News & Brews March 23, 2026
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How popular is Shapiro compared with 2028 contenders?
The Inquirer reports that per an Emerson poll, while Gov. Shapiro enjoys the highest net favorability rating among all voters compared with other potential 2028 Democrat presidential contenders, his net favorability among Democrat voters lags—and sometimes by a lot. This, of course, matters as Democrat voters—not “all voters”—pick the Democrat presidential nominee.
Philly wants Harrisburg’s help to raise taxes
The Inquirer reports that Philadelphia Democrat Mayor Cherelle Parker “is relying on Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state legislature to ‘help fix our Philadelphia crumbling infrastructure’ and ‘ensure that Philadelphia gets its fair share’ of funding to build housing.” Translation: Help us raise taxes. Specifically, Parker’s proposal to increase the city’s hotel tax and expand the city’s sales tax require authorizing legislation from the state.
Florida leads the way on unions (again)
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes that a new soon-to-be-law in Florida “would require many unions that represent government workers in the state to get at least 50% of members to participate in any vote for recertification, then win with a majority of votes cast.” Recertification is the process by which bargaining unit members vote on whether to keep their current union as their exclusive representation. It’s amazing how many unions have never stood for recertification—at all. Of course, “Public unions hate this democracy in action because they want to force employees to join, coerce dues payments from them, and then provide no option for reconsideration.” Those who love workers’ rights, however, applaud Florida’s move.
Have Dems finally halted GOP voter gains?
For years, Republicans have been making steady and notable inroads in closing the voter registration gap in Pennsylvania. Whereas once Dems led in registered voters by well over a million, by last year, the number had fallen to about 175,000. Now, the Inquirer reports that “those GOP gains have begun to stall. In 2025, Democrats slowed and eventually began to narrowly reverse Republican gains in the state.” In fact, “For the last five months, Democrats have outperformed Republicans in new voter registrations, staving off a Republican plurality for now and making it less certain for the future.”
Pa. is losing businesses and workers
Commonwealth Foundation Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Megan Martin writes on the recent announcement by Saks & Company that it is closing a Pa. fulfillment center and laying off 435 workers. This news comes after the company announced other closures and layoffs in Pa. “Business closures like this are a gut punch to our commonwealth,” Martin writes, “but they are also indicative of the tough financial times Pennsylvanians currently face.” Indeed, “Pennsylvania struggles to compete nationally.” And the way to change this trend “begins with the state budget.” Martin notes that “with the right reforms, Pennsylvania can start climbing back to being the economic powerhouse it once was.”