Pennsylvania Politics & News
The Daily Signal covers Pennsylvania politics with comprehensive reporting on state elections, voting laws, energy regulation, and the Keystone State’s critical role in presidential politics.
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- News
Voters in Battleground Pennsylvania Flex Electoral Muscles in Early Voting
GIBSONIA, Pa.—Walking back from an early-voting site at North Park Ice Rink, Charles Schrankel of Ross Township, Pennsylvania, said he dropped off a ballot on which he voted straight Republican. “I voted [the] straight Republican ticket, and I don’t always vote straight party,” Shrankel told The Daily Signal outside the polling station in Wexford, Pennsylvania. …Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
New Commonwealth Foundation Leader Aims to Make Pennsylvania the ‘Keystone State’ Again
Andrew Lewis, a former Pennsylvania state representative, is the new president at the Commonwealth Foundation, the state's premier public policy organization. He stepped into the job in September, just as America turned its attention to the Keystone State, which will play a decisive role in the 2024 election. In an interview with The Daily Signal,…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
Obama Returns to a Different Western Pennsylvania
When former President Barack Obama comes to Pittsburgh on Thursday to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in the home stretch for next month’s election, he will be returning to a very different Western Pennsylvania from the one he won robustly in 2008 and less so in 2012. In 2008, Obama ran on a message…Salena Zito -
- News
Pennsylvania High Court Blocks RNC Challenge on Mail Ballots
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to take a case over a mail-in ballot lawsuit from the Republican National Committee, asserting it would be too close to the November election. As previously reported in The Daily Signal, the RNC sued the office of Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt for what it says are inconsistent standards…Fred Lucas -
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Pennsylvania Closes Down Voter Registration on Night of Trump’s Return to Butler
The swing state of Pennsylvania’s voter registration system will be closed on the night of former President Donald Trump’s return rally in Butler, the site of the July 13 assassination attempt against him. The Republican nominee announced Sept. 25 that he is holding another rally in Butler on Oct. 5, just three months after a…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
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Harris, Trump Duking It Out in Critical Pennsylvania, Poll Finds
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are running neck and neck in Pennsylvania, with the vice president holding a one-point lead over the former president, according to a new poll in the battleground state. Harris, the Democratic nominee, held a 48% to 47% advantage over Republican nominee Trump, with 3% saying they’ll vote for another candidate…Tom Gantert -
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GOP Sues Pennsylvania on Vote-by-Mail Ballot Rule
Pennsylvania may be the most hotly contested state in the Nov. 5 presidential election. And four years ago, it was the most controversial state for its lack of mail-in ballot standards. In the closing weeks of the 2024 election, Republicans have sued the office of Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt for what they say…Fred Lucas -
- News
Knocking on Victory’s Door in Pennsylvania
LEVITTOWN, Pa.—Hours before Donald Trump and Kamala Harris squared off for their presidential debate Tuesday night, about 50 activists gathered at a Bucks County hotel to organize for a day of door-knocking in this closely divided Philadelphia. Americans for Prosperity Action recruited the grassroots team as part of its effort to visit 1 million homes by…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
In Pennsylvania, Trump Vows to Hold Harris Accountable and Take Country to Better Place
JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania—Former President Donald Trump said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that his message to undecided voters in Pennsylvania ahead of the Nov. 5 general election is that his second administration would bring prosperity to Pennsylvanians through commonsense approaches to energy, border security, and strengthening manufacturing. “We are going to bring the cost…Salena Zito -
- News
Pennsylvania Lawmaker Proposes Tax Fairness for Faith-Based Health Care Sharing
A House Republican has introduced a bill designed to achieve tax fairness for ministries that share health care costs. A member of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee, Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., is the sponsor of the Health Care Sharing Ministry Tax Parity Act, which he introduced last Monday. Kelly’s bill would allow members…Olivia Pero -
