Primary Election Day is April 23

LFG. It’s Time to Vote. A very short, sweet message on this Primary Election Day.

PA Weather


Pittsburgh | Increasing Clouds, 70


Harrisburg | Mostly Sunny, 72


Philadelphia | Sunny, 68

PA Sports


Sixers (0-2) | New York 101-104 | Thu vs. New York


Pirates (12-11) | Milwaukee 4-2 | Tue vs. Milwaukee


Phillies (15-8) | Cincinnati 7-0 | Tue vs. Cincinnati

What We’re Hearing. “I commend the fact that journalists were diligent about checking into it,” Larry Krasner said about the inaccuracy of the Kevin Boyle PFA.

Today’s Springsteen Lyrics. “Now get yourself a song to sing; And sing it ’til you’re done; Sing it hard and sing it well; Send the robber barons straight to hell.” – Death to My Hometown

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. Pining for Pennsylvania: What To Watch In Tuesday’s Primary Election

“In this series, Pining for Pennsylvania: Unlocking the crucial Keystone State, the Washington Examiner will look at the demographics, politics, and key issues that have made Pennsylvania the must-watch state of the year.” (Washington Examiner)

• Republicans Battle To Take On Susan Wild and Save House Majority. (Washington Examiner)

Related

What to Watch For In Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Primaries. “The state’s contests will test the political implications of the Israel-Hamas war and set up key general election matchups in the battle for control of the Senate and the House.” (NBC News)

• Pennsylvania Primary Provides Window Into Voters’ Minds In Crucial Swing State. (The Guardian)

Summer Lee Has Been a Vocal Israel Critic. Will It Matter in Her Primary? “The race in Pennsylvania once seemed primed to become a major test of Democratic attitudes about the Middle East. But in much of the district, an expected ideological battle has not arrived.” (New York Times)

The Pennsylvania House Race Testing The Fallout From The Israel-Hamas War. “Yet for as much as the Israel-Hamas war has inflamed intraparty divisions on the left, the April 23 primary here is poised to test the limits of the conflict as an electoral issue.” (POLITICO)

Posting Everything Reporters Ask Is the Hot New Campaign Strategy. “Republican campaigns have a new trick for dealing with unwanted questions from reporters: Just tweet it all out.” (NOTUS)

Election of a ‘Lifetime’: McCormick Sets High Stakes At Lehigh Valley Rally. “Every time, the campaigns say people need to show up to vote because the stakes are too high. Every time, the election is the most important ever. Yes, it’s tired, the U.S. Senate candidate conceded, but is it wrong this time around?” (LehighValleyNews.com)

State

2. Philly DA Withdraws Warrant For State Rep. Kevin Boyle’s Arrest

“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office withdrew the arrest warrant issued last week for State Rep. Kevin Boyle, after officials learned Monday that there is no active protection from abuse order that he could have violated.

Law enforcement officials on Monday did not have a clear explanation as to how a gaffe of this magnitude — walking back allegations against a sitting elected official the day before an election — could happen. Boyle is seeking an eighth term to represent parts of Northeast Philadelphia in a contested primary against fellow Democrat Sean Dougherty.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Philly DA Krasner Withdraws Arrest Warrant For Embattled State Rep. Kevin Boyle. (Penn Capital-Star)

Related

Banked: More Than 563K Pennsylvanians Have Already Cast Vote in Primary Election. “With hours remaining before the start of the 2024 Pennsylvania presidential primary, over 563,000 Keystone State registrants have already cast their votes via absentee or no-excuse mail ballot. And with little surprise, it is Democrats that have predominantly banked their vote.” (PoliticsPA)

New Federal Grants Aimed To Support Elections. Many Voting Officials Didn’t See A Dime. “Elections in the United States are chronically underfunded. It’s one of the few things voting officials across the political spectrum agree on.” (NPR)

Montgomery County State Rep Proposes Requiring Greater Clarity On County Election Website Addresses To Negate Scams. “A Democrat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is sponsoring a bill that would require all county election offices in the commonwealth to obtain a website URL ending in .gov in order to provide the public with more immediate clarity about which election websites are official government sites and which are not.” (Broad + Liberty)

Pennsylvania’s State Government Pledges To Get Half Of Its Electricity From Solar Power. “Pennsylvania is pledging to get half of the state government’s electricity from solar power by next year, with leaders calling the commitment the first of its kind in the country. Ten new solar arrays around the commonwealth will power 50% of the state government, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced on Earth Day. ” (CBS Pittsburgh)

Office of Open Records Rules Fulton County, PA, Must Turn Over Emails, Lawyer Pay Records. “The ruling could illuminate county commissioners’ probe of Dominion voting machines used in the 2020 election and their subsequent battles in court against both Dominion and the Pennsylvania Department of State.” (Chambersburg Public Opinion)

Around The Commonwealth

3. The PoliticsPA Primary Election Guide

“It’s here – primary Election Day in PA.

Primary elections in Pennsylvania are held on the third Tuesday of May in most years. In presidential years, the primary election is held on the fourth Tuesday of April.

Get ready for Tuesday’s election right here with PoliticsPA’s 2024 Election Guide.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Provisional Ballots and How They Work in PA. “Provisional ballots are a backstop to ensure people have an opportunity to vote and not, as some people mistakenly believe, a form of punishment.” (WITF)

What Time Do Polls Open And Close Tuesday In PA? All The Information You Need For Primary Election Day 2024. “Pennsylvania’s 2024 primary election is here. Here are answers to some of your most frequently asked questions.” (Spotlight PA)

U.S. Justice Department Will Monitor Luzerne County Primary. “Luzerne County will not be alone — the agency will be monitoring elections elsewhere across the country — nor will it be the first time the DOJ has observed an election here.” (WVIA)

Chester County Judge Denies County GOP Request That Could Have Blocked Some Ballots. “County Court Judge Anthony Verwey said the Republican Committee of Chester County’s request for an injunction against the county election board would amount to “preemptively disenfranchising voters.”” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

350 Lebanon County Voters Received A Duplicate Mail-In Ballot Over The Weekend. “The duplicate ballots are identical in both serial number and barcode to the first ballot sent and therefore cannot be processed and counted more than once, according to election officials.” (Lebanon Daily News)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• A Vote In Your Party’s Primary Is A Vote For Working Democracy. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Republican Pro-Lifers Change Their Principles When Consistency Might Cost Them. (Bruce Ledewitz)
• Pennsylvania House Democrats Throw Women Under the Bus. (Lowman Henry)
• Flip-Flop Season For Republicans. (Joseph Sabino Mistick)

1 Football Thing

5. Lions, Panthers and Owls, Oh My!

College Football Playoff leaders — the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director — gather in Dallas today and tomorrow for their annual two-day spring summit.

‌Worth Noting. During a meeting of CFP commissioners in November, well before the revenue negotiations began, a discussion point emerged about the CFP’s future. “There was a belief that all of us had to stay together as is,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey recalled. “I never viewed it that way.” ‌Sankey’s honest and stunning admission may indicate the future course of the SEC and perhaps the Big Ten too. It casts doubt on the glue that binds the nine leagues together.

‌”The gaps just keep getting wider. That’s concerning,” said Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould. “College athletics is one of the most inefficient economic models that probably exists.

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