Pennsylvania

7 politics stories the Philadelphia region should watch for 2024

Published

6 months ago

January 5, 2024

7 politics stories the Philadelphia region should watch for 2024

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It’s a new year, and though Philadelphia just elected a new mayor, it’s almost time for campaign season once again.

There are only 306 days until the presidential election on Nov. 5, 2024, with potential for a repeat of 2020’s showdown between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

But the presidential race isn’t the only one we’re watching this year, and on the local level, new leaders are taking the reins.

Here are seven ongoing things we’re watching in the political world.

Can Joe Biden count on Philadelphia and the suburbs in the 2024 election?

You might as well call it Battleground: Pennsylvania in 2024. The Keystone State will most likely be the keystone for success, not just for capturing the White House, but for trying to flip the House and Senate as well.

President Joe Biden is seeking a second term in the White House. But the Democrat faces several hurdles on his way back to Pennsylvania Avenue. Voters nationwide have expressed concern about the Commander-in-Chief’s age (he’ll be 82 at the start of his second term), and Pennsylvania voters haven’t been impressed.

A December Muhlenberg College Poll showed 65% of Pennsylvania voters don’t believe Biden deserves another term in the White House. He was also seen favorably by just 32% of respondents (Biden’s rival Trump hit just 33% favorability in the same poll).

Biden and Trump’s fight for Pennsylvania in 2020 was a sprint to the finish. The Democrat topped the sitting president by a mere 81,660 votes, and it was the Philly five-county area that won him the day. Biden won Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks, racking up 1,516,808 votes across those counties. For reference, Hillary Clinton pulled in 226,557 fewer votes in the same area four years earlier and lost to Trump.

The five-county area accounted for 44% of Biden’s total votes in the state in 2020 — the same as Clinton — but he drew more turnout. Biden will likely have to create that same energy in 2024 while facing questions about his age and fighting sagging approval numbers.

And Biden knows where his votes come from. He and the First Lady are slated to once again visit Philadelphia on Jan. 5. It will be the president’s first visit to the state in the election year, and at least his 16th since taking office in January 2021.

Will Donald Trump’s legal troubles keep him off the ballot in Pennsylvania?

Donald Trump is the easy frontrunner to reclaim the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, but voters in some states may not even have the option to reelect Trump to the White House. On Dec. 19, the Colorado Supreme Court removed Trump from the state’s ballot, citing the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. A week later, Maine’s Secretary of State made the same move.

The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to take up the Colorado decision.

Back in our region, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State says he has no power to remove Trump from the ballot, and that the question would have to be answered by the courts. Read our full breakout piece here.

Can Democrats hold contested House districts in Pennsylvania?

Republicans have their eyes set on expanding their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they’ll aim to do that by putting the heat on two seats in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Democratic Rep. Susan Wild flipped the Lehigh Valley’s 7th District with a special election win in 2018. But in 2022, she held on to her spot by less than 6,000 votes. Wild will also have to contend with a map change after redistricting went into effect in January 2023. Her district loses portions of Monroe County, an area that favored Biden in 2020, 53% to 46%. The district also adds all of Carbon County, which backed Trump 65% to Biden’s 33% in 2020.

Four Republicans are vying to challenge for Wild’s seat in November 2024. The Cook Political Report rates the race as a Toss Up.

Just north of Wild’s district, Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright faces a similar situation in the state’s 8th District. Cartwright won reelection two years ago by a little more than two percentage points.

Look for Republicans to target the two seats heavily throughout this election season.

Can Democratic Sen. Bob Casey hold onto his seat in Pa.?

Bob Casey has been a fixture of Pennsylvania politics for decades. He was the state’s auditor general and treasurer, before capturing his Senate seat in 2007. But he could face one of his toughest challenges to date in 2024.

Democrats hold a narrow two-seat majority in the U.S. Senate. The GOP will be looking for steals where they can, and they’ll likely take a hard look at Pennsylvania.

Casey cruised to reelection in 2018, handily beating Republican Lou Barletta with 53% of the vote. But 2024 could be a different story.

Casey’s race was rated by the Cook Political Report as “leans Democrat.” Another Democrat, two Independents and three Republicans are challenging for the spot, most notably David McCormick. McCormick lost to Mehmet Oz in the 2022 Senate Republican Primary by less than 1,000 votes, and he has already had a fundraiser with some wealthy billionaires.

Further complicating matters for Casey is that Republicans don’t have any seats in danger, and Democrats will have to protect seven seats deemed Toss Ups or Lean Democrat, according to Cook.

But McCormick also faces questions of his own, specifically, whether he actually lives in Pennsylvania.

Who is on the presidential ticket could also factor into the race. Casey has been a staunch supporter of Biden, who faces sagging approval numbers. McCormick has also kept former Trump at arm’s length.

An October Quinnipiac Poll showed Casey leading a hypothetical matchup with McCormick, 50-44.

Can NJ Sen. Bob Menendez beat federal corruption charges again?

