PA Governor In The Conversation. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
Good Monday Morning. What Josh Shapiro’s Big Win Says About His Prospects For President in 2028. PA Democrats’ Race to Act on Affordability by 2028 Has Already Started. Lawyers in This State Are Allowed to Ghost Clients for Years. Why Don’t More Judges Stop Them? Pumpkin’ Chunkin’
Your Morning Pick Me Up. 1979. Smashing Pumpkins
PA Weather
Bradford | Mostly Cloudy, 50
Pequea | Mostly Sunny, 60 Emmaus | Mostly Sunny, 58
PA Sports 
Eagles (2-7) | NY Giants 11-19 | Nov. 22 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) | Sun at Cincinnati Pitt (6-3) | Fri vs. Florida State Penn State (5-4) | Washington 28-25 | Sat vs. Minnesota Temple (2-7) | Navy 35-42 | Sat vs. UAB
Union (14W, 7D, 12L) | Toronto 4-1 | Nov. 21 at New England (MLS Playoffs)
Sixers (9-1) | Cleveland 114-106 | Chicago 127-121 | Tue vs. Boston
Flyers (4-10-5) | Calgary 3-4 (OT) | Mon at Vancouver Penguins (6-10-2) | Los Angeles 5-2 | Anaheim 2-5 | Wed at San Jose
What We’re Listening To. The Midterms are over. What did we learn? What does it mean for the national scene? What does it mean for Pennsylvania? Today on Voices of Reason, Steve Ulrich will talk to two political scientists, Berwood Yost and Christopher Borick, about their thoughts on last Tuesday’s election results.
What’s Happening Today. The State House convenes at noon for a voting session.
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
“The polls had just closed across Pennsylvania, and Gov. Josh Shapiro was still helping his son fasten his tie in the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg when they learned the race had already been called. Shapiro told him he could ditch the tie, and they ran downstairs to celebrate his resounding reelection victory.
National Democrats will now begin evaluating who should lead the party into a post-Trump era as their next nominee for president. And Shapiro’s overwhelming 22-percentage-point, 1.1 million-vote margin of victory over GOP challenger Stacy Garrity in the nation’s quintessential battleground state puts him in that conversation.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
Shapiro Says Fetterman Must Repair Damage With Democrats If He Wants a Future in the Party. “Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered some tough words about Pennsylvania’s senior U.S. Senator on Sunday.” | PennLive
McCormick Calls For Delay in Senate GOP Leadership Elections. “Sen. Dave McCormick is calling for a delay in Tuesday’s Senate GOP leadership elections, injecting another note of uncertainty into what had been a largely foregone conclusion before Republicans’ devastating midterm defeat.” | Axios
Q&A: Summer Lee Wants to Send Trump ‘All of Our Top Priorities’. “The Swissvale Democrat will serve in the majority next year. She hopes to steer home funding for medical research, affordable housing, the environment and infrastructure.” | Public Source
With Grueling Election Campaign Finished, Cognetti Aims To Reform Congress And Boost Healthcare. “An anti-corruption agenda that bans congressional stock trading and limits how long a person can serve in Congress tops Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti’s to-do list as she prepares to serve in the U.S. House.” | WVIA
How Gen Z Voters Helped Fuel a Blue Wave For Democrats. “This week, the youngest generation of voters issued a strong rebuke of Republicans, taking another chance on Democrats and their change-focused message at a moment when many of them feel as though the American Dream is out of reach.” | NPR
State
“Like every political campaign across the country, Pennsylvania Democrats ran hard in 2026 on affordability, blaming the economic woes of the median voter on President Donald Trump and an intransigent Republican majority in the state Senate.
Now, after Tuesday’s historic blue wave, they’ll have to deliver – and deliver fast.” | PennLive
Elsewhere
Pennsylvania’s Democratic Trifecta Renews Calls to Join National Popular Vote Compact. “The multistate agreement could make the Electoral College irrelevant if enough states join.” | Penn Capital-Star
Pennsylvania Republicans Blame Washington D.C. for Pennsylvania’s Blue Wave. “Pennsylvania Republicans suffered losses up and down the ballot on Tuesday. Now, the blame game begins over why Democrats had a successful midterm election.” | The Center Square
Court Again Tells Shapiro’s Office to Hand Over Records From Vereb Request. “Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office has lost another round in a nearly three-year fight to keep records sought in a request about the Mike Vereb scandal out of public view.” | Broad + Liberty
Provisional Ballots Appear to Boost Chambers to Victory in 41st House Contest. “Never let anyone tell you that your vote does not count. Brad Chambers certainly won’t push back.” | PoliticsPA
Around The Commonwealth
“I’ve spent years covering criminal justice in Pennsylvania, including the post-conviction system that allows people to argue that their lawyer had mishandled their case or to raise newly discovered evidence. That day, I left the courtroom wondering how what I’d observed squared with the state’s promise of effective legal representation in cases like this.
That question sent me on a yearlong reporting odyssey, during which I read hundreds of Finley letters, tracked down court financial records from all 67 Pennsylvania counties, interviewed dozens of lawyers and analyzed thousands of court dockets. What I wanted to know was: Why has it become the norm for Pennsylvania’s lawyers to argue against their own clients? And who is this system serving?” | ProPublica
Elsewhere
Ahmed Moor, a Gaza-born Philadelphian, is John Fetterman’s First 2028 Challenger. “Ahmed Moor, a Palestinian American writer who was born in Gaza and worked in international development, on Monday became the first candidate for U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s seat in 2028 — launching an early and progressive campaign set to reflect the polar opposite of Fetterman’s view of Israel and the war in Gaza.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Getting a Peloton of Pushback: Bikers Targeting Philly Jewish Businesses Draw Massive Opposition. “Counterprotesters turned out in force against the demonstration, with Israeli flags filling Rittenhouse Square and hundreds lining up to support targeted restaurants.” | City & State
Farm Industry Leader Explains Why ‘Deep Red’ PA Farmers Voted For Democrats. “Chris Herr represents over 400 Pennsylvania farmers. He said frustration over immigration, tariffs, and inflation pushed farmers to vote for Democrats.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
What to Know About PA’s Data Center Tax Exemption and the Shifting Attitudes Surrounding It. “The debate around the possible repeal of the data center equipment tax exemption is reflective of conflicting interests among local residents, elected officials, labor unions, and tech companies.” | Penn Capital-Star
Editorial
1 Thing
“Halloween is over. The costumes are back in the closet, the candy is disappearing, and that once-spooky jack-o-lantern on the porch is starting to look a little less festive.
Before you toss it in the trash, consider giving it one last hurrah.
That’s exactly what some Philadelphia residents did Saturday at the third annual pumpkin smackdown, where leftover pumpkins met their messy demise, all in the name of composting.” | WHYY
Thank you for starting your week with us.
Let’s make it a great one.
