News & Brews September 13, 2022
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Pa. Supreme Court denies Wolf’s request on constitutional amendments
Yesterday, the state Supreme Court denied Gov. Wolf’s request to exercise its King’s Bench powers and take up Wolf’s lawsuit seeking to block voters from voting on several proposed constitutional amendments. Wolf had previously sued the Legislature over the amendments, unhappy that lawmakers were taking issues including abortion and voter ID directly to voters to decide. The Supreme Court’s denial means the case would have to work its way through the lower court just like other cases do.
Shapiro/Davis launch $1.4M-plus campaign to reach Black voters
The Post-Gazette reports that Josh Shapiro and running mate Rep. Austin Davis have announced a $1.4 million paid media campaign to reach Black voters not only in major cities but “in places outside of the biggest cities, such as in (Davis’s) native McKeesport, as well as Beaver County’s Aliquippa and Montgomery County’s Pottstown.” The campaign “includes at least $1.4 million in mailings, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in radio advertisements.”
CNN: Mastriano campaign is ‘weirdest in the country’
You don’t have to look far to find the “weirdest campaign in the country,” according to CNN. The liberal media outlet notes that “[f]or as long as there have been campaigns,” once you win the party base during a primary election, “you immediately begin to round off the hard edges of your policies to appeal to the centrist voters who tend to be the deciding votes in general election.” Republican Doug Mastriano has not followed the mold. “Sticking to your beliefs is one thing,” the story notes. “Making zero attempt to grow your voter coalition – especially in a state where the GOP base is not even close to a majority (Pennsylvania isn’t Idaho after all) – has the whiff of political malpractice.” Check out the piece here.
House committee advances election bills
Yesterday, the House State Government Committee advanced three bills designed to improve our election processes. These bills would, respectively, “establish guidelines for the transportation of ballots,” “streamline the process of removing deceased voters from the rolls,” and “extend the requirements for filing a statement of financial interests to all candidates.” See more details here.
Analysis: By contributing to Shapiro, trade unions are ‘funding the demise of energy jobs’
The Commonwealth Foundation’s Kevin Mooney writes that “since 2021, trade unions that could be impacted by [the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative] have contributed almost $3 million to Shapiro’s campaign for governor.” Meanwhile, this carbon “cap and trade” program, which Shapiro’s office allowed to move forward, “will directly impact trade union members who work in the energy industry on power plants, gas pipelines, refineries, and other fields.” Mooney notes that “Josh Shapiro is either at odds with his own attorney general’s office or he is telling union workers what they want to hear….” Read more here.
Lawmaker hosts annual ‘Right to Keep and Bear Arms’ rally
Retiring GOP state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (Butler County) hosted the 17th annual Right to Keep and Bear Arms rally yesterday on the Capitol steps, where lawmakers and others spoke in defense of Second Amendment rights. Click here for City & State PA’s coverage of the event.