Longtime New Jersey politician Sen. Bob Menendez once again faces federal charges, this time for allegedly accepting bribes and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and receiving gifts linking to favorable comments about Qatar.

In September, federal prosecutors released shocking photos of gold bars found in the Menendez home and cash found in jackets bearing Menendez’s name.

Menendez faced similar federal charges when he was indicted in 2015. A judge declared a mistrial in that case after the jury couldn’t reach a verdict, and federal prosecutors dropped the case.

Menendez has denied these latest charges and, while he stepped down as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, he refused to resign his seat and pledged to run for a second term.

Democrats though, see an opportunity to oust the senator from the seat he’s held since 2006. Four Democrats are challenging Menendez, including Rep. Andy Kim. And in November, Tammy Murphy, wife of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, also entered the race.

Polling on the race has been limited, but internal numbers from Kim’s campaign showed the congressmember in the lead.

Menendez’s federal trial is slated to start on May 6.

How will Cherelle Parker lead after taking the reins as Philadelphia’s mayor?

Cherelle Parker, Philadelphia’s 100th mayor and the first woman to lead the city, was sworn in on Jan. 2.

Parker opened her term in office with three executive orders, including one that declared a public safety emergency in the city. The others removed the college requirement for city jobs and called for city government to become more responsive to the public.

FULL STORY: Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker stresses safety once again on first full day in office

On the campaign trail, Parker repeatedly pledged to make Philadelphia “the safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation with economic opportunity for all.”

On her inauguration day, Parker released her plan for her first 100 days in office.

Familiar faces, new leaders at City Hall

Parker won’t be the only new face leading a branch of city government. Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson will now lead Philadelphia’s legislative body, as former Council President Darrell Clarke stepped aside. And how Parker and Johnson work together will shape how, or if, the city moves forward over the next few years.

Just ask Michael Nutter what happens when they mayor and city council don’t get along. Nutter had a notoriously rocky relationship with councilmembers, who held up his plans for a soda tax and refused to even hear plans to privatize the Philadelphia Gas Works.

As for these incoming leaders, Parker and Johnson have a long history. The two served together in Harrisburg as state representatives from 2009 to 2012. Johnson took over his council seat serving South and Southwest Philly in 2012, and Parker followed him back to the city in 2016.

While Johnson did not endorse anyone during the Democratic primary, Parker has, on multiple occasions, called on the incoming president to join her at the podium, or shouted him out during speeches. Dawn Chavous, Johnson’s wife, also serves on Parker’s transition team as a vice chair on the sub-committee for education.

Parker’s ability to get her agenda passed will rely on cooperation from council. Her relationship with Johnson will be one to watch in the early days of the new administration.

Dan Snyder

Dan Snyder, a Lehighton native and Temple University graduate, is excited to return to his home area after spending over three years as the Evening Anchor in Oklahoma City.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Senate passes bill to bar universities and pension funds from divesting from Israel

Published

30 mins ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Pennsylvania Senate passes bill to bar universities and pension funds from divesting from Israel

Pennsylvania’s state Senate approved legislation Thursday that would block state aid from going to any university that boycotts or divests from Israel, following pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country that included demands for divestment.

The measure, which passed by a vote of 41 to 7, also would bar the state treasurer and public pension systems from boycotting or divesting from Israel’s government or commercial financial activity in that country.

The bill won support from all but one Republican and most Democrats. It now goes to the House.

Supporters of the legislation said it was motivated by a desire to support an ally nation in its war with Hamas, to fight a rising tide of antisemitism in the United States and to alert state-subsidized universities that they must protect Jewish students from threats and bullying by anti-Israel protesters.

The bill was opposed by some of the Senate’s more liberal members, including Democrat Art Haywood, who said he was concerned that it would restrict free speech.

Fellow Democratic Sen. Steve Santarsiero, who was a sponsor, disputed that the bill infringes on freedom of speech and said students and faculty will still be able to protest peacefully.

The bill does not punish universities that make investment decisions to fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to maximize returns, and it has has no impact on personal college investment accounts or student loans, Santarsiero said.

Another supporter, Democratic Sen. Judy Schwank, said she hopes it sends a message to college administrators and boards of trustees that are responsible for campus safety.

“Bodily harm, death threats, go beyond just hurt feelings and they certainly stretch the limits of free speech,” Schwank said.

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Pennsylvania

Power grid concerns complicate talks about incentivizing green energy in Pa.

Published

8 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Power grid concerns complicate talks about incentivizing green energy in Pa.

This story originally appeared on Spotlight PA.

As billions of federal dollars for clean energy projects become available to Pennsylvania, state lawmakers are increasingly talking about making the commonwealth’s energy network greener. But underlying those discussions are big questions about the future of the state’s electrical grid.

Major policy decisions are on the table, like regulating new hydrogen production and carbon capture industries, capping emissions, and speeding up permitting.

