News & Brews August 7, 2026
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National GOP group identifies Pa. target races
The Republican State Leadership Committee has released its list of 12 Pennsylvania legislative races its targeting as critical in this year’s elections. PennLive reports that for the most part, the GOP list matches the Democrat target list. But two GOP “add ons” include protecting GOP state Rep. Martina White in Philadelphia as well as flipping the Cambria County seat currently held by Democrat state Rep. Frank Burns. (In 2024, Democrats spent millions defending Burns, so we expect they won’t simply ignore this race this year.)
How labor boards upend due process
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Nathan McGrath, president and general counsel for the Fairness Center, explains how labor boards that are supposed to be “neutral adjudicators” turn into “partisan advocates”—robbing workers of the chance to receive “the fair hearings they deserve.”
Pa. colleges get graded on free speech
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) recently released its 2026 Spotlight on Speech Codes, which evaluates “the state of free speech on our nation’s campuses.” And the Center Square reports that two Pa. universities—Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania—earned the best ranking of “green light.” Meanwhile, six of our schools—Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson College, Drexel University, Lafayette College, and Lincoln and Villanova Universities—received red lights. The remaining 23 Pa. colleges included in the study merited yellow lights.
Podcast: Conversation with Linda McMahon
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon joined Philadelphia radio host Dom Giordano on his podcast, “Old School, New School, Next School” to talk about “reining in” the education department, school choice, and the Mississippi Miracle.
The other candidates running for Pa. governor
Looks like the November ballot is set to include not two but four candidates for Pa. governor after the Libertarian Party and Green Party each announced they are fielding a gubernatorial hopeful. The Libertarian Party is backing Ken Krawchuk of Philadelphia while the Green Party is supporting Tony Dastra of Lancaster.
