News & Brews November 2, 2026
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Pa. Dem caucuses outspend GOP 2-1
It’s a tale as old as time (in recent years, at least). Spotlight PA reports that Pennsylvania “House and Senate Democrats’ campaign committees, fueled by cash from labor unions, trial lawyers, and wealthy out-of-state donors from blue states like New York and California, outspent their GOP counterparts by roughly 2-to-1” in this year’s state legislative races. “The campaign committees collectively spent $51 million from June 8 to Oct. 19 — the most in that period in the last decade. During the same reporting cycle in 2024, the committees spent $36.5 million; in 2020, they spent $24.2 million; in 2016, just $10.2 million.” Funny, Democrats are the ones who claim to want to get “money out of politics.” Unless, of course, it’s money coming to their own campaigns.
Here comes the 2028 race for U.S. Senate
I know I know. Let’s at least get through tomorrow before talking about the nextelection, right? Sorry, no such luck. As Democrats have turned on Sen. John Fetterman due to his support for Israel, the 2028 race to unseat him is well underway. And the Inquirer reports that “more than anyone else who has publicly signaled an intention to run, [Democrat U.S. Rep. Chris] Deluzio has positioned himself for a head start — frequently traveling and fundraising for candidates up and down the ballot, building his own campaign war chest, criticizing Fetterman, and becoming a leading Democratic messenger on issues like the war in Iran and affordability.” For his part, Fetterman has not indicated if he plans to run for re-election.
‘Where 2028-ers are putting their midterm chips’
And speaking of 2028 (sorry not sorry?), Axios covers how potential 2028 Democrat presidential candidates are setting the stage for their potential runs. “California Gov. Gavin Newsom,” for example, “has to show that his congressional redistricting gambit worked for Democrats — and he needs to beat back a state wealth tax proposal supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).” Meanwhile, “New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s future hinges on whether a fellow progressive can carry a swing state, for once.” And here in Pa.? Gov. Josh Shapiro “needs to win so big Tuesday that it makes Democratic presidential primary voters see his technocratic ‘get sh** done’ brand of governing as the party’s best bet to take down the GOP in 2028.”
Unaffiliated voters are Pa.’s fastest-growing group
We hear a lot about the changing voter registration gap between Republicans and Democrats in Pennsylvania, but as the Inquirer highlights, the fastest-growing voter group in the state is actually unaffiliated voters. Within the last year, about 78,000 Pennsylvanians have registered as unaffiliated voters—not connected with either major party. Over this same time period, “Democrats gained more than 57,000 voters while Republicans lost about 4,100,” and “the number of voters identifying as members of other parties fell by about 5,700.” These unaffiliated voters are often the determiners in tight races.
Pa. company to become U.S. largest gas producer
Last week, Canonsburg, Pa.-based EQT and Fort Worth-based Range Resources announced the acquisition of the latter by the former. And WESA reports that the news means EQT will “become the country’s largest gas producer.” Because the two “serve a diverse customer base,” the merger “likely won’t face regulatory hurdles.” The story notes, “Demand for gas to power data centers is growing in the region…. EQT has already made agreements to supply some projects, such as the Homer City redevelopment, and this move positions the company to scale even larger to meet future demand growth.”
