News & Brews January 6, 2025
Get News & Brews in your inbox each day: Subscribe here!
Shapiro praises Walz amid MN scandal
Yesterday, as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz dropped his re-election bid amid the massive fraud scandal that’s allegedly been flourishing under his watch, Gov. Shapiro came to his defense because … why? Who knows? But on social media, Shapiro said Walz “is a good man and a friend who has committed his life to public service. In the face of disgusting personal attacks against him and his family, Tim has shown resilience and commitment to improving the lives of the people he was elected to serve.” Responding to the post, the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association fitly observed, “If ‘public service’ means allowing fraudsters to steal billions of dollars from the taxpayers, @GovernorShapiro might want to come up with a new definition.”
Shapiro kicks off election year with $30M cash on hand
Per Gov. Shapiro’s campaign, he began 2026 with $30 million in his campaign account, a hefty sum that his campaign says is “the most money raised and the most cash on hand heading into an election year of any campaign for governor in Pennsylvania history,” NBC reports. While 2025 annual campaign reports are not yet posted (they’re due to be filed on February 2), in recent years, the majority of Shapiro’s fundraising has come from outside of Pennsylvania—from 2020 to 2024, more than 55% of his itemized donations came from out of state, according to a review of campaign finance reports.
Garrity: Shapiro is dimming Pa.’s energy future
State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity writes in Broad + Liberty that “recent projections from PJM Interconnection, the grid operator serving 65 million people across thirteen states including Pennsylvania, reveal a looming energy crisis that threatens our economy – and Governor Josh Shapiro is too busy pointing fingers to address it head-on.” While Shapiro blames PJM, the “true villain [is] Shapiro’s policies, mirroring the flawed strategies of his Democratic peers that tax reliable energy into oblivion while propping up intermittent, weather-dependent electricity that falters under pressure.”
Pa. DEP still pursuing DEI policies
The Center Square reports, “Despite the subject being in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, Pennsylvania has doubled down on its environmental justice efforts with a final policy launched Saturday. The policy will guide the Department of Environmental Protection in projects relating to environmental justice, a concept rooted in principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.” In April, Trump issued an executive order directing the attorney general to identify such laws in order “to reexamine taxpayer funding of the programs.”
Pa. first state to pass $3B in online gaming revenue
Well, I’m not sure that massive gambling is really something to celebrate. But PennLive reports that “Pennsylvania is setting records for online casino revenue in 2025, and more record-breaking growth is expected in 2026. With a record-setting November, Pennsylvania became the first state to surpass $3 billion in annual gross gaming revenue. If it continues at its current pace, the Keystone State could surpass $4 billion in 2026…. Pennsylvania’s iGaming revenue is growing at an average of around 28% over the last four years. If it maintains that pace in 2026, the estimate for next year’s gross iGaming revenue would be around $4.42 billion.”