🐪 Yep, It’s Hump Day.

🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. Good Time. Alan Jackson

PA Weather
☀️  Bethel Park | Mostly Sunny, 90
⛈️  Camp Hill | Showers, T-Storms Likely, 84
☁️  Pittston | Mostly Cloudy, 77

PA Sports 
⚾  Phillies (79-60, -3.0 GB, +6.0 GB WC) | Arizona 7-1 | Wed at Arizona
⚾  Pirates (68-71, -5.0 GB WC) | San Francisco 13-12 | Tue vs. San Francisco

🔈 What We’re Hearing. Republican Rob Bresnahan has earned the endorsement of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents union carpenters across Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The group endorsed Democrat Matt Cartwright to retain the PA-08 seat in 2024.

💬 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.   The Showdown in the Keystone State

“The battle for the House majority could come down to a handful of tight races in Pennsylvania.

Democrats are targeting four seats in the Keystone State, including three the GOP won by less than two points in 2024. Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have both campaigned here this summer, a sign of how crucial these contests will be.

Democrats believe that a sour political environment for Republicans — plus a popular candidate atop the ticket in Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro — can help them beat GOP Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, Scott Perry and Brian Fitzpatrick. They’re building their campaigns around economic concerns and an anti-corruption message centered on reining in Congress.” | Punchbowl News

Elsewhere

PA-10: A Q&A With U.S. Rep. Scott Perry. “The GOP congressman talks with City & State about Flock cameras, banning congressional stock trading and the 2026 midterm elections.” | City & State

PA-12: Summer Lee, James Hayes Set For Rematch in PA’s 12th Congressional District. “The progressive incumbent and the GOP challenger spar over the economy, immigration and “extreme” politics.” | Mon Valley Independent

PA-07: Brooks Launches Latino Outreach Initiative Targeting Key Voting Bloc in Lehigh Valley. “Bob Brooks, former firefighter and Lehigh Valley’s Democratic candidate for Congress, is launching a Latino outreach initiative his campaign has dubbed “Bombero Bob.”” | Allentown Morning Call

Postal Service Work to Comply With Trump’s Executive Order Is Rushed and Sloppy, A Whistleblower Contends. “The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting relied upon by one-third of all voters, according to a whistleblower statement released Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal.” | AP

State

2.   PA Lawmakers Regret $1.8B Tax Break For Data Centers. So Why Won’t They Kill It? 

“Pennsylvania allows data center developers to skip paying a 6% sales tax on their computer equipment — one of the biggest costs of running a data center — thanks to a 2021 law passed with bipartisan support from the Legislature.

Because of the tax break: the state will lose $188.4 million in tax revenue in 2026 alone, per a Department of Revenue analysis this year. That’s a 358% jump from just two years ago.

Now, five years after the law passed, many of the same lawmakers who voted for the sales tax break are trying to repeal it. The Democratically-controlled House passed a bill with overwhelming bipartisan support in late June to accomplish just that. But despite that vote and public backlash against data centers, the Republican-controlled Senate hasn’t acted on that bill.” | PennLive

Elsewhere

Gov. Shapiro Agrees to a Gubernatorial Campaign Debate With Challenger Stacy Garrity. “For the first time in eight years Pennsylvania voters may have the chance to see their gubernatorial candidates face off in a televised debate.” | PennLive

Where Governor Candidates Garrity and Shapiro Stand on LGBTQ Rights. “Pennsylvania’s next governor could play a key role in determining the protections and rights available to the commonwealth’s LGBTQ residents.” | Spotlight PA

Shapiro Says Too Many Data Center Developers ‘Don’t Care About Our Communities’. “Gov. Josh Shapiro’s comments to CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” came a day after President Donald Trump said the only reason American communities should not want AI data centers “is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.”” | CNBC

A Death Caught in the Crossfire of Vaccine Politics. “Lessons from the Pennsylvania measles spectacle include poor communication and political point-scoring.” | The Dispatch

Utility Executives and Cybersecurity Experts Warn PA Lawmakers of Growing Threats. “As grid infrastructure increasingly relies on internet connections to function, bad actors’ tools have become more sophisticated.” | Penn Capital-Star

Around The Commonwealth

3.   Chobani To Invest $1.2 Billion To Establish First Dairy Product Manufacturing Plant in Commonwealth

“Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that the Commonwealth has secured a historic $1.2 billion investment from Chobani to establish its first dairy product manufacturing operation in Pennsylvania. The project is the largest private investment in Pennsylvania agriculture industry and will create 900 full-time jobs over the next five years in the Lehigh Valley.” | PoliticsPA

Elsewhere

PUC: Data Centers to Cause Nearly 19%-a-Year Jump in Electric Demand Over Next 5 Years. “An annual Electric Power Outlook Report released Tuesday forecasts residential and commercial electricity demand to grow modestly through 2030, but industrial use driven primarily by anticipated large-load customers will increase by a whopping average of 18.56% annually.” | Scranton Times-Tribune

Lancaster County Commissioner Yoder Urges GOP Colleagues to Promote Vaccines. “The political fallout from the ongoing measles outbreak again dominated a Tuesday meeting of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners, with Democratic Commissioner Alice Yoder asking why her two Republican colleagues were not doing more to promote vaccination as the most effective response.” | LNP

Pennsylvania Doctors Blast the Trump Administration Over Measles Deaths Controversy: ‘I’ve Lost Trust in the CDC’. “Pennsylvania doctors have blasted the Trump administration over its decision to erase two measles deaths reported by the state from the federal record. The rare steps drew condemnation from doctors in Pennsylvania, who have worked on the frontlines of measles outbreaks, and a high-ranking CDC official who previously worked under the Trump administration.” | The Independent

Philadelphia’s Police Union Endorses Gov. Josh Shapiro For His Reelection Bid. “The endorsement of Shapiro from Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 is notable for an organization that just a few years ago was seen by some Philadelphia Democrats as politically toxic.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• Political Bickering About Pennsylvania Measles Deaths Helps No One | Washington Post 
• RFK Jr., Secretary of Measlesland | Paul Offit
• A Smarter Prescription for Pennsylvania’s Future: Why Policymakers Should Restore Obesity Care | Vicki Lightcap McCarrick
• When Farmland Disappears, So Does a Way of Life | Sam Burleigh
• Experience Does Not Have An Expiration Date | Gloria Martin Roberts
• Data Center Projects in PA Face Stronger Local Scrutiny After Gov. Shapiro’s Executive Order | Michael Helbing
• Whom Do Democratic Socialists of America Politicians Represent? | Michael Freund
• Pennsylvania Needs A Mandatory Data Center Moratorium | Deena Stoudt, Gillian Wenhold and Michael Friend

1 Thing

5.   So There’s This $499 AI Dyson Camera Toothbrush

“After finding success with floors and hair, Dyson hopes your mouth will be its next frontier. The air-bending gadget company launched an AI-powered electric toothbrush yesterday that doubles as a sharpshooting water pick.

Open wide for the CameraJet. Dyson’s $499 oral product is geared toward people who lie to the dentist about how often they floss, and who are willing to pass their sink time by viewing a livestream of their teeth rather than scrolling.” | Morning Brew

Thank you for starting your Wednesday with us.
Have a good one. See you tomorrow.