Gubernatorial candidate hoped for more support. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
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Your Morning Pick Me Up. Ah! Leah! Donnie Iris. RIP
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What We’re Listening To. We’re now just days away from the 2026 Midterm Elections. Pennsylvanians will go to the polls to elect Governor, 25 Senate races, 203 local State Representative races, and 17 elected officials to the United States Congress. Today on Voices of Reason, Steve Ulrich will speak with the editorial staff of the Fideri News Network, made up of Broad & Liberty, Bucks Independence, Lancaster Independence, and PoliticsPA about what they are looking for as we head into the 2026 general election.
What We’re Hearing. Speaker Mike Johnson will be in 13 states and 21 districts in the week leading up to Election Day, including PA-07 and PA-10.
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
“State Treasurer Stacy Garrity said that she has not received the support she had hoped for from the Republican apparatus around the state and the country.
“Of course I don’t,” she said in response to a question. “That’s okay. We’re getting our message out. We have enough, and we’re on TV, and it’s all good. We’re getting a great reception.”” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Garrity’s Fundraising Skyrockets in Final Weeks of PA Governor’s Race Thanks to Skill Games. “Republican Stacy Garrity raised more money in the past five weeks than she did during the rest of her campaign for governor, much of it tied to the skill games industry.” | Spotlight PA
2026 Election Preview: 1st Congressional District. It is one of the most hotly-contested races in the nation as incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick tries for reelection against Democrat Bob Harvie. | PoliticsPA
PA-10: Who’s Bankrolling the Nonstop Ads in the Perry v. Stelson Race? “An ad tracking firm said Friday that it has seen $21.3 million booked in the general election campaign for broadcast, cable and radio advertising in the 10th District race. About $3.4 million of that was reserved for ads still to be run between now and election day.” | PennLive
PA-10: Who Approved These Messages? Truth Gets Stretched in Ad Wars. “The combat has been intensely pitched, personal and at times, ludicrous.” | PennLive
PA-08: Cognetti-Bresnahan Race Ranks in Top 10 For Ad Spending Among Tossup Congressional Contests Nationwide. “If it seems like every other television commercial these days mentions Paige Cognetti or Rob Bresnahan, there’s a good reason.” | WVIA
State
“Gov. Josh Shapiro made it official today, signing Senate Bill 1014 into law, requiring all Pennsylvania public, charter, cyber charter, and private schools to adopt policies prohibiting students from using personal cell phones throughout the school day, including during lunch, recess, and between classes.
The governor signed the legislation at Lenape Middle School in the Central Bucks School District, as Pennsylvania joins more than two dozen other states in keeping devices out of students’ hands from the start of the school day until dismissal to help them focus, engage with peers, and build social and emotional skills.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
‘Dark Money’ Group Accused of ‘Scheme’ to Tip Election in Favor of Democrats, Manipulate GOP Voters. “The American Forge Coalition has sent out a flurry of mailers to voters this month accusing vulnerable Republicans of not being conservative enough. Some believe it’s a coordinated effort by the left to depress GOP voter turnout in the midterm election just a week away.” | Fox News
SD-46: Democratic-Leaning Dark Money Groups Flooding Western PA State Senate Race in a Deep-Red District. “More than $1 million has been spent backing independent candidate Jodi Borello against incumbent Republican Camera Bartolotta.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
New Parental Leave Policy in Allegheny County Sets Up Statewide Battle. “A battleground issue for Pennsylvania’s 2027-28 legislative session was staked out in Allegheny County Thursday as county Executive Sara Innamorato signed what was billed as the nation’s first county-level mandate that employers provide leave for new parents.” | The Center Square
Gays for Trump Founder Defends Letting GOP Operatives Vote Using His Pennsylvania Home Address. “Scott Presler, a cofounder of Gays for Trump who has repeatedly promoted election fraud allegations, is facing questions about whether political associates who used his Pennsylvania address to vote met the state’s residency requirements.” | The Advocate
Around The Commonwealth
“Democrats and outside watchdogs are planning a massive presence at the polls on Election Day driven by concerns that President Donald Trump will further leverage the vast resources of the federal government to interfere with a midterm that could hobble his final two years in office.
They won’t be the only ones there. A sprawling election protection effort on the left that is expected to deploy tens of thousands of monitors will be met by the largest-ever monitoring program by the Justice Department and still more observers from Republican-aligned groups. The result could be unlike anything seen at the polls in modern times.” | AP
Elsewhere
DOJ Election Monitors To Be Deployed in Four Pennsylvania Counties on Election Day. “The U.S. Department of Justice notified Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt last week that it plans to send federal election monitors to observe polling places in four Pennsylvania counties on election day. The counties are Allegheny, Lehigh, Luzerne and Philadelphia.” | Penn Capital-Star
$5.2M Fight For Control of 36th Senate District Is Most Expensive PA Legislative Race Ever in Lancaster County. “Democratic incumbent Sen. James Malone and GOP challenger Tom Jones collectively have spent $5.2 million on television advertisements, campaign mailers and donations to other party members, according to campaign finance reports filed to the Pennsylvania Department of State on Friday.” | LNP
Chambers’ Donations Outpace Miller’s 3:1 in Battleground 41st House District Race. “Brad Chambers, the Democratic challenger in the race for the 41st Pennsylvania House District, has raised three times more campaign funds than incumbent Brett Miller since June. Compared to Miller, more of Chambers’ contributions come from political action committees.” | LNP
How Far Could a Blue Wave Reach Into PA House Districts in Pittsburgh Suburbs? “Increasingly optimistic Democrats are hoping that a widely anticipated “blue wave” in next week’s election could wash ashore even in places where Republicans have long held the high ground — including state legislative districts in suburbs such as Pine Township and Upper St. Clair.” | WESA
With State Senate Control At Stake, NEPA Incumbents Face Challengers. “The outcome of state Senate seats on the ballot in Northeast Pennsylvania in Tuesday’s election could help determine the balance of power in Harrisburg.” | Scranton Times-Tribune
Editorial
1 Thing
“The man who has helped produce the Super Bowl halftime show is stepping into the spotlight: Jay-Z will headline the show himself.
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Monday night that Jay-Z will be the featured performer for the halftime festivities on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.” | AP
Thank you for starting your day with us.
Closing out October with a flourish.