- Opinion
California’s Environmental Regulations Are Crushing Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s Peter Brothers Trucking delivers goods all across America. Owner Brian Wanner says Pennsylvania bureaucrats now are driving him out of his home state. “We have no say,” complains Wanner in my new video. “We can’t do anything about it.” “No say” because Pennsylvania’s new rules don’t come from Pennsylvania. They come from California. “I…John Stossel -
- News
Pennsylvania School Board Reverses Decision, Bans Boys From Girls’ Restrooms
A Pennsylvania school board is reversing a prior decision and choosing now to ban boys from girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms, following pressure from parents and students. Last month, the Perkiomen Valley School Board in Montgomery County voted against a policy that would have required students to use bathrooms that correspond to their biological sex. School board…S.A. McCarthy -
- Opinion
4 Billboards in Ohio and Pennsylvania: Whatever It Takes to Get Americans Talking About ‘Transing’ Children
In the 2017 movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” the character Mildred Hayes, played by the always-gripping Frances McDormand, is a driven mother seeking justice for her slain daughter. Feeling ignored, and with no arrests after seven months, Mildred puts up three roadside signs to prod Ebbing’s police chief to find her daughter’s killer. As…Taylor Reece -
- News
Pennsylvania Students Protest Pro-Trans Bathroom Policy
High school students in the Keystone State are protesting transgender ideology in their bathrooms. Hundreds of students in the Perkiomen Valley School District north of Philadelphia staged a walkout on Friday, in response to the school board allowing students who identify as transgender to use whichever bathroom they like. A policy barring students who identify as transgender…S.A. McCarthy -
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Pennsylvania Governor Launches ‘Automatic Voter Registration’ Plan Ahead of 2024
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that he will implement “automatic voter registration” ahead of the 2024 election. The governor rolled out his plan on National Voter Registration Day to “streamline” the voter-registration process, which he argues will “save taxpayers time and money,” according to an announcement video. Shapiro’s plan will automatically enroll Pennsylvanians in the…Mary Lou Masters -
- Opinion
Pennsylvania Governor’s Reversal on School Choice Betrays Voters, Children
In a year when the school choice movement has racked up a string of victories in red states, Pennsylvania was on track to become the first state to see a Democratic governor sign a publicly funded school choice policy into law. But the supposed new era of bipartisan support for expanding school choice remains a…Jason Bedrick -
- Opinion
Will Teachers Unions’ Political Contributions Prevent School Choice in Pennsylvania?
A well-funded network of government unions stands in opposition to parents, students, and lawmakers eyeballing education reform in Pennsylvania. Until recently, they have cowed and cajoled elected officials into stalling some of the more audacious legislative initiatives. But in the aftermath of the COVID-19 shutdowns and a critical court ruling, the atmosphere may be ripe…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Pennsylvania Children’s Hospital Hires Gender Clinic Social Worker for ‘Revenue’
A Philadelphia children’s hospital cited “potential revenue” as a reason for hiring a gender clinic social worker in 2018, Pennsylvania mother and activist Megan Brock told The Daily Signal. Emails, which Brock obtained, show correspondence between former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine and Dr. Rollyn M. Ornstein, an adolescent medicine specialist at Penn State…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
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Dr. Oz Lost Pennsylvania by Putting His Head ‘in the Sand’ on Abortion: Pro-Life Leader
Mehmet Oz’s failure to capture a Pennsylvania Senate seat is due, in part, to his refusal to position on abortion in a “mature, deliberative, and principled manner,” a major pro-life leader said on Wednesday. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser applauded those candidates who aggressively defined their own stances on abortion, explained their…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- News
Liberal Groups Aligned With Arabella Advisors Spend Over $1M to Support School Choice Attacks in Pennsylvania
Liberal groups aligned with the Washington consulting firm Arabella Advisors have spent over $1 million to support attacks on school choice in Pennsylvania, joining public employee unions that have pumped tens of thousands of dollars into targeting charter schools. An organization called Education Voters of Pennsylvania has published a series of articles and reports critical…Kevin Mooney