September 8 Playbook: Fetterman Hits Back
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🔈 What We’re Hearing. President Trump and his top allies will share the stage with Republican candidates in some of the nation’s most competitive races at this week’s GOP midterm convention in Dallas, including Pennsylvania Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan, as well as Sen. Dave McCormick.
📺 What We’re Seeing. House Majority PAC is launching a new digital ad, “Caught,” saying Rob Bresnahan was caught selling stocks around his own votes.
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Top Story
1. Fetterman Dismisses Bombshell Report as ‘Smears’ and ‘Half-Truths’
“Sen. John Fetterman hit back on Sunday against allegations from former staffers that he was shirking his responsibilities, downplaying the bombshell report as “smears” against him.
Fetterman told CNN in a statement that he rejected accusations detailed in The Wall Street Journal that the Pennsylvania Democrat neglected committee duties, dodged face time with constituents and complained about attending police officers’ funerals.
“Per usual — lies, half-truths, innuendos, smears and anonymous,” Fetterman told CNN.” | NOTUS
Elsewhere
Deluzio Says He’s Thinking About Running Against Fetterman in 2028 Democratic Primary. “Congressman Chris Deluzio says he’s thinking about running against Sen. John Fetterman in the 2028 Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, and says he heard support for the idea at Monday’s Labor Day Parade in Pittsburgh.” | CBS Pittsburgh
Bresnahan, McCormick Speaking At GOP Convention. “The Republican National Committee released an initial lineup of more than 40 featured speakers, a mix of top Cabinet secretaries, Republican lawmakers and candidates in key House, Senate and gubernatorial contests.” | Scranton Times-Tribune
The Math Behind a Democratic Wave — Or a GOP Upset. “Redistricting has helped House Republicans build a seawall that can withstand a roughly 5-point Democratic wave. Why it matters: Early readings are pointing to something twice that size — enough to wash away the GOP House majority.” | Axios
House Democrats Short On Cash in Races They Need For A Big Win. “This fall’s battle for House control is exposing a divide between two types of Democratic candidates — prominent battleground hopefuls with well-stocked campaign coffers, and lesser-known challengers whose fundraising is struggling to keep up with the GOP. Leaders in the first category include Pennsylvania Democrat Paige Cognetti, who had $3.4 million in the bank in late June, versus $2.6 million for Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan.” | Semafor
State
2. Judge Orders Tupone Off PA-07 Ballot After Green Party Disavowed His Candidacy
“Andrew Tupone was running for Congress as a self-described Green Party candidate, but an objection from the party itself has forced him off the Nov. 3 ballot in Pennsylvania’s highly contested 7th District, following a state judge’s ruling on Friday.
Tupone, who was registered as a Republican until this year, has vowed to appeal.” | Armchair Lehigh Valley
Elsewhere
PA-01: Why Democrats’ Priorities Shifted From Abortion to Affordability In Bucks County’s Key Midterm Races. “In what might have been unheard of just two years ago, the Democrat in Bucks County’s key congressional race does not mention abortion or reproductive rights by name on his campaign website.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
PA-07: Bob Brooks Releases First TV Ad of the General Campaign. “Clad in fire safety gear, Democrat and retired firefighter Bob Brooks promised to “smoke out the billionaires and their lobbyists” in his first ad of the general election, released Tuesday.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Why the Pennsylvania House Is Holding a Historic Session in Philly. “Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives will convene in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for a rare and historic session outside of the state Capitol in Harrisburg.” | USA Today Network
Meta Settlement Brings Questions About Where and How to Use the Money. “Social media giant Meta settled claims by 47 states that its platforms were harmful to children by agreeing last month to pay up to $17.1 billion and place strict controls on how teens can use its apps. Now, those states, including Pennsylvania, must decide for themselves how the money should be distributed to mitigate the impacts of social media saturation on children’s mental health. ” | Penn Capital-Star
Around The Commonwealth
3. Why Thompson Is Unable to Get His Farm Policy Bill Through Congress
“Upon taking the gavel of the House Agriculture Committee in 2023, Rep. Glenn Thompson set his sights on a key piece of legislation: a bill to renew crucial farm and nutrition programs for the next five years.
“In the end, it’s always bipartisan,” he told the Post-Gazette that year. “We’ll have a better bill and better serve the American people by doing that.”
It hasn’t worked out that way.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Elsewhere
For Democrats, Pittsburgh’s 2026 Labor Day Parade Offers Sunny Start to General Election Season. “Union members marched beneath a cloudless sky Monday for Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade, and the outlook seemed just as sunny for many of the Democratic political leaders who joined marchers on the streets Downtown.” | WESA
Rural Pennsylvania’s 2050 Population Forecast Is Arriving Early. “In 2023, the state-run Center for Rural Pennsylvania released the findings of what its then-director called “the most important research that we’ve conducted in recent years.” The study found that the Keystone State’s population will remain stagnant, growing by only 200,000 people by the middle of the century. Only 21 counties will grow, the study found, while 46 will lose population.” | USA Today Network
Lawmakers Wrestle With the Proliferation of e-Scooters On PA Roadways. “Advances in battery technology and other innovations have made small, lightweight e-scooters designed to travel short distances cheaper — and faster — than ever, but Pennsylvania’s legal code and safety regulations haven’t kept up.” | Penn Capital-Star
Attorney Faces Possible Discipline Over Conduct in 2020 Fulton County Election Lawsuit. “Thomas Carroll, an attorney from the Lehigh Valley, represented Fulton County in a long-running dispute the county had with the Pennsylvania Department of State and a voting equipment manufacturer.” | Votebeat
Editorial
4. What Do You Think?
- Democrats Want John Fetterman ‘on a Pike’ | Wall Street Journal
- In Pennsylvania and Across the Nation, Election Deniers Must Be Voted Out | Philadelphia Inquirer
- Is it Time to Move Beyond Death by Incarceration? | Dr. James Peterson
- The 2028 Democratic Presidential Nominee Will Likely Be A Governor | John Kenneth White
- Educational Choice Is Not An Attack On Public Schools | Brad Pietryga
- If Lancaster County is to Halt the Measles Outbreak Here, We Need to Champion Vaccination | LNP
- John Eastman Was Disbarred—Larry Krasner Got a Laugh | Larry Elder
1 Thing
5. Pittsburgh’s Streetcar Past Keeps Rolling at Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
“Long gone are the days when trolleys carried up to a million passengers per day across the Pittsburgh area.
Even though much of the region’s sprawling 600 miles of trolley and streetcar track have vanished, anyone interested in learning about the public transportation system that shaped Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs can do so at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Chartiers, Washington County.
The museum boasts more than 50 trolleys and streetcars — about 30 of which are operational — and 4 miles of track that allows visitors to take a ride on one, or all, of the museum’s working streetcars.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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