News & Brews July 22, 2024
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Biden, Pa., Shapiro, and an election
Well, suffice it to say the weekend was not a quiet one news-wise! After President Biden announced yesterday that he will exit the presidential race, PennLive called the move “a decision that could have major implications for Pennsylvania as the Democratic Party recasts its national ticket.” Reporters within Pa.—along with some folks outside of Pa.—keep mentioning Gov. Shapiro as a Plan B candidate. And now that Biden endorsed VP Kamala Harris for president (and Shapiro quickly followed suit yesterday), the story considers the possibility of Shapiro as VP nominee. It would, of course, be second fiddle. But Shapiro has yet to meet a national limelight he doesn’t adore.
Pa. pols react to Biden exit
City & State PA has a round-up of reactions from several Pa. elected officials to President Biden’s announcement yesterday that he’s dropping out of the presidential race. They range from predictable (Shapiro: “President Biden is a patriot…) to predictable (Rep. Brendan Boyle: “Biden … selflessly put personal ambition aside to do what he thinks is best for our country.”) The one different reaction included in the story (as of this writing) is from U.S. Rep. Scott Perry: “I lament that the American People were ever subjected to this. The democratic process of selecting a presidential candidate is being wilfully discarded – by design – for the sake of their power and power alone.”
Harris v. Trump in Pa. polls
NBC News reports that even as Vice President Kamala Harris has become the “overwhelming frontrunner” for the Democrat presidential nomination, her “biggest challenge” is that she’s “been polling the same as Biden — or just slightly better — against Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to multiple surveys taken before Biden withdrew from the 2024 contest.” In Pennsylvania particularly, Harris performed two percentage points better than Biden did, but this poll was conducted before the July 13 assassination attempt. Of course, in states as contested as Pennsylvania, a one or two percentage point difference could make all the difference.
Cutler proposes bipartisan committee to probe assassination attempt
House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (Lancaster County) has introduced a resolution to create a “Select Committee on the Trump Assassination Attempt to investigate, review and make findings and recommendations concerning the planning, response and coordination of Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies at the Trump campaign event … and the best practices for law enforcement entities to ensure the safety and security of the public and highly visible individuals at such events in the future.” The committee would be strictly bipartisan, comprised of three Republicans and three Democrats.
Pa. Senate seat among 10 ‘most likely to flip’
A CNN ranking of the 10 U.S. Senate seats most likely to flip this year includes Pennsylvania’s Senate seat currently held by Democrat U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. “For much of the race, Casey has been able to hold his own, even as the numbers for Biden – who narrowly carried the state in 2020 – have been more precarious.” But, the story notes that Republican nominee Dave McCormick “has plenty more of his own money to spend, as well as a supportive super PAC, and the Senate Leadership Fund recently announced a $24 million investment in the state beginning in September – a sign that Republicans see this as a winnable contest.”