News & Brews September 15, 2022
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Oz v. Fetterman: Debate date set
Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz have agreed on October 25 as their date to debate in the U.S. Senate race. But the AP reports that some of the terms of the debate are still … being debated. For one thing, Oz wants a 90-minute debate while Fetterman’s campaign says Oz already agreed to 60 minutes. Read more here. Meanwhile, a new Monmouth University poll of registered voters shows Fetterman with a 49%-39% lead over Oz, while a CBS News poll of likely voters shows Fetterman with a 52%-47% lead.
Pa. Dep’t of Health still fighting to hide Covid info
Broad and Liberty breaks down a multi-year transparency battle with the Department of Health over Covid lockdowns. The Department has gone to court to try to hide the information, and upon losing in Commonwealth Court has petitioned the Pa. Supreme Court in hopes of maintaining secrecy.
Op-Ed: ‘Selective amnesia unbecoming for AG Shapiro’
Following claims from Attorney General and Democrat gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro that he opposed some of Gov. Wolf’s Covid mandates, GOP Rep. David H. Rowe (Union and Snyder counties) details in RealClear Pennsylvania how Shapiro spent the better part of two years defending those mandates. Rowe notes that “it takes a true suspension of disbelief to buy Shapiro’s narrative that he did anything other than wholeheartedly support business shutdowns, school closures, and mask mandates.” Read Rep. Rowe’s piece here.
GOP Gov./Lt. Gov. ticket focused on parental rights
The Delaware Valley Journal looks at the role parental rights in education may play in the gubernatorial race, noting that Republican Doug Mastriano’s campaign is hoping “a grassroots army of ‘mama bears'” can “take them to victory.” Many remained concerned, however, that Mastriano is not reaching beyond this grassroots base to appeal to the independent voters requisite to victory.
State elections officials prepare for November election
City and State reports that “a state House committee tasked with reviewing the state’s election laws on Wednesday heard from election officials, who walked through their preparations for the midterm elections and offered input to legislators on future changes to the state’s election laws.” Among the comments, Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman noted the administration needs to “manage expectations” on how quickly counting mail-in ballots will take. Read more here.