News & Brews January 20, 2026
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Dems duke it out for nomination in PA-03
The Inquirer has two stories on sitting Democrat state lawmakers vying for their party’s nomination for the open third congressional district seat—being vacated by Democrat U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans. In one story, the Inky looks at state Rep. Chris Rabb, who is “trying to be the Left’s standard-bearer” and is hoping for the support of the progressive wing of his party (which is pretty much the only wing these days). In a second story, the Inky takes the Muslim angle in looking at state Sen. Sharif Street, saying folks shouldn’t make assumptions about his politics even though he’s Muslim. (Gee, that sounds super stereotypical of the Inky — where is the Left’s outrage?)
“Takeaways” from Shapiro’s upcoming book
The Inky picks six takeaways from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s upcoming book. And some of them are none too flattering to Shapiro. For example, Shapiro’s “good ideas” (whatever they are) mostly come from his wife. He’s flip-flopped on whether he thinks the Harris campaign displayed antisemitism toward him. He’s concerned about his reputation as “disloyal.” And he completely ignores the biggest scandal of his gubernatorial tenure: Mike Vereb. In fact, his book doesn’t even mention Vereb once.
Another budget battle brewing?
Wait, weren’t we just in the middle of a state budget impasse? Is another coming? “Too soon! Too soon!” Yes — my reaction exactly. But WITF reports, “Pennsylvania’s divided Legislature is on a path to collide over the state’s 2026-2027 budget, just a few months after Gov. Josh Shapiro and legislative leaders cut a deal to resolve a more than four-month budget impasse for the current fiscal year.” Sigh. “What’s heightening the odds for another standoff is this year’s midterm elections. Shapiro will be on the ballot this fall, and voters will pick the winners of 25 state Senate seats and all 203 House seats. As budget talks begin, lawmakers from both parties will be angling for policy wins to tout to their constituents.”
Fetterman, McCormick on Greenland, bipartisanship, & more
U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick appeared jointly on the CBS Evening News on Friday to “discuss working together despite their political differences, how they view President Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, health care, and more.” Pennsylvania is one of just a handful of states with a split Senate delegation (meaning senators are from different parties). Watch the segment here.
Pa. House committee hearing today on energy affordability
This morning at 11:00 a.m., the Pa. House Consumer, Technology, and Utilities Committee and Energy Committee will hold a joint hearing on “Energy Affordability: Why are utility bills rising, and what should the General Assembly do to reduce costs?” The event will be live streamed here.