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
The Battle Over Abortion Rages on in Pennsylvania as Pro-Lifers March for Life
HARRISBURG, Pa.—The United States Supreme Court may have overturned Roe v. Wade this summer, but pro-life activists across the country know the battle over abortion is far from over. Marshaled by the March for Life, several thousand Pennsylvanians gathered in Harrisburg on a sunny Monday morning in what PennLive.com calls “one of the largest gatherings…Mary Margaret Olohan -
- Opinion
A Tale of 2 States: Georgia, Pennsylvania, and the Case for Election Integrity Laws
Georgia held its primary election Tuesday night while Pennsylvania held its primary election over a week ago. The contrast could not be more clear: Georgia held an efficient election where the results were known just hours after polls closed, while Pennsylvania’s Senate result is still in dispute. Between the two states, this year’s elections are…Jessica Anderson -
- Opinion
2020’s Nightmare Election Process Comes Back to Haunt Pennsylvania. What Needs to Change.
Once again, the nation is waiting on Pennsylvania to count the votes in a close election. Roughly 1,100 votes separate GOP Senate candidates Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick, with fewer than 10,000 mail-in votes remaining as of Friday. Like 2020, Pennsylvania’s notoriously slow counters are leaving two candidates and millions of voters in limbo. One major cause: Unlike Florida…Jason Snead -
- Opinion
Pennsylvania College Reins in Free Speech After Hillsdale Professor’s Talk Leaves Left Grumbling
Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, has given us yet another disturbing example of modern American colleges’ disdain for free speech. David Azerrad, a professor at Hillsdale College’s D.C. campus, gave a lecture at Saint Vincent on April 8, “Black Privilege and Racial Hysteria in Contemporary America,” and the speech rubbed Gary Quinlivan the wrong way. Quinlivan is co-director of…Douglas Blair -
- News
With Future of Roe v. Wade Unknown, Pennsylvania in Battle for Unborn
A battle is raging in Pennsylvania for the lives of unborn babies. If laws aren’t in place to protect the unborn, “we could actually end up in a world where abortion is more extreme in Pennsylvania” should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, Jeremy Samek, senior counsel for Pennsylvania Family Institute, told The Daily…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Pennsylvania Power Plant Closures Would Cause Real Harm for Illusory Environmental Gains
Visible from Western Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountain ridges are coal-fired power plants—and their plumes of water vapor—that have been integral to much of the regional economy for 50 years. But maybe not for much longer. Three plants east of Pittsburgh directly employ 550 people and support an estimated 8,100 jobs, according to Power PA Jobs Alliance, a coalition…Gordon Tomb -
- Opinion
At Age 25, She Was Just Elected Mayor of Her Tiny Hometown in Pennsylvania
Brianna Howard says she never thought she would run for public office, but when no one else was on the ballot for mayor in her hometown of Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania, she rose to the challenge. Howard ran as a write-in candidate, won, and will serve as mayor of the town for the next four years,…Virginia Allen -
- News
Pennsylvania Disputes Legal Group’s Finding on ‘Unknown’ Ballots
The office of Pennsylvania’s top election official mocked a conservative legal group’s findings about undelivered and unreturned mail-in ballots in last year’s presidential contest. The Public Interest Legal Foundation last week issued a report asserting that Pennsylvania had 15,175 undeliverable mail-in ballots and 425,606 “unknown” or unaccounted-for ballots. Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by a…Fred Lucas -
- News
Watchdog: ‘Unknown’ Ballots in Georgia, Pennsylvania Surpass Biden’s Margin of Victory There
Georgia and Pennsylvania, two of the most closely contested states in last year’s presidential election, both logged a high number of unaccounted-for mail-in ballots, according to new reports from an election watchdog group. The Public Interest Legal Foundation determined this week that Pennsylvania had 15,175 undeliverable mail-in ballots and 425,606 “unknown” or unaccounted-for ballots. Another…Fred Lucas -
- News
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Move to Block Newly Cleared Climate Regulations
No sooner did a Pennsylvania state commission narrowly approve new climate regulations this week than state lawmakers advanced a resolution to prevent those rules from taking effect. The five-member Independent Regulatory Review Commission voted 3-2 on Wednesday to approve “cap and trade” regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions, endorsed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Climate Regulations Reach Critical Turning Point in Pennsylvania
