President’s home-stretch schedule excludes Pennsylvania. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
Good Day, Thursday. Congratulations to the Brewers!
Your Morning Pick Me Up. I Want You Back. Jackson 5
PA Weather
Canonsburg | Sunny, 73 Milton | Sunny, 70 Lansdowne | Sunny, 71
PA Sports 
Sixers (4-1) | Indiana 114-109 | Sat at Charlotte
Flyers (3-8-4) | Washington 2-5 | Sat vs. Utah Penguins (5-6-1) | Thu vs. Utah
What We’re Listening To. We’re now just days away from the 2026 Midterm Elections. Pennsylvanians will go to the polls to elect Governor, 25 Senate races, 203 local State Representative races, and 17 elected officials to the United States Congress. Today on Voices of Reason, Steve Ulrich will speak with the editorial staff of the Fideri News Network, made up of Broad & Liberty, Bucks Independence, Lancaster Independence, and PoliticsPA about what they are looking for as we head into the 2026 general election.
What We’re Watching. The 8th Congressional district candidates will meet on the debate stage tonight at 7 PM in front of a live studio audience at WVIA.
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
“One thing’s noticeably missing from the Pennsylvania political landscape this year: The big-arena, arrive-early-stay-late Donald J. Trump rally.
Trump appearances have been a fixture on the Pennsylvania election scene since his first presidential run in 2016.
This year? Not so much.” | PennLive
Elsewhere
2026 Election Preview: 10th Congressional District. It’s Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson in a rematch of their 2024 contest in the Capital Region. | PoliticsPA
‘The Devil Is Everywhere’: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Stumps For U.S. Rep. Scott Perry as PA-10 Battle Intensifies. “The GOP leader said he expects Republicans to defy expectations in next week’s elections, and laid out the stakes of the midstate election in stark terms, labeling Democrats as left-wing radicals and framing the race as “a contrast between common sense and crazy.”” | City & State
Scott Perry’s Haunted House in the 10th District. “As Halloween approaches, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry has decided that south-central Pennsylvania needs another haunted attraction. Forget the corn mazes and haunted hayrides. The Republican congressman wants voters trembling at the thought of Janelle Stelson, a former local television anchor whose most frightening quality may be her ability to defeat him.” | RealClear Pennsylvania
The 10 Most Vulnerable House Members Less Than a Week Before Election Day. A pair of Pennsylvanians appear on the list. | Roll Call
PA-16: Kelly, Wagner Vying For U.S. House Seat. “A Greenville automation engineer and Army veteran is looking to unseat an eight-term Republican incumbent for Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District.” | New Castle News
State
“Gov. Josh Shapiro holds an overwhelming lead with Pennsylvania’s public college students regardless of what part of the state they’re from, according to a new poll from West Chester University, with the survey showing students are becoming more left-wing and more independent than their peers.
The topline result is that 72% of students favor Democratic incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro in the governor’s race, versus only 10% who said they would rather vote for Republican challenger Stacy Garrity.” | PennLive
Elsewhere
TV Station Says It Is ‘Pulling’ GOP Ad Attacking Pennsylvania House Candidate. “A Harrisburg-area television station said it is “pulling” a controversial advertisement attacking Pennsylvania House candidate Janelle Stelson, who is locked in one of the country’s tightest House races.” | Politico
Ahead of Election Day, Pennsylvania Election Officials Are Ready for Anything. “Democratic victories in several key Pennsylvania races could be enough to flip control of the House. The stakes are high, but administrators say voters can expect a safe and secure experience.” | Governing
As Healthcare Costs Spike For PA Employers and Employees, State House Dems Pitch Universal Coverage. “As millions of Pennsylvanians navigate their health insurance options during open enrollment, many could face double-digit premium increases over last year’s costs. The growth is reviving debates over universal healthcare and the government’s role in price-setting.” | Penn Capital-Star
Worker Terminations and VFW Struggles Follow Harrisburg Skill Games Fiasco. “Veterans of Foreign Wars official John Getz Jr. warned posts around Pennsylvania for years that so-called “skill games” were not a reliable long-term revenue source, and now that they are illegal he said it’s possible some posts could close. Meanwhile, Joe Calla’s company recently had to pull thousands of its newly illegal machines from venues around the state and issue 60-day notices of termination to 81 employees.” | The Center Square
Around The Commonwealth
“Four Pennsylvania races will help determine which party controls the U.S. House and sets the political agenda for the next two years.
Spotlight PA spoke to voters in three of those critical congressional districts: the 1st, 7th, and 10th. They’re weighing their options against the issues that matter to them, like the economy, the war in Iran, and anti-corruption policies.” | Spotlight PA
Elsewhere
Latino Voters Who Helped Elect Trump Are Moving Away From Republicans — But Not Warming to Democrats. “Increasing economic pressures have fractured this key part of the Trump coalition, but many say the opposition party has taken them for granted” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Garrity, Legislative Candidates Weigh In On Data Centers Amid Cumberland County Fight. “Seven candidates running in the Pennsylvania midterms were asked to answer one question Wednesday night: What does responsible data center development look like in Cumberland County?” | PennLive
What’s the Political Mood in Hazleton? “Shops along downtown Hazleton’s North Wyoming Street were busy with Latin music and Spanish chatter on the first chilly autumnal weekend on a Saturday earlier this month. The customers in salons, restaurants, and other stores in this majority-Hispanic city weren’t particularly enthusiastic, however, about the upcoming midterm elections.” | RealClear Pennsylvania
Editorial
1 Thing
“Meetings are supposed to help people do their jobs. But too often, they seem to have the opposite effect.
Two-thirds of executives consider meetings their No. 1 time sink, according to the 2026 World’s Most Admired Companies report from organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry and Fortune. They tend to “hijack prime focus time,” with 50% taking place between 9 and 11 a.m. or 1 and 3 p.m., per Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index research.
Here are the four steps I recommend most often to streamline their meetings.” | CNBC
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