GOP Playbook Gets Personal. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
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What We’re Listening To. In this episode of Voices of Reason, PoliticsPA’s Steve Ulrich talks with Erin Covey of The Cook Political Report about the four key congressional races in the Keystone State and their impact on the national scene.
What We’re Hearing. According to media tracker AdImpact, state Senate campaigns have combined to spend $27.7M on five races – PA-6, PA-16, PA-24, PA-36 and PA-40.
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Top Story
“The dominant theme of this year’s midterm elections has been how voters feel about Donald Trump’s second term as president. But with Trump’s approval ratings at historical lows, the Republican incumbent in Pennsylvania’s critical 7th Congressional District is trying to make it about something else: the personal faults of his opponent.
In framing the race’s top issue as a question of “trust,” Ryan Mackenzie began the interview by contrasting himself with Bob Brooks, whom he called “a known racist.” “He is a crook, and he is a scumbag,” Mackenzie said. He repeated the “racist” and “crook” accusations later in the interview.” | U.S. News and World Report
Elsewhere
House’s Most Vulnerable Republicans Haven’t Deviated From Trump On 2026 Votes. “While polls show around 60 percent of Americans disapproving of Donald Trump’s job performance, House Republicans have remained steadfast in their support for the president in 2026, especially when it comes to floor votes. Three incumbents in Toss-up races, including Pennsylvania’s Ryan Mackenzie, have gone with the president’s position on all such votes they cast in 2026. None of the three did so last year.” | Roll Call
Democrats Give Fitzpatrick a Run For His Money In Pennsylvania House Battleground. “The race for a swing House seat in Pennsylvania is getting costly as Democrats make an aggressive push to oust Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a five-term incumbent and the rare Republican to represent a district won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.” | Washington Examiner
The Heated Rematch Between Perry and Stelson Could Decide the House. Voters Couldn’t Be More Passionate. “Voters in the Harrisburg-based seat ‘despise’ the competition as Republican Scott Perry and Democrat Janelle Stelson get ready for Round 2 in a high-stakes contest.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Democrat Bets On Anti-Corruption Pitch in Pennsylvania Swing District. “In this corner of northeastern Pennsylvania, the Democrat running for a battleground House seat sees parallels between her race and Donald Trump’s first election in 2016.” | Roll Call
Deluzio, Guy Meet For Charged Debate in 17th Congressional District Race. “With control of the U.S. House at stake and American politics starkly polarized, the race in the Pennsylvania 17th Congressional District has generated little heat. In a KDKA-TV debate Tuesday evening, however, they did their best to make up for lost time, trading a series of attacks in an hour-long forum that was livestreamed online and broadcast on Channel 19.” | WESA
State
“As the political tides turn, Democrats are hoping next month for a blue wave in the Pennsylvania State Capitol. With President Donald Trump’s 37% approval rating in Pennsylvania and Shapiro, a popular incumbent governor at the top of the ticket, Democrats are entering the Nov. 3 midterm election with a lot in their favor — and for the first time in decades imagining what Harrisburg would be like with a trifecta of power.
Democrats’ long list of priorities that have been stalled by the GOP-controlled Senate — from a minimum wage increase, to new mass transit funding, to codifying abortion and LGBTQ rights — could be a reality if they flip at least two Republican seats.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
Shapiro Hauls In Cash For House Challengers. “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is raking in cash for Democrats trying to flip four key House seats in the final stretch before Election Day. Shapiro held a fundraiser in Philadelphia on Monday evening that raised $260,000 for Democratic candidates Bob Harvie, Bob Brooks, Paige Cognetti and Janelle Stelson, according to a source familiar with the event.” | Punchbowl News
Musk and National Republicans Are Spending Millions to Defend PA Candidates, Including Fitzpatrick. “National GOP efforts to save four vulnerable Pennsylvania Republicans ramped up to a new level this week — with a key group redirecting $3.6 million to boost U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Bucks County and Elon Musk’s super PAC spending more than $1.4 million across three other GOP districts.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
36th Senate District Race Among Pennsylvania’s Most Competitive. “Democrat James Malone did the unthinkable last year when he won a state Senate seat in a bright red district against an established Republican candidate. Now, Pennsylvania Democrats are funneling money and resources into Lancaster County’s 36th Senate District race to maintain the seat as part of a larger effort to flip control of the Senate for the first time since 1993.” | LNP
Registered Nurse Runs Against Incumbent Smucker in 11th Congressional District. “Democrat Nancy Mannion is confident in her ability to oust longtime Lancaster County Congressman Lloyd Smucker and take the 11th District seat. President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are low, and polls show his unpopularity is having a trickle-down effect on Republican candidates running in the midterms.” | LNP
Around The Commonwealth
“Across Pennsylvania this week, you could see the signs that the skill games industry’s long winning streak had come to an end.
Machines stashed aside for pickup at a tobacco outlet. Powered-down devices in the corner of a pizza shop. The empty space at a gas station convenience store, filled now with a display of Black and Gold merchandise. An emptied-out and shuttered “skill parlor” behind a gas station.
As of midnight Tuesday, bars, clubs and shops that offer so-called “skill games” were slated to become targets for law enforcement if owners haven’t removed the devices.” | WESA
Elsewhere
2026 Election Preview: 142nd Legislative District. “Incumbent Joe Hogan faces a challenge from Democrat Kristin Egan in this Bucks County contest.” | PoliticsPA
High Court Rejects Challenge to How PA Treats Users Accused of Supplying Drugs in Fatal Overdoses. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to add new legal protections for defendants accused of providing drugs that caused a deadly overdose.” | Spotlight PA
Power Grid Emergency In Pennsylvania: What Should Residents Do Now? “Millions of Pennsylvania residents are now covered by a federal power-grid emergency order as officials work to reduce the risk of electricity shortages across a large portion of the eastern United States. The emergency action affects the PJM Interconnection region, which manages the electric grid serving Pennsylvania and all or parts of 12 other states plus Washington, D.C. ” | USA Today Network
Editorial
1 Thing
“Jill Mottorn found out from her accountant. Margie McKain saw a flyer at the hospital. Laura McCurdy heard about it from an old friend.
The three women are among about 50 members of the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel dragon boat racing team, brought together by their shared history as breast cancer survivors.
“You can imagine how eclectic of a group we are,” said McKain, of Natrona Heights. “We are not bound together by economics, jobs, religion. The common denominator is breast cancer, and being part of this family, being part of this community is just an incredible life-changing experience.”” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thank you for starting your Wednesday with us.
Have a great day. See you tomorrow.
