Can He Get His Trifecta and Improve 2028 Odds? This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
Saying Goodbye to October. And sayonara to 6 PM sunsets.
Your Morning Pick Me Up. Roadhouse Blues. The Doors
PA Weather
Erie | Partly Sunny, 56
Gettysburg | Sunny, 70 Hellertown | Sunny, 70
PA Sports 
Steelers (5-2) | Sun vs. Cleveland Eagles (2-5) | Sun at Washington Pitt (5-3) | Sat vs. Georgia Tech Penn State (3-4) | Sat vs. Purdue Temple (2-5) | Sat at East Carolina
Union (13W, 7D, 11L) | Sat at Cincinnati
Sixers (4-1) | Sat at Charlotte
Flyers (3-8-4) | Sun vs. Utah Penguins (5-6-2) | Utah 3-4 (OT) | Sat at Montreal
What We’re Hearing. The Cook Political Report moved the PA-01 race to “Toss-Up” and the PA-08 race to “Leans D” this morning.
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s premier source for nonpartisan political news and analysis. Tips or press releases can be sent to steve@politicspa.com.
The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. For the web version, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe below.
Top Story
“He’s focused on 2026, on his own state. Unlike other presumed 2028 hopefuls, he’s not doing the early-primary groveling circuit; instead, he’s expending a great deal of shoe leather and capital right at home. But it’s hard not to see his Pennsylvania focus as its own kind of 2028 strategy.
Though many national eyes are focused on the state’s four, and possibly more, swingable U.S. House districts, the tougher challenge is further down the ballot — namely, flipping the GOP-held state senate and securing unified Democratic control in Harrisburg for the first time since 1993.
He also attacks the state senate as a campaign-trail foil, blaming GOP opposition for the inability to enact a $15 an hour minimum wage, codify abortion rights in the state, build more housing, and so on. In this, he’s testing a kind of bare-knuckled bipartisanship that tells Republican lawmakers in the state, and maybe later the nation: Work with me or I’m coming for your jobs.” | Politico
Elsewhere
Where Do The Congressional Races Stand? “We’re down to the final hours of the 2026 general election campaign. Polls have been issued and prognosticators have weighed in. Where do things stand in Pennsylvania’s big four congressional races” | PoliticsPA
Pennsylvania Congressional Races Could Hinge On Who Voters Blame For High Prices. “Democrats are favored to take the House in November, but the size of their potential majority could hinge on a handful of competitive races. Four are in Pennsylvania, where President Trump and Republicans made significant gains in 2024.” | PBS
PA-08: Bresnahan, Cognetti Engage In Civil Discourse, With Some Room For Agreement Amid Differences. “The Republican incumbent and his Democratic challenger mostly respected time limits, didn’t talk over each other and largely refrained from personal attacks. Not even in their opening statements. If there were any surprises on the night, it was hearing each candidate disavowing certain policies pursued by their own parties.” | WVIA
Watch the PA-08 Debate: Rob Bresnahan vs. Paige Cognetti. “The candidates in the 8th Congressional District race in NEPA met on the debate stage on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the studios of WVIA.” | PoliticsPA
PA-07 Poll: Brooks 49%, Mackenzie 43%. “With five days remaining until Election Day, the 7th Congressional District contest between incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and Democratic challenger Bob Brooks continues to be competitive. But if you believe in the power of the poll, then the Lehigh Valley seat may be on the verge of flipping.” | PoliticsPA
State
“The midterm elections are days away and PoliticsPA takes a look at the governor’s race as part of our 31 Races in 31 Days series.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Shapiro Eyes Minimum Wage Hike If Democrats Sweep Pennsylvania. “Josh Shapiro told Semafor that he’ll be focused on passing a few specific items if his party wins full control of the government — not a parade of progressive bills, as Democrats in some swing states have done after winning the legislature.” | Semafor
In Final Push of Pennsylvania’s Governor Race, Stacy Garrity Goes All In On Skill Games and Raises Millions From the Industry. “Bringing back the gambling machines found in bars and gas stations has emerged as a campaign focus for the Republican candidate.” | WHYY
Shapiro Aims For a Strong Finish in a Campaign With 2028 Implications. “High up in the starting stand of a famed race track, Josh Shapiro waves a black-and-white checkered flag with an unmistakable meaning: It’s over. The metaphor isn’t entirely accurate.” | Politico
Lancaster County a Key Target For Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidate Ken Krawchuk. “Ken Krawchuk, the Libertarian candidate for Pennsylvania governor, is “laser focused” on Lancaster County this election cycle.” | LNP
Around The Commonwealth
“So you have filled out your application for your no-excuse, absentee mail ballot in Pennsylvania. And your dutiful county election office approved your request and sent you the ballot materials.
And it has sat there on your kitchen table gathering dust.
Congratulations! You’re a procrastinator. So am I.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
A Fierce Rematch For a State House Seat in the Heart of Trump Country Could Shape Butler County For Years to Come. “Three months after Democrat Brandon Dukes captured the deep-red district, Republican Scott Timko is warning of a far-reaching realignment if the GOP loses again.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Data Centers Scrambled PA’s Political Map, But What Happens After Nov. 3? “Data centers were barely on the political radar a year ago. But more than three-quarters of Pennsylvanians polled by Franklin & Marshall College now say they wouldn’t want one in their community. And analysts say more is at stake than “not in my backyard” grievances.” | WESA
Fitzpatrick Sues to Remove a Democratic Bucks County Commissioner From the Election Board Days Before His Contest. “Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick filed a lawsuit Thursday in an effort to disqualify Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia from serving on the county election board ahead of a tight contest against a fellow Democratic commissioner, Bob Harvie.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Pennsylvania Analysis Shows Flaws In Using Jury Rejection Lists to Find Noncitizen Voters. “Votebeat and Spotlight PA scrutinized 13 potential noncitizen voters identified using this method in a large Pennsylvania county. We found several individuals who had once been noncitizens but were later naturalized, but zero voters who had registered before gaining citizenship.” | Votebeat
Editorial
1 Thing
“The stable weather pattern of consistently warm days followed by cold nights and frosty mornings continues to transform forests of southern Pennsylvania into a colorful mosaic of fall colors. This stability has also extended peak for many counties, mostly due to minimal winds.
Fantastic autumn shades can be seen from the middle and southern Appalachians to the southern Alleghenies and forests in southeastern PA. With fall foliage season winding down, this could be the last great weekend to experience the colorful splendor of fall across a wide swath of Penn’s Woods.” | PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
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Enjoy your Halloween weekend.
