News & Brews February 26, 2026
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Shapiro for president? Pa. voters are divided
A new Quinnipiac poll shows that while Gov. Josh Shapiro enjoys high job approval among Pa. voters and is currently leading state Treasurer Stacy Garrity in a gubernatorial matchup, this does not translate into folks thinking he’d make a good president. “Forty percent of voters in the Keystone State think he would make a good president, while 43 percent do not think he would make a good president, with 16 percent not offering an opinion.” Democrats believe 69% to 16% that Shapiro would be a good president. Republicans, however, say no 74% to 14%. Notably, independents 44% to 32% do not believe he’d be a good president.
Lawmakers press on upgrades to gov’s mansion, Shapiro’s home
PennLive reports that at the Senate Appropriations Committee’s first budget hearings this week, “Shapiro’s personal security and how the associated costs were authorized was the common thread.” And, “the expenses associated with Shapiro’s private home generated the most pointed lines of questioning from Republicans, who noted that … procurement rules define emergency construction as involving only ‘public real property.’”
Is school choice bankrupting states? (Spoiler alert: No)
One of the favorite arguments of anti-school-choice folks is that guaranteeing educational opportunity to every child will somehow ruin a state’s finances. But EdChoice’s Marty Lueken puts that myth in perspective. “Arguing that universal school choice will “bankrupt states” is a bit like looking at your grocery receipt, circling the line for coffee, and declaring you’re headed for foreclosure.” What’s more, “In FY 2026, total choice program costs are about $10.2 billion, while total state spending on all public services in states with choice programs is nearly $1.45 trillion. Put differently: choice programs represent about 0.74% of total state expenditures, or less than one penny of every state dollar.”
Rising electricity prices? Shapiro blames all but himself
Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO Andrew Lewis writes in Broad + Liberty, “When it comes to energy policy, Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to blame everybody but himself for rising electricity costs.” For example, he’s pointing the finger at PJM, but “the real culprit is bad policy.” Indeed, Shapiro’s Lightening Plan “distorts markets, crowds out private investment, and shifts risk onto taxpayers and ratepayers.” And his energy tax proposals would “impose $157.2 billion in new electricity costs on Pennsylvanians through 2035.”
Republicans more than Dems back Fetterman
The same Quinnipiac poll that surveyed sentiments on Shapiro also revealed that Democrat U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is more popular among the state’s Republican voters than among Democrat voters. While 73% of Republican voters approve of how Fetterman is handling his job, 62% of Democrats disapprove.