How far would he go?

Another Hot One in Store. Thanks for supporting the PoliticsPA Playbook.

PA Weather


Sewickley | Showers, 72


State College | Increasing Clouds, Showers, 78


Scranton | Mostly Cloudy, 79

PA Sports


Sixers (1-3) | Tue vs. New York


Pirates (14-16) | Oakland 1-5 | Tue vs. Oakland


Phillies (19-11) | LA Angels 5-6 | Tue vs. LA Angels

What’s Happening Today. The PA House convenes at 11 a.m., the Senate at 1 p.m.

Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Rep. Mark Rozzi.

Daily Bruce. “Give me help, give me strength, Give a soul a night of fearless sleep. Give me love, give me peace, Don’t you know these days you pay for everything.” – High Hopes

A Pennsylvania Politics Newsletter? Sign Me Up. 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. How Far Trump Would Go

“Donald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice.

What emerged in two interviews with Trump, and conversations with more than a dozen of his closest advisers and confidants, were the outlines of an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world.

Trump would enter a second term backed by a slew of policy shops staffed by loyalists who have drawn up detailed plans in service of his agenda, which would concentrate the powers of the state in the hands of a man whose appetite for power appears all but insatiable.” (TIME)

Related

Trump Holds Edge Over Biden in Seven Key Swing State Polls. “New Emerson College Polling/The Hill swing state polls find President Biden trailing former President Trump in the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin; the differences are within each survey’s margin of error.” (Emerson/The Hill)

Summer Lee, the Pennsylvania ‘Squad’ Member Who Beat Back a Primary Challenge. “One of the up-and-coming members of Congress scored a major victory on April 23: Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Summer Lee won her primary challenge against Edgewood Borough Council member Bhavini Patel. A member of Congress’ progressive ‘squad,’ Lee will face Republican James Hayes in November’s general election.” (The Week)

• U.S. House Set To Vote On Lee’s Measure To Address Abandoned Gas And Oil Wells. (WESA)

Democrats Start Out Ahead in Pennsylvania Senate Race. “As Democrats play defense in U.S. Senate races this year, two battleground-state incumbents start out ahead in their reelection campaigns. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania and Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin are currently leading their lesser-known Republican challengers by seven points.” (CBS News)

Republicans Made Up About 26% of Mail Ballots In PA Despite Trump’s Attacks — and the GOP is Glad. “Donald Trump has falsely claimed mail ballots lead to election fraud. Party leaders are now working to change that perception and hope it will increase turnout in November.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Rep. Kelly’s Car Dealership Received Money For Solar Panels He Voted Against in Congress. “A car dealership owned by family members of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler is the recipient of a nearly $315,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to install enough solar panels to power 25 homes.” (Erie Times-News)

State

2. Thirteen Challenged Luzerne County Ballots Hang in Balance

“Thirteen Luzerne County provisional votes hang in the balance in the tight primary election Republican race for 117th District state representative, and it’s still unknown whether they can be opened and tallied.

As it stands, five votes separate the party’s two contenders — Jamie Walsh, with 4,727 votes, and incumbent Mike Cabell, who has 4,722.

The 13 challenged votes will be addressed at a publicly advertised hearing that must be held within seven days before the five-citizen, bipartisan Election Board. Voters who cast the contested ballots must be notified of the hearing to exercise their right to speak on their behalf.” (Times Leader)

Related

Fun With Maps III: How McClelland Pulled Off The Upset. “Of all the results from last Tuesday night’s primary election, the biggest surprise may have come in the Democratic race for State Treasurer.” (PoliticsPA)

Amen Brown Declares Victory For PA House Democratic Primary Election in 10th District. “State Rep. Amen Brown declared victory Monday over his Democratic primary challenger Cass Green by an incredibly narrow margin, six days after the primary election.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

General Assembly Calendar. “Here are the dates that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate will be in session through the end of the fiscal year.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. PA Senate Republicans Push Forward With Alternative To Shapiro’s Higher Ed Funding Proposals

“The Senate Education committee met Monday to discuss proposals put forward by Senate Republicans to address issues in the state’s higher education system like declining affordability and enrollment.

The package of bills is largely a response to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal, addressing similar root issues by different means. As it stands, Pennsylvania ranks near last among U.S. states when it comes to higher education affordability and higher education funding per student.

The Republican package of bills would increase grant and scholarship funding to students both by expanding existing grant programs and creating new ones. It would also target funding towards students from both in-state and out-of-state entering high-demand professions in Pennsylvania like teaching, health care, agriculture and law enforcement. ” (Penn Capital-Star)

Related

PA Education Chief Weighs In On Vouchers, Higher Ed Reform, Student Teacher Stipend. “Pennsylvania Education Secretary Khalid Mumin has come a long way from being a “problem student” who had to repeat ninth grade. Now with several degrees under his belt, Mumin has taken the reins of an agency at a time when there is no shortage of front-burner issues in this year’s budget discussions.” (PennLive)

Local Sales Tax Would Buoy Core Services, Ease Property Taxes: Lawmaker. “A Pennsylvania legislator envisions a 1% add-on to the state sales tax as a potential revenue solution for cash-strapped communities with a high count of tax-exempt properties.” (CNHI News)

ACLU Sues Butler County Over Claims of Violating Pennsylvania Elections Code. “A lawsuit was filed in Butler County Common Pleas Court against the Bureau of Elections because two provisional ballots were thrown out.” (WTAE)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Josh Shapiro, a Competent Pragmatist in Divided Times. (Salena Zito)
• Trump Is Flirting With Quack Economics. (Paul Krugman)
• How to Confront Antisemitism, Deal With Protests — And Respect Free Speech. (Washington Post)
• Building a Sense Of Community For Victims of Sexual Assault. (Veronica N. Hubbard)
• Is This The Year That No One Watches Political Spots? (Walter Shapiro)
• ‘Greedflation’ And Other Tall Tales. (Guy Ciarrocchi)
• Gov. Shapiro’s Misguided Attempt to Cure a Very Healthy Climate. (Gregory Wrightstone)
• Should Taxpayer-Funded Organizations Be Subject to the State Right to Know Law? (Beth Ann Rosica)
• Let the Competition Begin: The FTC Did Its Duty Banning Noncompetes. (New York Daily News)

1 Thing

5. Smarter Mowing Robots

“Buzzy new robotic lawn mowers let you use a smartphone app to boss them around, no perimeter wires required.

Why it matters: The perfectly coiffed green lawn that these mowers enable is a joyous symbol of the American dream — and a villainous lightning rod for environmental criticism.

Driving the news: The latest wave of autonomous mowers is quieter, battery-powered and gentler on your grass.

The bottom line: The market for such mowers is in its infancy, but expect them to become as ubiquitous as the Roomba and the Ring doorbell. (Axios)

Thanks for starting your morning with us.
Please invite your colleagues
to subscribe to the PoliticsPA Playbook