Reignited public outrage toward restrictive pandemic-era policies. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
Good Morning. 36 days until the midterms. Let’s go.
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What’s Happening Today. They’re back. The House convenes at noon, while the gavel sounds in the Senate at 1 PM.
What We’re Hearing. Environmental Defense Fund Action Votes is dropping $1.8 million on new TV, digital and mail ads for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, as well as Democratic candidate Janelle Stelson.
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Top Story
“Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration will rescind a series of proposed vaccination and disease-tracking regulations that reignited public outrage toward restrictive pandemic-era policies in Pennsylvania — a decision made after receiving more than 10,000 comments opposing the changes, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said Friday.
The department will withdraw the regulations, incorporate feedback, and resubmit the public health rules “once Pennsylvanians’ feedback has been adequately incorporated,” Neil Ruhland, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
Shapiro: “We Will Do Everything In Our Power to Stop Donald Trump From Interfering With This Election.” “Saying he is “always worried about Donald Trump and his enablers trying to undermine people’s right to vote,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that his administration is ready to protect Keystone State voters at the ballot box.” | PoliticsPA
John Fetterman Pushes Back Against Claims He’s A Lazy Senator, Bad Democrat. “Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman defended his position in the Democratic Party on Saturday, arguing there should be more room for different opinions in the party.” | Texas Tribune
Poll: PA Democrats Have Had Enough of Fetterman. “If you thought Sen. John Fetterman’s standing among fellow Pennsylvania Democrats couldn’t get any worse, well, think again.” | PennLive
Department of Justice Charges More Pennsylvania Residents With Noncitizen Voting Amid Crackdown. “The U.S. Department of Justice has charged four additional noncitizens with crimes related to registering to vote and voting in the 2022 or 2024 elections in Pennsylvania.” | Votebeat Pennsylvania
State
“Pennsylvania’s legislators return to the capitol Monday following a 10-week recess, with several unresolved issues awaiting action, including the future of skill games, regulation of data centers, rising utility costs and restrictions on cell phone use in schools.” | WITF
Elsewhere
Data Center Court Fights Fester As State Lawmakers Return to Session. “There are numerous other data center-related court clashes going on as state lawmakers prepare to return to session in Harrisburg. They will gavel in Monday for the first time in two and one-half months. Public sentiment is running against data center projects, and there are growing concerns about the long-term potential effects of AI on society.” | The Center Square
PA Board Is Supposed to Keep An Eye on Billions in Spending. It Hasn’t Met For 3 Years. “A Pennsylvania state board created to review billions of dollars in tax credits and government spending quietly stopped meeting three years ago and board members won’t say why.” | PennLive
Funeral Set For Renowned PA Political Columnist. “Funeral services will be held Tuesday for John M. Baer, Pennsylvania’s leading and longest-running political columnist. Baer’s career as a reporter, broadcaster and columnist in the Pennsylvania Capitol spanned more than 50 years and 10 gubernatorial administrations.” | PennLive
Race Heats Up Between Sen. Farry, Court Clerk Albillar. “In his reelection bid, state Sen. Frank Farry (R) faces Bucks County Clerk of Courts Eileen Hartnett Albillar (D) in the November 3 election. Both sides have taken to the airwaves to lob negative commercials.” | Bucks Independence
Flock Cameras Divide Candidates in District 44 Race. “Automated license plate readers like Flock have quickly become political fodder for a swing House district in Allegheny County.” | Axios Pittsburgh
Around The Commonwealth
“Election Day isn’t until Nov. 3, but the 2026 election is officially underway in Pennsylvania: The first ballots are starting to hit voters’ mailboxes.
Voters around the state will weigh in on everything from control of the U.S. Congress to the commonwealth’s next governor.
Here is everything you need to know about voting in Pennsylvania in the 2026 midterm election.” | Votebeat Pennsylvania
Elsewhere
Your Complete Guide to This Year’s Congressional Races. “As voters look to the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections in November, a handful of races in Pennsylvania could help decide which party controls the U.S. House for the next two years.” | Spotlight PA
Every Household in This Rural Town Receives $10,000 if a Data Center Gets Built. “Many Pennsylvania residents in Hazle Township are pushing back against the data center, despite the lure of the cash payout.” | Wall Street Journal
A Political Scientist Studied the Rise of Grassroots Activism In Local Government. Philly Was His Case Study. “Stephen McGovern’s “Mobilization Politics” details how Philly activists employed bottom-up tactics to win major policy victories in criminal justice reform and protections for immigrants and workers.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
The Most Pressing Midterm Issues For Rural Voters. “Ahead of the midterms, rural voters rank pocketbook concerns above immigration, the conflict with Iran and several major domestic policy debates.” | Axios
Editorial
1 Thing
“The structure — which at the time was the tallest academic building in the world, and remains the tallest in the Western Hemisphere — was the brainchild of then-Chancellor John G. Bowman. A poet by trade, Bowman’s vision for the tower was that it would be “a symbol of the life that Pittsburgh through the years had wanted to live,” he later wrote.
“One hundred years ago, Pitt broke ground on an idea,” university Chancellor Joan Gabel said in a statement. “This idea that has not only shaped 42 floors of imagination and inspiration, but also generations of legacy and learning tied to a spirit of possibility that has defined Pitt for nearly a quarter-millennium.”” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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