But many Republicans say they’re concerned that in the coming years, energy production will fall short of growing demand — both from Pennsylvania residents and from entities outside of the state that purchase its power. They also fear that passing legislation to incentivize clean energy production or capping emissions will worsen shortages.

Environmental advocates say concerns about grid reliability are exaggerated and serve as excuses to slow the clean energy transition. Many also argue that clean energy is the solution to potential shortages.

Pennsylvania gets its electricity from PJM, a grid operator that serves 13 states in the Northeast and Midwest.

PJM oversees a marketplace in which producers, like natural gas and coal plants and a smaller number of solar, wind, and other renewable energy producers, participate. Utilities can then buy the electricity generated by these producers and supply it to homes and businesses.

Pennsylvania is a major supplier of energy to PJM’s grid, accounting for up to a quarter of the total electricity produced, and is the second biggest energy producer in the country.

In recent years, PJM has reported multiple times that its energy demand is set to outpace its energy production, especially as more power plants close. The company has predicted that over a fifth of its existing power generators, largely coal and natural gas plants, will retire by 2030.

Some states have already had issues meeting demand. In Maryland, a coal power plant notified PJM that it intended to close down, but PJM found that shuttering it would negatively affect grid reliability and refused to approve its closure. The plant, Brandon Shores, has been forced to stay open and could continue operating until 2028. Environmental advocates accused PJM of lacking foresight during its planning of the plant’s closure.

Republicans in Harrisburg say incidents like this make them wary of transitioning away from coal and natural gas too quickly.

“I think the PJM has a real crisis looming on its hands,” state Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) told Spotlight PA. “I see no real reliable plan to replace the megawatts that are due to come offline in the next few short years.”

Pittman said that energy production from natural gas and coal is essential to a reliable grid, and supports an all-of-the-above approach to energy. He argued for reducing permitting requirements for natural gas and oil companies, opposing any cap-and-trade program that would put a price tag on carbon emissions, and buildout of nuclear plants and carbon capture.

“There’s no secret that the demand for electricity is growing. It’s growing more rapidly than anybody anticipated,” Pittman said. “So we have to be very honest with ourselves that it’s going to take all forms of electricity production to ensure we have a stable grid.”

Environmental advocates agree that the deficit between energy production and demand has increased and will continue to grow, but they argue the issue can be solved by federal regulators and PJM speeding up the approval and construction of clean energy projects.

Tom Rutigliano, a senior advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council who focuses on PJM, said no proposal is being considered in Pennsylvania that would immediately shut down all gas or coal power plants. He added, many grid concerns could be solved by PJM speeding up its approval process for new energy producers, most of which are solar.

“PJM has to be able to get these new power plants connected much, much quicker than they are and they’ve proven unable to keep pace with getting the new plants on in turn to keep up with the retirements,” Rutigliano said.

According to Rutigliano, PJM’s approval procedure was meant to handle a small number of connection requests from generators with large capacities, like coal and natural gas plants.

However, over 90% of the current projects awaiting approval from PJM are from renewable sources such as solar and wind, which generate less energy but would be much more numerous.

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Pennsylvania

Pa. advocates hope historic revitalization is part of the state’s next budget

Published

15 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Pa. advocates hope historic revitalization is part of the state’s next budget

A companion bill moving through the House would raise the annual cap to $20 million. The legislation was recently voted out of committee, moving it one step closer to passage.

Neither measure faces much opposition.

Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, isn’t surprised about the bipartisan support. He said the state’s tax credit program is an economic engine, creating jobs and tax revenue as properties return to productive use.

He calls the program a “win-win” for “everyone who cares about the health and vitality of our cities and towns across the commonwealth.”

“If you take a vacant building that’s contributing little to nothing to the tax rolls and you fill it with residents or with offices or with businesses, retail or restaurants, the impact on those communities is immediate and can be transformative in terms of revitalizing small towns and big cities across the state,” Steinke said.

Advocates say the program also poses little financial risk to the state.

Under the program, developers who are awarded these tax credits do not receive the subsidy until the project is completed. The funding can still be used to leverage other financing, including the construction loans many developers rely on to complete these projects.

“And if the project doesn’t happen, the tax credit won’t go out,” said Crawford.

Developer David Waxman has applied for and received historic preservation tax credits for three projects in Philadelphia, including the $42 million revamp of a historic brewery.

The hulking brick building in Brewerytown dates back to 1870. It was used to make beer until Prohibition, and later became warehouse space before returning to its sudsy roots for a time.

The building remained vacant for nearly two decades when MMPartners acquired it in 2019.

“It was blighted, and another year or two of sitting it probably would have been beyond repair and torn down. And so then you would have had this gem that spoke to the history of the neighborhood gone and replaced with what we like to call spaceship buildings — these new build mid-rises with 10 materials on the facade and kind of built like crap,” Waxman said.

MMPartners transformed the dilapidated building into Poth Brewery Lofts, a mixed-use development with more than 100 apartments and 25,000 square feet of commercial space.

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