News & Brews May 8, 2026
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Fetterman: ‘I’d be a terrible Republican’
Writing in the Washington Post, Sen. John Fetterman tackles the speculation that he should leave the Democrat party and become a Republican. “I’d be a terrible Republican,” he writes. But beyond this, he notes how far his party has drifted not only from core policy ideas like supporting Israel and securing our borders but also from the basic idea of working together. “I still believe in that principle. It doesn’t matter if my colleague is in my party or across the aisle…. Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave — but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first.”
Interview: Why you GOTTA win Pennsylvania
Our president and CEO Matt Brouillette joined the Daily Signal’s Tony Kinnett Cast to talk about the critical importance of Pennsylvania to the future of America. Matt discusses his new book, You GOTTA win Pennsylvania! A call to entrepreneurs to save America (get your copy here!). He warns that if Democrats can capture Pennsylvania, they can capture America. Matt also tracks the impact Commonwealth Partners has had over the past 10 years, and he issues a call to entrepreneurs to step up and match what the Left is doing to win the Keystone State. Watch here. The interview begins at timestamp 1:06:30.
Time to change who writes ballot questions?
Pennsylvania in 2021. Virginia in 2026. The question of ballot question wording has raised concerns. In Virginia’s redistricting vote, biased wording suggested to voters that voting “yes” would “restore fairness.” In Pa.’s vote to reign in a governor’s unchecked emergency powers, wording from the Wolf administration that added “regardless of the severity of the emergency” sought to frighten voters. Now, Republican lawmakers are proposing legislation that would “move the writing responsibility to the Legislative Reference Bureau.” The LRB is staffed by attorneys from both parties, and it “creates all legislation requested by General Assembly members.”
Confusion still abounds on mail-in ballots
Votebeat reports on Pennsylvania’s “flip-flopping” court rulings on mail-in ballots and outlines where the rules stand now. But wait — they might change! No, seriously. The story gives the current rules on dating mail-in ballots but then says, “That could change.” Gee, maybe if we just followed what the law actually says, this confusion would go away. Imagine that.
Amazon, Shapiro, data centers, and the presidency
So I never thought I’d share a Will Bunch column in this newsletter. That’s because Bunch typically specializes in hyperbole along the general lines of Republicans will ignite the downfall of civilization, cause the earth to dissolve, and kill your puppy at the same time!!! (my paraphrase). But I guess I should never say never. Bunch has a semi-serious opinion piece in the Inquirer on recently exposed emails “revealing the cozy, behind-the-scenes ties between the Shapiro administration and Amazon and its lobbyists” regarding data center development. “At the same time Shapiro was promising stricter controls on new data centers … the head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) wrote Amazon to reassure the giant retailer that new standards were only voluntary.”