News & Brews August 26, 2024
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RFK, Jr.’s exit might shake up close race in Pa.
On Friday, RFK, Jr. “suspended” (read: ended) his presidential bid and endorsed former President Trump, potentially shaking up an already-tight race in key swing states, including Pa. Kennedy is asking for his name not to appear on the ballot in battleground states. POLITICO reports (once you scroll past the slanted start to the story) that “in all seven battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) that will likely determine the outcome of the election, Kennedy’s current vote share is bigger than the margin between Trump and Harris, according to FiveThirtyEight polling averages.” How many of those voters will turn to Trump v. Harris? Well, polling suggests Trump may hold an edge, but we’ll see.
Cornel West loses bid to get on Pa. ballot
I know – lots of folks may not even have realized that Cornel West was in a court battle to get on the Pa. ballot. But he was. And on Friday, the Commonwealth Court agreed with the Shapiro administration that “West’s campaign lacked the required affidavits for 14 of West’s 19 presidential electors.” The West campaign did not immediately say whether it planned to appeal the ruling.
Multiple Pa. Secret Service agents put on leave
On Friday, news came out that the Secret Service has placed multiple agents from its Pittsburgh field office on leave in connection with the assassination attempt against former President Trump last month in Butler Pa. CBS News reported, “Sources confirm that as a result of the Secret Service’s investigation, the Pittsburgh special agent in charge, three others with the Pittsburgh field officeand one agent with Trump’s detail have been placed on leave.”
Lawmaker proposes election-reporting change
GOP state Rep. Brad Roae (Crawford and Erie counties) has introduced legislation that would require the Pa. Department of State “to display the number of precincts reporting on election night results,” as well as the total number of precincts (i.e. “500 out of 5,000 precincts reporting”). Per Roae, this would create “transparency and [allow] the public to evaluate whether the outcome … [is] still in question. Knowing the differential in the number of votes received means nothing unless you have a general idea of how many votes are left to count.”
Road to White House runs through … western Pa.?
We’ve been hearing (and saying) for months (years) that the road to the White House runs through Pennsylvania. But WESA says the geography may be a bit more specific, and Democrats and Republicans believe this road cuts through western Pennsylvania. As evidence, the story notes that “in both parties’ conventions this summer, often-ignored Western Pennsylvania communities had their moment on the national stage and helped define the political landscape of the entire election.”