News & Brews August 14, 2024
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Presidential hopefuls heading back to Pa.
Not surprisingly given Pa.’s importance, Trump, Vance, Harris, and Walz are all planning to be back in Pa. within the next few days. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Luzerne County this Saturday. Tomorrow, Vance will be at an invitation-only Westmoreland County event focused on our military and veterans. And Harris and Walz plan to launch a Pennsylvania bus tour in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Pa. is 14th most regulated state
According to an analysis from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Pennsylvania is the 14th most regulated state. The Center Square explains, “With more than 164,000 regulatory restrictions on the books, the commonwealth focuses more on areas like environmental protection, culture and the arts, and administration than other states — but much less in areas like health services and banking, insurance, and securities.” Per the Mercatus Center, “Jurisdictions that allow regulations to consistently pile up over the years experience slower economic growth, but this effect can be reversed when policymakers actively cut red tape.”
Harris, Trump, and the ‘struggle’ for the Pa. House
The Post-Gazette reports, “The struggle for control of the closely divided Pennsylvania House of Representatives is playing out on thousands of doorsteps across the state, and observers say the final outcome in November will be affected by the presence of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on the election ballot.” Democrat Legislative Campaign Committee spokesperson Sam Paisley says Harris brings “undeniable enthusiasm,” while Pa. House Republican Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Josh Kail points out that Trump drives turnout, and “Every time Donald Trump has been on the top of the ballot, Republicans have gained in the state House.”
Dem voter registration in Pa. continues to shrink
According to the latest voter registration statistics from the Pa. Department of State, current as of this past Monday, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in Pa. by just over 356,000, marking a continued drop in Dems’ voter registration advantage. In April, the gap was just shy of 400,000. A decade ago, it was more than one million.
Convicted Johnny Doc ally gets taxpayer-funded job
Marita Crawford, the former political director of IBEW 98 who was convicted and spent a few weeks in prison as part of the Johnny Doc scandal, has been hired by Democrat Philly Councilmember Jim Harrity as his legislative director. The Inquirer reports that Crawford “spent 15 days behind bars in April after pleading guilty to wire fraud charges and admitting to stealing from the union in what federal prosecutors said was a sprawling embezzlement scheme….Crawford pleaded guilty in 2022 and agreed to repay nearly $12,000 in stolen funds. She was sentenced this year to three months of house arrest following her incarceration — meaning her home confinement ended in July — and she is scheduled to be on probation through 2027.”