Garrity Struggles to Gain Traction. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
Hello, Thursday. 40 days until the midterms, but who’s counting?
Your Morning Pick Me Up. We’re Not Gonna Take It. Twisted Sister
PA Weather
Altoona | Mostly Sunny, 65 Kulpmont | Mostly Sunny, 66
Abington | Partly Sunny, 66
PA Sports 
Phillies (87-71) | Milwaukee 1-4 | Thu vs. Milwaukee Pirates (80-78) | St. Louis 1-5 | Thu vs. St. Louis
Breaking. A temporary restraining order from a federal judge early today ordered the White House to restore “hard pass” press credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico for at least 14 days.
AM Polling. A new Emerson College Polling national survey 40 days from the 2026 Midterm Elections finds congressional Democrats with an 11-point lead over congressional Republicans on the generic ballot, 53% to 42%.
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 here.
Top Story
“One in four likely Pennsylvania GOP voters have not heard of the state’s Republican candidate for governor, as Gov. Josh Shapiro continues to pull ahead with less than six weeks remaining until Election Day, according to a new poll.
Shapiro, a Democrat seeking reelection and a potential 2028 presidential candidate, is ahead of his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, by 21 percentage points among likely Pennsylvania voters, according to the poll conducted by The Inquirer, the New York Times, and Siena University.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
Have You Seen a Garrity Ad? Shapiro Leads 43-to-1 in Broadcast, Digital Buys. “Gov. Josh Shapiro’s huge fundraising lead over Republican challenger Stacy Garrity continues to be built in part by contributions from out of state, and has positioned the Democratic incumbent to spend millions trying to win control of the General Assembly for his party.” | Public Source
One Republican Could Hold Back the Party’s Candidates in Pennsylvania. And It’s Not Trump. “Pennsylvania Republicans are starting to worry that the state’s lopsided race for governor is directly affecting four of the nation’s most competitive House races.” | Washington Post
F&M Poll: Brooks Leads Mackenzie, 45-40% in Hotly Contested PA-07 Race. “Bob Brooks, former president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, has a 45-40% lead over incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the hotly-contested Lehigh Valley race, according to the latest poll from Franklin & Marshall College.” | PoliticsPA
F&M Poll: Stelson 47%, Perry 44% In Closely-Watched PA-10 Contest. “Good news for Democrats hoping to win back majority control in the U.S. House of Representatives, as one of the most closely-watched contests in the country is leaning blue.” | PoliticsPA
State
“Philadelphia State Rep. Chris Rabb’s former campaign treasurer, whom he accused of draining his campaign account and disappearing in the middle of his run for Congress, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal fraud charge.
Yolanda Brown, a campaign operative formerly based in Florida who worked for Democratic political candidates and social justice causes across the country, appeared in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. She admitted to embezzling a total of about $1 million from 20 clients, including Rabb, between 2022 and 2026.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Elsewhere
A Whistleblower Suit Claims ‘Waste And Wrongdoing’ By Shapiro Administration Over Mansion Renovations. “A whistleblower lawsuit accuses Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration of bypassing procurement requirements meant to safeguard the use of taxpayer dollars, including during renovations to the governor’s mansion, and firing a staffer who raised concerns.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Audit Finds PA Department of Aging’s Oversight of County Offices Lacking. “A new system for evaluating the performance of county offices that investigate claims of elder abuse fails to protect the commonwealth’s senior citizens, an audit found.” | Penn Capital-Star
PA-10: Stelson Launches Coalition of ‘Republicans For Janelle’ In Contrast to Perry. “On a farm in York County, Democratic congressional candidate Janelle Stelson unveiled a coalition of Republican leaders, elected officials and voters that are turning their back on their party’s candidate in PA-10 and backing the former broadcast journalist.” | PoliticsPA
Attack Ads in Key PA Senate Race Draw on Malone’s Old Blog Posts, D&D Fan Fiction. “Control of the state Senate hangs in the balance of the November general election, and in Lancaster County’s 36th District, Republicans are on the attack in television ads and political mailers claiming incumbent Democrat James Malone disrespects women, mocks Christian values and admits he “doesn’t belong” in this county.” | LNP
PA Senator’s Old Blog Posts Reveal Contempt For Religious Believers in One of State’s Most Devout Counties. “Sen. James Malone, a Democrat who represents a Lancaster County district, published the writings on a personal blog and Facebook before his 2025 election to the Pennsylvania Senate — a race Republicans had widely expected to win.” | Broad + Liberty
Around The Commonwealth
“Accusations of bid-rigging and misrepresenting the city’s finances leveled against former Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in a recently unsealed affidavit could open the door for a federal investigation into possible securities-related crimes, experts say.
The affidavit for a search warrant made sweeping claims about the Gainey administration’s management of the budget, including allegations that officials rigged the bidding process to give public money to political allies and then hid the true state of the city’s finances.” | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Elsewhere
Clearfield County Commissioners Extend Contract for ICE to Run Moshannon Valley Processing Center. “Clearfield County Commissioners are extending a contract for ICE to run the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, which is the largest ICE immigration detention facility in the Northeast.” | WPSU
Johnny Doc Was a Longtime Democratic Power Broker. But His Ties to Some Republicans Helped Free Him From Prison. “John Dougherty asked President Donald Trump to commute his sentence and backers included former Council candidate Daniel Pellicciotti, former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
John Fetterman’s Favorability Dips As Voters See Him More as a Republican Than a Democrat. “Three quarters of likely Democratic voters view the Pennsylvania senator as more of a Republican in a poll conducted after Fetterman participated in Donald Trump’s midterm convention.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Editorial
1 Thing
“Salem has plenty of witches. On Oct. 17, the city wants to see how many of them — and anyone else willing to don a witch hat — can gather in one place.
Organizers are inviting thousands of people to gather at Salem Maritime National Historical Park for a giant drone photo celebrating the city’s 400th anniversary. They’re hoping for hundreds of witch hats, with the possibility of thousands. The goal is to bring together as many witch-hat wearers as possible for what organizers envision as a memorable snapshot during Salem’s 400th anniversary celebrations.” | Boston.com
Thank you for starting your day with us.
Beginning my prep for the weekend. See you tomorrow.
