Kennedy Jr.
1 Thing
5. Cleveland City Council Sinks Lake Erie in Favor of ‘Gulf of Cleveland’
“Cleveland’s City Council voted to pass a resolution during a Sept. 14 meeting to rename part of Lake Erie as the “Gulf of Cleveland,” a move that does not have the force of law and was made in jest, poking fun at President Donald Trump’s renaming campaign.
The resolution, spearheaded by council member Kris Harsh, passed 13-1, and follows Trump’s push to rename the Gulf of Mexico “Gulf of America,” and Lake Ontario “Lake America.” The president has also said he is considering renaming New Mexico “New America.”” | Cleveland Jewish News
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