If an independent panel votes down proposed regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers will have added leverage to prevent Gov. Tom Wolf from joining a multistate initiative to address climate change. However, if the panel approves the regulations in a meeting Wednesday, Wolf’s executive agencies likely would gain latitude to move…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Demand After COVID-19 Sparks School Choice Proposals in Pennsylvania
Low-income families in Pennsylvania’s lowest-performing school districts could gain access to tuition assistance for private schools as part of a reform package. Pending legislation would create education savings accounts, into which the state could deposit funds that parents may use to buy education products and services for their children. Such accounts can make private schooling…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Pennsylvania Agrees to Exhume Dead From Its Voter Rolls
Pennsylvania, one of the top battlegrounds of the 2020 election, has agreed to remove the names of about 21,000 dead people from voter registration rolls before the general elections this year. The agreement was reached last week, according to the Public Interest Legal Foundation, an election-integrity watchdog group that first identified the names of 21,000…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
‘Zuckerbucks’ in Pennsylvania Reveal Impact of Corporate Influence in Elections
All eyes were on Pennsylvania during the days of ballot counting following the November presidential election, as allegations and rumors of voting irregularities spread like wildfire. While the results ultimately were upheld, distrust in our representative government remains as does a deep suspicion that elected leaders are legitimate. Before the next election, Pennsylvania needs to look into ways the state can protect…Hayden Dublois -
- Opinion
Pennsylvania, Georgia Republicans Eye Election Changes
Democrats may have manipulated state election laws in 2020, but they’ll have a much harder time doing it now—if Pennsylvania has anything to say about it. In some of the best news of year so far, Republicans from the Keystone State are vowing to completely overhaul the mail-in ballot system that may have wrongly handed…Tony Perkins -
- News
Pennsylvania Governor’s Climate Regulations Draw Bipartisan Opposition as Hearings Begin
Other elected officials in Pennsylvania continue to question the constitutionality of Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed carbon tax in the run-up to 10 public hearings that begin Tuesday on the disputed regulations to address climate change. The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board has approved a “cap and trade” plan to cap carbon dioxide emissions from power plants….Kevin Mooney -
- News
GOP State AGs Urge Supreme Court to Overrule Pennsylvania Court’s Election Law Changes
Republican state attorneys general say the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has jeopardized the nation’s constitutional balance of power by legislating from the bench and allowing late-arriving ballots to be counted. Now, they’re calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Three of the state attorneys general—Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, and Mike Hunter…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
A Pro Bono Lawyer for Trump Campaign Shares What He Saw in Pennsylvania
Tom Ranieri is a lawyer who volunteered as a representative of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, working at an Election Day hotline. He was there from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 and joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share what he observed. “The Daily Signal Podcast” is available on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Pippa, Google Play,…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Pennsylvania Lawsuit Alleges 21,000 Dead People Still on Voter Rolls
A legal group filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania alleging that the state has tens of thousands of deceased people on its voter rolls and that there is evidence of voting activity among the deceased. The Public Interest Legal Foundation, which is not associated with President Donald Trump’s campaign, filed the lawsuit Thursday arguing that Pennsylvania…Thomas Catenacci -
- News
GOP Lawmakers Call on Pennsylvania Secretary of State to Resign Over Election Guidance
Two Pennsylvania state Republican lawmakers have asked Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s secretary of state, to step down over her handling of the 2020 election. On Tuesday, state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman called for the secretary to resign. “Twice in the last two days, the Secretary of State…Virginia Allen