News & Brews June 27, 2022
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Abortion takes center stage in gov’s race, but not deciding factor for many
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the abortion issue to the states to decide, Doug Mastriano promised to sign pro-life legislation, while Josh Shapiro promised to veto any such bills. The issue, however, may not be the deciding factor for many key voters. One GOP pollster noted, “Independent voters don’t care (about the abortion issue). And part of the reason they don’t care is that the country is in such a terrible way. Inflation. Gas prices. Empty shelves….Those are the issues that will decide how middle-of-the-road voters vote… Abortion is not a motivator for the part of the electorate that decides who wins elections.”
Pa. suburban voters among those switching to GOP
Pennsylvania is mentioned multiple times in a national story from the Associated Press reporting that “[m]ore than 1 million voters across 43 states have switched to the Republican Party over the last year.” The story notes Republicans saw gains in counties around mid-size cities such as Harrisburg; over the past year, “far more people are switching to the GOP across suburban counties” including Pittsburgh; and also over the past year, in Pa., “Republicans went from 58 to 63 percent of party changers.” Read the story here.
Pa. Supreme Court to hear appeal in PIAA transparency case
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), the state-affiliated entity that governs high school sports, claims it is not subject to the state’s Right-to-Know Law. Last November, the Commonwealth Court disagreed, and now the state Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal as PIAA fights against transparency. The Erie Times-News has more.
As budget deadline approaches, debate over ed funding continues
The AP reports that “[p]erhaps the biggest sticking point” in state budget negotiations between Gov. Wolf and lawmakers is over how much more money to pump into our public school system. Gov. Wolf wants nearly $1.8 billion more, while lawmakers are eyeing a smaller amount. It’s worth noting that school district per-pupil spending in Pennsylvania reached an all-time high of $19,900 in 2020-21.