March 19, 2019: AG Primary Fight

Hello Tuesday. Today is National Agriculture Day. And just five weeks remain before the PA primary.

PA Weather


Uniontown | Partly Sunny, 45


Valley View | Mostly Cloudy, 43


Wayne | Increasing Clouds, 46

PA Sports


Sixers (38-30) | Miami 98-91 | Wed vs. Phoenix


Flyers (34-26-8) | Tue vs. Toronto


Penguins (30-29-8) | Tue vs. New Jersey


Duquesne (NCAA MBB) | Thu vs. (6) BYU, 12:40 p.m.


Drexel (NCAA WBB) | Fri vs. (1) Texas, 3 p.m.

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

What We’re Hearing
Rising costs are the dominant energy issue in Pennsylvania, with 63% of voters saying it’s the most pressing issue facing the state today, according to a Commonwealth Foundation survey to be released this morning.

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Top Story

1. The PA GOP Wanted To Avoid a Messy Primary in the AG Race, but Craig Williams Is Putting Up a Fight

“The Pennsylvania Republican Party tried to avoid a messy primary for attorney general by endorsing in the high-profile race.

Enter State Rep. Craig Williams.

The Pennsylvania GOP endorsed York County District Attorney Dave Sunday in January, calling him “committed, qualified, and prepared.” The state party made the AG endorsement earlier than usual in the election cycle in an effort to coalesce around one candidate, avoid an attack-filled primary, and save money for the hotly contested general election in November.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Election 2024: A Complete Guide To The Primary Candidates For Attorney General. “The attorney general represents the interests of the state and the public, and defends Pennsylvania’s laws in court. In recent years, the office has defended the results of the 2020 presidential election against numerous attempts to overturn them.” (Spotlight PA)

Democrats Running For Auditor General Shine Light On Their Differences. “The two Democratic candidates running for their party’s nomination for auditor general shared their views on what it means to be the fiscal watchdog for Pennsylvania and what qualifies them to do the job during an hourlong forum on Monday.” (PennLive)

Vodvarka Fighting Removal From Senate Race, Leaving Mail-In Ballots In Limbo. “Another appeal by a candidate trying to stay in the race for U.S. Senate is continuing to delay the issuance of mail-in and absentee ballots to voters with just five weeks left until the April 23 primary.” (Washington Observer-Reporter)

State

2. McClinton Pushes For Same-Day Registration And Widely Available Early Voting

“The Pennsylvania House speaker said Monday that qualified residents should be able to register to vote at polling places on the day of elections, and that early voting centers should be open for two weeks beforehand.

Speaker Joanna McClinton had proposed these measures as part of a wider package of election changes in the last two-year session, but like many election law proposals it died in the politically divided Legislature.” (AP)

Related

Cybersecurity Experts Urge Retirement Of Touchscreen Voting Machines Used in PA. “Hand marked paper ballots that are electronically scanned and stored for future review are the basis of a resilient and trustworthy election system, cybersecurity and election integrity experts told Pennsylvania Senate lawmakers on Monday.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Prokopiak Joins PA House Of Representatives. “The former Falls Township supervisor and Pennsbury School Board member won a special election last month to replace Rep. John Galloway.” (Levittown Patch)

Bill Aiming To Protect Online Consumer Data Moves Out Of PA House. “Proposed by Rep. Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, the bill proposes to allow online consumers to opt out of online data collection used for targeted advertising.” (CNHI News)

Shapiro Throws His Support Behind The Steelers’ Bid For NFL Draft. “The Steelers brought in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last week to strengthen their quarterback room. Now they’re getting even more support — from Harrisburg.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Lancaster Embraces Immigrants As Tensions Over ‘Sanctuary’ Policies Rise Across The Country

“Officials in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recently codified into law city policies that have been in effect since 2019 limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The all-Democrat Lancaster City Council unanimously passed an ordinance last month preventing local police and any city official from inquiring about a person’s immigration status unless it’s required by state or federal law or by court order, or reasonably necessary in the course of a criminal investigation. It also prohibits them from providing any information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that could result in civil or noncriminal immigration enforcement actions.” (NBC News)

Related

Allegheny County Agrees To Settlement In Ballot Drop-Off Case. “Allegheny County has settled a lawsuit alleging a plan to implement ballot drop-off locations violated Pennsylvania election law and the state Sunshine Act.” (WESA)

Former Penn State Quarterback Tackles Local Politics As New Lackawanna County Commissioner. “Sixteen years after his debut into the Penn State football program, former walk-on and NFL quarterback Matt McGloin took on a new challenge in his hometown: the office of county commissioner.” (Daily Collegian)

Southwest Philly Leader Tracey Gordon Focused On People, Not Politics, In Congressional Run. “Just weeks after her term ended as Register of Wills, Tracey Gordon is back on the campaign trail, this time for a seat in Congress.” (Philadelphia Tribune)

Pittsburgh-Area High Schoolers Try To Get Peers Registered To Vote — And Stay Engaged In Politics. “A local district magistrate race taught Obama Academy Sophomore Orli Trumbull that political engagement can happen at any age.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• A Simple Idea for Speedier Government. (Wall Street Journal)
• Overburdened Taxpayers Won’t Find A Break In Mayor Parker’s Budget. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• The Reassessment Earthquake Is Coming, And Better Sooner Than Later. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• The Election-Year Dance Over Bytedance And Tiktok. (Walter Shapiro)
• On The Level, 2024 Senate Election Presents Pennsylvanians With A Stark Choice. (Alin Maimon)

1 Thing

5. Lottery System Upgrade To Interrupt Ticket Buying

“With Tuesday’s jackpot for Mega Millions estimated to have an $875 million jackpot, there’s little doubt it will attract mega interest from those seeking a chance to make their dreams come true.”

But if you didn’t “buy your tickets before midnight Monday, you might miss the opportunity to get in the game — the result of an ill-timed computer system upgrade at the Pennsylvania Lottery.

The lottery is transitioning to a new computer system that will shut off Mega Million ticket purchases on Tuesday.” (PennLive)

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