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What We’re Hearing. “Rep. Scott Perry reiterated the long-held view among conservative hardliners that he’d only consent to consideration of a Ukraine funding bill if it was paired with H.R. 2, the stringent border security package Republicans passed nearly a year ago. If you’re a House Republican who will only vote for a Ukraine bill that can’t become law, you are, by definition, opposed to Ukraine funding.”

What’s Happening Today. The PA House and Senate are in session.

Politics – PA Style. Did you know that the PoliticsPA Playbook reaches over 7,200 subscribers? Add your name to the list and we’ll deliver all today’s PA political headlines in an easy-to-read email format by 8 AM. And it’s free. Subscribe now.

Top Story

1. Republican Voter Registration Is Booming in Pennsylvania

“In every single county in Pennsylvania, the number of registered Republicans has increased in the last five months. And in all but a handful, the number of Democrats has declined.

Altogether, there are over 40,000 more registered Republicans and nearly 10,000 fewer registered Democrats in the state than there were in November, according to data from the Pennsylvania secretary of state. In 2012, there were over 1 million more registered Democrats than Republicans. Today, the Democrats’ advantage is around 400,000..” (NOTUS)

Related

Biden Holds 4-Point Lead Over Trump, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Shows. “U.S. President Joe Biden has marginally widened his lead over Donald Trump ahead of the November presidential election as the Republican candidate prepares for the start of the first of four upcoming criminal trials, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.” (Reuters)

Sen. Casey’s Latest Consumer Economic Report Takes Aim at the ‘Pink Tax’ “The pink tax is, unfortunately, not a new phenomenon; a 2016 report — requested by Casey — from the Government Accountability Office found that “the target gender for a product is a significant factor contributing to price differences identified.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Rep. Summer Lee Hammers GOP Donor’s Links To Attack Ads. “Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) is responding to attack ads against her with her own ad highlighting a GOP megadonor’s connections to the PAC behind the spots, Axios has learned.” (Axios)

Poll: 2 in 5 Undecided on Casey vs. McCormick. “According to a recently released poll, 2 in 5 Pennsylvanians have yet to make up their mind when it comes to choosing a candidate for the U.S. Senate.” (PoliticsPA)

State

2. PA-10: Candidates Spar on Israel, Gun Control and Voting Records in Debate

“If you were not sure who is considered the favorite in the race for the Democratic nomination for the 10th Congressional District, Wednesday night’s debate at York College of Pennsylvania made it very clear.

The six candidates met on the stage at the Waldner Performing Arts Center on the campus in an event broadcast by WGAL-TV.

And from the tone of the candidates’ responses, former WGAL news anchor Janelle Stelson was the target.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Congressional Primary Preview: PA-10. “In our continuing series, PoliticsPA takes a look at the Democratic contenders for the 10th Congressional District nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives.” (PoliticsPA)

2 Democrats Are Vying To Take On Incumbent Republican In State Treasurer’s Race. “Ryan Bizzarro, 38, of Erie County, and Erin McClelland, 48, of Allegheny County, both present themselves as qualified for the position and bringing fresh ideas should they be the one voters choose.” (PennLive)

Race to Watch: Contested Primary For PA Auditor General. “Incumbent Timothy DeFoor is alone in the Republican pool for auditor general. Democratic candidates Malcolm Kenyatta and Mark Pinsley are facing off to be the party’s nominee.” (WHYY)

Schroy Calls For Local Action In His Race Against Doug Mastriano As He Affiliates With The Forward Party. “Democratic Candidate for PA Senate District 33 Cameron Schroy announced his affiliation with the Pennsylvania Forward Party this morning in front of the Adams County Courthouse.” (Gettysburg Connection)

PA Democrats and Union Workers Rally At The Capitol For $20 Per Hour ‘Living Wage’. “State Sen. Christine Tartaglione released a co-sponsorship memo on Monday announcing her plans to introduce a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage to $20 an hour.” (Penn Capital-Star)

PA Poised To Become The Next State To Ban Using A Handheld Device While Driving. “The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 124-77 to approve an amended version of a Senate-passed bill championed by Sen. Rosemary Brown that would make it illegal for a driver to use handheld electronic devices while operating a vehicle in an effort to combat distracted driving.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Redesigned Mail-In, Absentee Ballot Materials Arriving In PA Voters’ Mailboxes Soon

“With the colorful envelopes and highlighted sections, the layout is intended to help voters correctly fill out the return envelope and remember to put the ballot in the secrecy sleeve.

Elections leaders are hoping for a simple solution that could limit the impact of a complex legal problem – what to do about voters who accidentally invalidate their mail-in and absentee ballots.” (WITF)

Related

Podcast: Voices of Reason. “This episode features State Senator Tim Kearney Hughes (D-Delaware), PA House Republican Education Chairman Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton), Senior Fellow at the Commonwealth Foundation, Guy Ciarrocchi, Founder of the Education Reform Alliance, Dawn Chavous, CEO of the Philadelphia Education Fund Farah Jimenez, and L2 Executive Vice President Paul Westcott.” (PoliticsPA)

PA’s Top Election Official Answers Your Questions About Misinformation, Voting Machines, And More. “Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt joined Spotlight PA’s Kate Huangpu and Votebeat’s Carter Walker in March for a live event about building trust in elections.” (Spotlight PA)

Why Independents Can’t Vote In The 2024 PA Primary, And The Slow-Moving Push To Change That. “More than 1.3 million people in Pennsylvania can’t vote in the Democratic or Republican primaries on April 23. A campaign to change that is moving slowly.” (Spotlight PA)

York County Elections Officials Sent 166 Incorrect Ballots To Mail-In Voters. “For the second election in a row, York County has to correct mail-in and absentee ballots.” (York Dispatch)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• The Real Difference Between Summer Lee and Bhavini Patel. (Adriana E. Ramírez)
• Is Lee-Patel Race A Bellwether For Pennsylvania In Presidential Year? (Tribune-Review)
• I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust. (Uri Berliner)
• The Price Of Hyper-Partisanship: Confidence In Elections Undermined. (David Winston)
• Mail-In Voting Makes Sense, And It Works. (Sean Carroll)
• Is Trump Really Leading In Battleground PA? (Jim Lee)
• The Pennsylvania Legislature Should Review The System Of Charter Schools In Our State. (Rick Rovegno)
• Shapiro Lurches Left, Fetterman Goes ‘Unwoke’. (Lowman Henry)

1 Thing

5. Million-Dollar Neighborhoods

“For the first time, Pennsylvania has “million-dollar” neighborhoods, which are communities where the typical home is worth $1 million or more.

According to a new Zillow analysis, the Keystone State now has two such neighborhoods, and both are in Montgomery County, as Gladwyne and Villanova found their spot on the list of places where a typical home was worth $1 million or more in February. (Montco Today)

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