News & Brews September 3, 2026
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And we’re on: Shapiro, Garrity to debate
The date is set. Gov. Josh Shapiro and GOP challenger Stacy Garrity will meet for a debate hosted by ABC27 on Wednesday, October 7, at 8:00 p.m. The debate will be moderated by ABC27 anchor Dennis Owens and will air on WHTM-TV (ABC) in Harrisburg/Lancaster, Lebanon, York, WPHL-TV (MyNetworkTV) in Philadelphia, WTAJ-TV (CBS) in Johnstown/Altoona/State College, WBRE-TV (NBC) and WYOU-TV (CBS) in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton, and WJET-TV (ABC) and WFXP-TV (FOX) in Erie. The last time voters had the opportunity to see their Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates meet on stage was in 2018. If my recollection and research is correct, Gov. Shapiro hasn’t debated an opponent since the 2016 attorney general race.
A ‘reality check’ for ‘failed green energy mandates’
Over the last seven years, we heard a lot of opposition to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Republican lawmakers fought against this carbon tax until Gov. Shapiro finally abandoned the program in last year’s budget battle. But Commonwealth Foundation Senior Fellow Gordon Tomb writes that “political opposition” to another harmful energy mandate “is sparse.” That mandate is Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, or AEPS.
AEPS “requires that 18% of an electricity seller’s offering consists of energy from sources like wind, solar, biomass, and other technologies deemed worthy of special treatment.” The cost to Pennsylvanians has been steep. “In 2025, this program, now in its third decade, cost customers more than $700 million…. AEPS’s lifetime cost of more than $3 billion amounts to a giant handout to special interests at the cost of everyday ratepayers.”
Trump to stump for Republicans in final midterm stretch
At a dinner last evening in the Rose Garden, President Trump told vulnerable Republican lawmakers that he will hit the campaign trail for them in the final 30 days leading up to Election Day. POLITICO reports that the president “will rely on Speaker Mike Johnson to supply names where the Republican is tied, losing or winning by a small margin,” and the list is reportedly about 35 folks.
According to a transcript of Trump’s speech, the president specifically called out U.S. Reps. Scott Perry, Ryan Mackenzie, and Rob Bresnahan from here in Pa., all of whom are in competitive races. Republicans have been waiting to see if MAGA Inc. will spend any of its massive $400-million war chest to help them. At the same time, Trump’s approval rating is so abysmally low that it’s unclear whether his stumping for candidates in certain competitive districts will be a net positive or a net negative.
Can insiders profit from Pa.’s elections?
As prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are all the rage these days, Spotlight PA reports that “some ethics experts are raising concerns that they are ripe for abuse from government insiders or bad faith actors looking to sway elections.”
Basically, folks use these platforms to wager on the outcome of events, including political events. I.e. “Will Josh Shapiro say such and such in his interview?” “Will so-and-so drop out of such and such political race?” But what’s to stop someone inside Shapiro’s office from betting—and making money—on what the governor will say in a speech that same person wrote?
What’s more, “prediction markets are increasingly influencing the way voters follow politics … with major media outlets often including prediction market odds in their data analyses.” So, what if “a small number of professional or high-volume traders” place bets that sway this data?
PGH finances badder than bad, which was also bad
It seems this headline keeps popping up. Pittsburgh finances are bad. And they’re worse than previously thought. But wait, weeks later, they’re again worse than previously thought! Does that mean they’re worse than what was already worse than previously thought? Could be!
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “as Mayor Corey O’Connor and his team craft their first budget … they say the reality is bleaker than even [former Mayor Ed] Gainey’s harshest critics had warned.” O’Connor is projecting a $250 million deficit over five years. “That’s nearly twice the amount that the city has in its savings account….”
Of course, when governments run deficits, government is usually to blame. “For some costs, like overtime, the city spent millions of dollars more than it planned year after year — but more money was rarely, if ever, added. In other instances, contracts were signed, but money was never set aside for them. And in some cases, the city made the budget appear balanced by assuming that costs it couldn’t control — like utility bills, healthcare spending and interest rates — would stay the same over the next five years.” Gee, Pittsburgh sounds an awful lot like Harrisburg!
