News & Brews April 3, 2026
Get News & Brews in your inbox each day: Subscribe here!
Why You GOTTA win Pennsylvania!
“What does Johnstown, Pennsylvania have to do with San Francisco, California? Or Warminster, Pennsylvania with New York, New York?” These are questions our president and CEO, Matt Brouillette, asks—and answers—in a new piece in RealClear Pennsylvania previewing his new book, You GOTTA win Pennsylvania! A call to entrepreneurs to save America, officially releasing on Monday, April 6. “Sure, we all know Pennsylvania is a swing state, and an important one at that,” Matt writes, “And politicians running for national office – along with their deep-pocketed donors – invest enormous focus and resources on the Keystone State. But that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about something deeper: If you control Pennsylvania – meaning the state-level offices and institutions that make, interpret, and implement election laws – you control the country.” Check out the op-ed here. And bookmark www.yougottawinpa.com for ordering info coming next week!
Pa. energy leadership depends on competition
David N. Taylor, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association (and Commonwealth Partners Board Member) writes that he is “alarmed by the growing chorus of voices in Harrisburg and beyond who seem eager to walk away from the competitive power market that has served this Commonwealth extraordinarily well.” He explains that recent price increases are “a product of supply (tamped down by excessive red tape and regulatory uncertainty) not being able to keep up with demand.” Yet, “The competition critics, including Gov. Shapiro, will say that rising electricity prices prove the market has failed. They have it exactly backwards – the markets are screaming that new generation needs to be built.”
Pa. ranks 33rd in energy affordability
A new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) shows Pennsylvania ranks 33rd in “electricity prices and energy affordability indicators,” the Center Square reports. Per ALEC, “Pennsylvania generates the majority of its electricity from natural gas and nuclear, with coal and minor renewables supplementing the mix. As a net exporter, the state produces far more electricity than it consumes, though retail prices remain above the national average.” ALEC says that “clear statutory priorities focused on affordability, reliability, and domestic production could further enhance long-term energy stability and economic competitiveness.”
Why so blue, ActBlue?
The New York Times has a damning story headlined by an equally damning summary: “ActBlue may have misled Congress on vetting foreign donations, its lawyers warned.” ActBlue, the Left’s massive fundraising machine—which since 2004 has channeled nearly $19 billion in donations into races from president all the way down to school board—has long been criticized for facilitating illegal foreign donations to American political campaigns. Now, it appears the group’s own lawyers warned that ActBlue may have lied to Congress in how it claimed it vetted donations.
Lawmakers consider paid family leave, but who pays?
Spotlight PA reports on the status of government-mandated paid family leave in Pennsylvania. The Democrat-controlled state House last month passed a bill that “would require employers to provide [and pay for] 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents, victims of violent acts, and individuals facing or recovering from a serious health condition, including illness, injury, and pregnancy.” In the Senate, Republican Devlin Robinson has proposed a program that’s structured differentlyand would require “all working individuals [to] contribute to support the program.” Spotlight notes that the big sticking point, “dividing lawmakers, largely along party lines, is whether they need to protect businesses from costs associated with leave.”