News & Brews January 27, 2025
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Pa. GOP looks to 2026 governor’s race
In 2022, Josh Shapiro soared to an easy victory over his Republican challenger. This surprised virtually no one, as many observers (including us) had warned that the GOP would lose without a stronger candidate. Now, (some) Republicans are saying they won’t repeat the mistakes of the past but instead will present “a much more unified and strategic effort to contest Gov. Shapiro and the governor’s race,” in the words of one. Whom will the party unify behind? Well, that remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the Post-Gazette notes that “[b]arring a dramatic development, Mr. Shapiro appears to have a virtual lock on his party’s endorsement.”
Pa. gears up for Supreme Court campaigns
The AP reports, “Republicans put Pennsylvania and Wisconsin back in the win column in the 2024 presidential race, and they’re hoping that momentum carries over to contests this year that will determine whether their state Supreme Courts retain left-leaning majorities or flip to conservative control.” In Pa., there are no open seats on the high court, but rather voters will vote “yes” or “no” on retaining three current Democrat justices for another 10-year term. Should they vote “no,” only then would an actual election be held for their seat.
Percent of rejected mail-in ballots fell in November
The Center Square reports that of the approximately 1.9 million mail-in ballots received for the November 5 election, 1% were rejected, a drop from the 2.4% rejected in the April primary, per the Pa. Department of State. “The most common reasons were votes received after the 8 p.m. deadline on Election Day (33%), incorrect or missing dates (23%), no signature (17%) or missing secrecy envelope (15%).”
It’s National School Choice Week!
Yesterday marked the start of National School Choice Week 2025, a week set aside for “raising awareness about school choice through tens of thousands of events with schools, organizations, and parents around the country.” Here in Pa., a Capitol press conference is scheduled for tomorrow, and a school fair will take place in Harrisburg on Saturday. Click here for more on Pa. happenings.
Op-Ed: ‘Where is Josh Shapiro on U.S. Steel’?
The Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield takes to the pages of Inquirer to hunt for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s position as U.S. Steel fights for its sale to Nippon Steel. But alas, our governor is nowhere be found on either side of the issue. Instead, he continues to try to appease all sides, “playing to interest groups instead of leading the way.” This, of course, has become a hallmark of Shapiro’s tenure. “If Shapiro doesn’t finally start leading,” Nathan concludes, “an iconic Pennsylvania company may die — and Pennsylvania will keep falling behind.”