News & Brews October 1, 2021

Get News & Brews in your inbox each day: Subscribe here!

GOP gubernatorial nomination ‘up for grabs’

The AP reports that with a double-digit-deep field of Republican gubernatorial candidates, the GOP nomination is up for grabs. The latest name to enter the fray is Delaware County businessman Dave White, who expects to announce his candidacy shortly. Also among names being tossed around is Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, who wouldn’t say if he’s considering running. Meanwhile, presumptive Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro hasn’t formally announced his candidacy, but he hinted he would have more to say in the coming weeks.

Diving deeper into the SEC’s probe of PSERS

The Inquirer sheds light on the SEC’s 30-page subpoena issued to our state’s largest pension fund, the Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS). The Inky reports that the subpoenas “[demand] records that could show whether the fund’s staff improperly traded gifts with any of hundreds of Wall Street consultants and investment managers.”

Back to School PAC making its mark on school board races

A political action committee founded in southeast PA and dedicated to ensuring in-person education for kids is continuing its efforts statewide. Yesterday, Back to School PAC contributed $30,000 to three school board races in Dauphin County “to try to boost the campaigns of candidates who – according to local advocates – are resolutely for making sure their schools are open for in-person instruction for [every] family that wants or needs that option for their kids,” PennLive reports.

Pro/Con op-eds: Should PA stop electing judges?

The Inquirer has dueling op-eds on whether Pennsylvania should end our system of electing judges and instead go to a system of judicial appointments. Albert Eisenberg of Broad + Liberty writes that electing judges gives power to the people, while Deborah Gross of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts argues that ending judicial elections would “take campaigning, money, and politics out of the process.”

In counting inmates, different data will drive state/congressional redistricting

While the Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted recently to change how state inmates are counted for the purpose of redistricting, this change will apply only to state legislative redistricting and not to congressional maps. WHYY reports that this means “districts may soon do something not seen in the commonwealth’s recent history: use two significantly different sets of data to draw state and federal election maps.”

Sign up to get News & Brews in your inbox