News & Brews December 3, 2025
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Pa. could determine U.S. House control in 2026
We’ve been saying it for years. As Pennsylvania goes, so goes the nation. The media agrees. WHYY reports, “With control of the U.S. House again expected to come down to a razor-thin margin next year, several congressional districts in Pennsylvania are emerging as some of the nation’s most competitive. As a result, control of the U.S. House may once again run through Pennsylvania.” Next year will see “four highly competitive U.S. House races in Pennsylvania, more than any other state.” Republicans currently hold all of the seats, and Democrats hope to flip all of them.
Pa. losing school choice race to Ohio, West Virginia
A joint op-ed in PennLive by American Federation for Children’s Director of State Advocacy Marc LeBlond and Government Affairs Fellow Myles Slade-Bowers points to school choice programs in neighboring Ohio and West Virginia. “Each Ohio K-12 student is eligible for a scholarship to attend a school of their parent’s choice, with lower income families receiving the highest dollar amounts. And another border state, West Virginia, offers government funded education savings accounts (ESAs) to any K-12 family who wants one.” Meanwhile, Pa. is lagging behind these neighboring states.
Shapiro elected chair of Chesapeake Executive Council
The Chesapeake Executive Council, the organization that acts as “the primary policy and leadership body for restoring the Chesapeake Bay,” unanimously elected Gov. Josh Shapiro as chair during its annual meeting yesterday. As PennLive observes, “Shapiro’s appointment to the council comes after a months-late Pennsylvania budget deal killed Pennsylvania’s attempt to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Program (RGGI), a move that was criticized by some environmental advocacy groups.”
Perry facing Republican primary challenge
Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry has long been a target of Democrats who have unsuccessfully tried to unseat him multiple times. Now, ABC27 reports that before he gets to the General Election this year, Perry will face a Republican primary challenge. In addition to Republican Karen Dalton, who announced her challenge to Perry in September, another outfit run by a former chief of staff to the late Sen. Arlen Specter (who famously became a Democrat in hopes of winning re-election, only to lose) also wants to oust Perry. A spokesman for Perry called the group “the same old Leftist front group with its same old deceptive name, playing its same old deceptive game.”
‘How George Soros changed criminal justice in America’
The Washington Post has a long-form story on liberal billionaire George Soros’ effort to capture District Attorney seats across the country by supporting progressive candidates. “Over the past decade, the Soros-backed Justice & Public Safety PAC and affiliated committees have built a cost-effective and winning record.” In 2024, “These entities … [spread] money across at least 62 primary and general election races … winning 77 percent of the time…. These district attorneys command extraordinary authority to pick and choose who enters the criminal justice system and for how long.” Don’t expect a completely unbiased narrative from the WaPo, but it’s still an interesting read, particularly given Democrats pretend to hate billionaires.