“Quite Telling” that Republican Candidates Use Strategy. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
Good Tuesday Morning. 14 days. 2 weeks until Election Day
Your Morning Pick Me Up. Nelson Mandela. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
PA Weather
Glenshaw | Sunny, 68 McConnellsburg | Sunny, 69 Tunkhannock | Sunny, 70
PA Sports 
Sixers (0-0) | Tue at New York
Flyers (1-6-3) | Colorado | Wed at Buffalo Penguins (3-6-1) | Utah 4-5 | Thu vs. Florida
What’s Happening Today. The state House convenes at 11 AM, while the Senate pounds the gavel at 1 PM. The candidates in PA-09 – Rep. Dan Meuser and Rachel Wallace – meet in a debate at 7 PM. Watch here.
What We’re Listening To. On this episode of Voices of Reason, Steve Ulrich speaks with Robert Boatright, Professor of Political Science at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., and author of six books, who studies and writes about campaign finance. They will discuss the basic rules anyone can use to understand information about money in elections.
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s premier source for nonpartisan political news and analysis. Tips or press releases can be sent to steve@politicspa.com.
The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. For the web version, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Top Story
“Several incumbent Republicans engaged in tight races in Pennsylvania have featured popular Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in their advertisements or messaging as they face their toughest challenges amid an election cycle projected to be unfavorable to the GOP.
When engaged in a high-stakes, competitive campaign, downballot political candidates frequently align themselves with someone at the top of the ticket for an extra boost.
It’s just rare nowadays for contenders to associate themselves with someone who happens to be of the opposite political party.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
Brooks Bows Out Of PA-07 Debate Citing Mackenzie’s “Unending Defamatory Rhetoric”. “Those hoping to hear the candidates for the 7th Congressional District share a debate stage will have to alter their sights, as Democrat Bob Brooks announced that he will not participate in a previously-scheduled forum with incumbent GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.” | PoliticsPA
Fitzpatrick Spent the Most of All Pennsylvania Congressional Candidates in Third Quarter. “From the beginning of July to the end of September, Fitzpatrick’s campaign spent $5 million, according to campaign finance reports released on Thursday. Harvie, who serves as a Bucks County commissioner, spent just over $960,000 during that same time period.” | The Center Square
Fitzpatrick Vows to Hold Any US Officials Who Limited Starshield ‘Fully Accountable’. “Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick revealed Monday that he would be speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about his country’s loss of access to Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink internet, vowing to hold any U.S. officials who limited the application “fully accountable.”” | The Hill
Perry vs. Stelson: What’s at Stake in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. “Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson face off in Pennsylvania’s 10th District, a race highlighting sharp contrasts on health care, tariffs, data centers, and ethics.” | Heartland Signal
State
“You’ve seen the incessant ads on TV, the overstuffed mailboxes with political bulletins and the publicized debates. Pennsylvania, a key state in the national political landscape, is preparing for a key midterm election.
But it’s not all about President Donald Trump and Congress. Or even Gov. Josh Shapiro vs. Stacy Garrity.
What’s just as meaningful for Pennsylvanians will be the seemingly eternal battle for clout and control at the state Capitol, as played out in 25 Senate and 203 House districts around the state.” | PennLive
Elsewhere
A Look at the PA State Senate Map Just Days Before the 2026 Election. “Here is a look at each of the 50 Pennsylvania state Senate districts with their current seat holder, the counties represented, and voter registrations for Democrats, Republicans and non-affiliated Independents.” | PoliticsPA
Why Democrats Are Pushing Their Donors to Care More About State Legislative Races. “John Boccieri now exemplifies a new trend in Democratic politics: In the final weeks before the midterms, the party is trying to convince its donors that a “blue wave” could spread even farther — if their money isn’t all spent on a handful of House and Senate races.” | Semafor
2026 Election Preview: 16th Senate District. “The Lehigh Valley race between Republican Jarrett Coleman and Democrat Mark Pinsley.” | PoliticsPA
2026 Election Preview: 6th Senate District. “A Bucks County contest between incumbent Frank Farry and challenger Eileen Albillar.” | PoliticsPA
SD-16: Boscola, Janney Tangle in Fierce, Friendly Senate Debate. “Things got downright cordial Friday evening when Democratic incumbent Lisa Boscola and Republican challenger Scott Janney met in the only debate for Pennsylvania’s 16th Senate District.” | Lehigh Valley Public Media
Around The Commonwealth
“After President Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to use the U.S. Postal Service to regulate mail voting this spring, polls showed that voters — particularly Democrats — had less confidence in election mail and might move away from mail voting.
With less than three weeks until Election Day, the data on whether that’s actually happening in Pennsylvania is mixed.” | Votebeat
Elsewhere
NRCC Paid Green Party Candidate’s Lawyer. “The NRCC paid $220,000 this summer to the lawyer representing a Green Party candidate running for a key Pennsylvania congressional district for “recount and legal consulting.”” | Punchbowl News
Dems Pour Cash Into Cumberland County State House Seat GOP is Struggling to Defend. “For years, Democrats have tried to flip a suburban Cumberland County statehouse seat whose demographic makeup is seen as a bellwether for Pennsylvania politics. Their efforts were unsuccessful. But in a highly unusual case of political whiplash, the race is now theirs to lose.” | PennLive
PA Township Solicitor to Earn Big Payout in Amazon Data Center Deal. “Salem Township’s solicitor, Anthony McDonald, and his law firm made a deal for McDonald’s work related to an Amazon data center: his law firm would get 7.5% of the final amount that Amazon would pay the township as part of a community benefits agreement — a legal contract between developers and local governments to compensate residents, ideally, for costs associated with the project.” | PennLive
With a Trifecta, Pennsylvania Democrats Would Pass Energy Reforms and Rein in Data Centers. “Flipping the state Senate could pave the way for environmental action, but Gov. Josh Shapiro may be “the limiting factor.”” | Inside Climate News
Editorial
1 Thing
“The latest use case for AI? Dumbing down your smart TV to get rid of the bloat. A number of developers and vibe coders have recently been sharing solutions for “vibe-coding” your TV to get rid of sponsored ads, speed up the app launcher, redesign the home screen, disable tracking features, and more.
While hacking consumer electronics devices to gain more control over their systems is hardly a new idea, the latest advances in AI technology have made such efforts much more accessible to anyone. With smart TVs in particular, the hacks come at a time when people have grown frustrated with being forced to watch ads and put up with their devices surveilling their viewing habits. | Tech Crunch
Thank you for starting your Tuesday with us.
Have a great day. See you tomorrow.
