News & Brews March 27, 2024
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Third-party candidates announced for AG, treasurer
With Democrat and Republican primary races ongoing for state attorney general, and a Dem primary in play for treasurer, the Forward Party has entered the fray in these two races. The progressive Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports, “Eric Settle, a former Republican from Montgomery County who served as Deputy General Counsel to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and as chief counsel in the healthcare industry, will be the party’s nominee for attorney general.” For treasurer, “Chris Foster, a former Democrat from Allegheny County who worked as a tennis professional and entrepreneur, is the party’s candidate….” Co-founded by Andrew Yang in 2022, the Forward Party claims to be neither Left nor Right but “Forward.” What that means practically is anyone’s guess, as the party has no policy platform and instead claims “state Forward parties determine their own priorities.”
McCormick releases first ad in U.S. Senate race
In what’s promising to be one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races of the year, Republican Dave McCormick has released his first ad in his campaign to unseat incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. The ad’s theme builds on McCormick’s high school and West Point wrestling experience, with McCormick saying, “On the wrestling mat, there’s no place to hide.” He continues, “Pennsylvania wrestling taught me to do the hard thing. Hard work. Hard choices. The Pennsylvania way.” McCormick’s residency will undoubtedly once again be a line of attack for Democrats this year. See the ad here.
Judge dismisses GOP lawsuit v. automatic voter registration change
A judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit brought by Pa. GOP lawmakers arguing that Gov. Shapiro’s implementation of automatic voter registration is unconstitutional because he did not go through the legislature. The judge ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing as they had not “alleged any individualized and particularized harm.”
Bucks County sues oil producers
The Delaware Valley Journal reports that commissioners in Bucks County “announced Monday they are suing some of the world’s largest global oil producers over the local effects of climate change….” The suit targets “BP, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Exxon Mobil, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute” and “claims they knew their product was causing climate change and failed to warn the public.” Addressing the legal move, Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association President and CEO David Taylor said, “Suing oil and gas companies for providing an essential product that not only enables modern life but drives significant economic growth in our state is nonsensical and will result in higher costs for manufacturers, businesses, and consumers alike. It’s unfortunate Bucks County took the bait of a copy-and-paste-lawsuit pushed by out-of-state activists and billionaire hypocrites over the well-being of Pennsylvanians.”
Q&A with AG candidate Dave Sunday
City & State PA caught up with York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, who is running for the Republican nomination for state attorney general, for a short interview to discuss his top issues and more. Sunday, whom we are supporting, is facing GOP state Rep. Craig Williams (Delaware and Chester counties) in the April 23 primary election. (City & State PA previously interviewed Williams.) On the Democrat side, five candidates are vying for the party’s nomination.