News & Brews January 5, 2025
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Previewing Garrity v. Shapiro
The progressive Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that Republican state Treasurer and GOP gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity “will put Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first three years under microscope” as she seeks to unseat him in November. While Shapiro “has been on a steady upward political trajectory for more than 20 years without an electoral defeat,” he’s also never faced a truly competitive challenger like Garrity. “While Republicans say there’s plenty to criticize, such as three late budgets and lingering questions about a sexual harassment scandal involving a top aide, Democratic and Republican political experts say his appeal to a broad swath of voters is undeniable.”
Shapiro to announce re-election run; book tour soon to follow
CBS21 reported last week that per multiple sources, Gov. Shapiro is expected to announce his re-election campaign on January 8. We suppose he has to get this out of the way soon, as he’s also hitting the road for his book tour later this month. The Inquirer reports that the tour, which kicks off in Philly on January 24, will also hit New York and Washington D.C. Meanwhile, NBC News reports that with 2028 looming, “Shapiro hasn’t been able to land major Democratic wish-list policies, and some of his compromises have angered members of his party.”
PGH gets a new mayor today
Democrat Corey O’Connor will be sworn in this afternoon as the next mayor of Pittsburgh, succeeding Mayor Ed Gainey. The Post-Gazette reports that O’Connor has “ambitious plans.” These include “turning city-owned abandoned properties into shovel-ready sites for housing development. … doing neighborhood walk-throughs with public safety and public works officials to make the city cleaner and safer … securing deals with the city’s large, nonprofit organizations to help pay for services,” and more.
Pa. pols react to Maduro capture
Multiple Pennsylvania elected officials reacted largely along predictable party lines to the U.S.’s capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Democrats largely fell in line to question or criticize Trump, while Republicans praised him. One exception was Democrat U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, who posted, “Grateful for our U.S. military personnel that handled these orders in Venezuela with precision. I maintain that we have the STRONGEST and MOST LETHAL military in the world—today proves that even more.”
Thousands laid off in Pa. in 2025
Last year saw thousands of layoffs across Pennsylvania. PennLive reports that completed and planned layoffs span industries including manufacturing, research, energy, healthcare, and more. For example, Crozer Health laid off more than 2,600 people. Cleveland-Cliffs laid off 664. Crothall and Morrison Healthcare is laying off nearly 800 people.