News & Brews July 29, 2022

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Wolf sues to block voters from having a say on constitutional amendments

It seems Gov. Wolf really doesn’t like democracy. As several proposed constitutional amendments, approved by the General Assembly, head to voters to decide, Wolf has suedto block the amendments from reaching voters. Gee, you’d think letting voters have a direct say in our state laws is one of the most democratic things you can do. One can only guess that Wolf is afraid Pennsylvanians might vote in a way he opposes. You can read his legal brief here. In response, Senate Republicans issued a statement noting in part, “Given the people have already overridden Gov. Wolf once and the Wolf Administration’s high-profile failures on Constitutional amendments in recent years, it comes as no surprise Gov. Wolf would use the courts to bypass the people to advance his agenda.”

Poll: Fetterman, Shapiro both hold double-digit leads

A new Fox News poll of 908 registered voters shows Democrat U.S. Senate nominee John Fetterman leading Republican Mehmet Oz 47%-36% and Democrat gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro leading Republican Doug Mastriano 50%-40%. The poll surveyed “registered” voters, who are not necessarily all “likely” voters. Read more here, or click here for toplines or here for crosstabs.

In first general election ad, Oz attacks Fetterman on crime

Yesterday, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mehmet Oz released his first general election ad, in which he accuses Democrat John Fetterman of being soft on crime. You can watch the ad here.

Judge hears oral argument in mail-in ballots case

Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer heard multiple hours of oral argument yesterday in a case over whether mail-in ballots with inaccurate or missing dates should be counted. The AP reports, “The acting secretary of state, Leigh Chapman, sued [three Pennsylvania counties] after they declined to follow her guidance in response to a federal appeals court decision that handwritten dates on a mail-in ballot’s exterior envelope — required by law — are not mandatory.” The story notes that the lawyer for two of the counties “called the lawsuit ‘a ginned up case or controversy’ that was brought to enforce a policy favored by Chapman, not a complaint by an aggrieved voter or candidate.” Read the AP story here.

Senate panel investigates protocol for Gov./Lt. Gov. disabilities

In the wake of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman experiencing a stroke in May, with questions surrounding the incident persisting, the Senate State Government Committee is examining the law that governs procedures when a governor or lieutenant governor is unable to fulfill duties due to disability. Committee Chair Dave Argall noted that media coverage of Fetterman’s health scare gave conflicting accounts “as to when the law applies, how the law applies, whether the governor was notified or not.” PennLive has more.

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