Pennsylvania
A political realignment in PA: Despite recent Dem wins, the GOP is gaining momentum, analysts say
Top political analysts in Pennsylvania say the state is in the midst of a major demographic and electoral shift, which is likely to prove beneficial for the GOP. According to the latest figures coming out of the commonwealth, Republicans gained more than 10,000 new registrants in the last two months.
An analysis of data from the Pennsylvania Department of State conducted by the news outlets PoliticsPA and SpotlightPA found Pennsylvania’s running totals of Republican registrants as of mid-May had increased nearly 11,000 since March 29. Democratic rolls lost about 4,600, and nearly 20,000 Democrats have decided to switch parties or re-register as independent or third-party voters.
Up until recently, Pennsylvania could be counted on for flipping its gubernatorial seat every two terms and has showcased a diverse range of U.S. senators, from the conservative Rick Santorum to the late Arlen Specter, who famously switched from Republican to Democrat. Political strategists said the latest figures show the GOP may have a lot to celebrate in November despite recent Democratic dominance.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro upset that gubernatorial trend when he defeated retired Army Col. and state Sen. Doug Mastriano in 2022 to succeed fellow Democrat Tom Wolf. And former President Trump failed to repeat the upset win he notched in 2016 while running against President Biden in 2020.
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A Pennsylvania welcome sign greets drivers on U.S. Route 222 entering Peach Bottom, Pa., from Maryland in 2022. (Charlie Creitz/Fox News)
However, the numbers tell the true tale, said Charlie Gerow, a Pennsylvania political strategist and former vice chairman of the American Conservative Union.
“Republicans have been gaining on the Democrats in Pennsylvania for a number of years, and the gap right now is very narrow,” Gerow said, noting how Democrats once outnumbered Republicans by 1 million in the commonwealth.
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When asked about recent Republican losses in light of Democrats’ declining registration advantage, Gerow said campaigns and registration figures have their differences.
“I have good news for the folks wringing their hands [about the Democrats’ recent successes]. [With] Donald Trump and David McCormick, Republicans are going to have a lot to celebrate.”
Gerow predicts McCormick will defeat Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., who observers said in 2012 was helped into office by the name recognition and aisle-crossing popularity of his late father, former Gov. Robert P. Casey, the pro-life Democratic namesake of the landmark “Planned Parenthood v. Casey” case.
While Philadelphia and the suburbs see an influx of more moderate or liberal voters from the cities and a shift against populist conservatism, the numbers taken statewide appear to be moving in the GOP’s favor.
“The difference between the two parties’ registration is what is significant,” Gerow said. “What you’re seeing here is a very big demographic shift. The Republican Party is increasingly more populist. The Democrats are increasingly more elitist.”
Mastriano, who ran against Shapiro in 2022, told Fox News Digital he was heartened by the latest statistics.
“The trends under multiple measures can’t be making Democrats happy,” he said.
“Besides seeing statewide and even blue-centered areas like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh showing significantly more Republican registrations, even Gov. Shapiro’s big push for automatic registration when getting a driver’s license has resulted in bigger GOP gains, which I doubt Josh was expecting when he got behind this.”
While its major cities — Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown — remain reliably in Democratic hands, one of several spreadsheets provided by the State Department showed about 2,200 Philadelphia voters left the Democratic Party so far this year, while the GOP lost about 400.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro addresses the media after casting his ballot at the Rydal Elementary School West polling location Nov. 8, 2022, in Rydal, Pa. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, lost just under 1,200 Democrats and 500 Republicans.
Once reliably-Democratic areas like Schuylkill County now swing Republican, and Trump notably flipped several blue-friendly areas like Luzerne, home to Wilkes-Barre, and Northampton counties in 2016. But Republicans have suffered recent losses around Philadelphia, where once-red, middle-class Delaware County now leans reliably Democratic.
However, overall, there are 3,894,593 Democratic voters registered in Pennsylvania to 3,504,984 Republicans, according to state data.
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State Sen. Jarrett Coleman of Lehigh County added he believes the registration gap narrowing is indicative of public sentiment increasingly favoring the GOP.
“[It] is due to the fact that the Republican Party is more focused on kitchen table issues, and that resonates with voters,” Coleman said. “The people I talk to are more concerned about being able to pay their bills and making ends meet. They’re turned off by the Democratic Party’s unrelenting focus on social issues and making every election about abortion.”
Sam Chen, a top Pennsylvania political analyst and professor at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, called the recent trends “fantastic” for Republicans and “worrisome” for Democrats.
Chen called attention to Pennsylvania voters’ proclivity to split their tickets
“In 2016, we saw Donald Trump win the presidency, Pat Toomey win his Senate seat, and then, down the row offices, it was all Democrats,” Chen said. He added that it may “take the edge off” such shifts in voter registration, and that that may not mean all of the “new” Republican voters will automatically support Trump or McCormick.
He argued that while some may try to delineate conservative and moderate Republicans, the true variable is populist via non-populist, regardless of party.
At the same time, Chen said there are things on the populist side of the party that voters for former Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., a longtime respected lawmaker who was not afraid to criticize Trump at times, would not support. Chen later added that some of the gross declines in party registrations, regardless of net gains and losses, are likely attributed to voter distaste with the entire body politic.
“They may not necessarily be conservative or moderate or populist,” Chen said. “They may also just be fed up and feel like they don’t have a home in their own party.”
State department officials who supplied data for purposes of this story declined to comment.
Shirley Ann Dailey, 89, of Daytona Beach, Florida (formerly of Montoursville, Pennsylvania), passed away peacefully on February 23, 2026, surrounded by her family at AdventHealth Hospital in Daytona Beach.
Born December 14, 1936, in Sayre, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late John and Laura (Reinbold) White. She met the love of her life, Gordon Ell Dailey whom she shared over 60 years of marriage until his passing in 2023.
Shirley grew up in Buffalo, New York, and Dushore, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Turnpike High School in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, and continued her education with two years of college. She went on to have a distinguished career spanning more than 40 years. Her professional journey included roles with the Social Security Administration, General Motors, Pennsylvania Department of General Services, and most notably, 30 years of dedicated service with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). She served as an Administrative Assistant to the District Executive for PennDOT Engineering District 3-0. Shirley took great pride in her work and spoke fondly of her time at PennDOT throughout her retirement.
In her personal life, Shirley enjoyed collecting artwork, caring for her home, taking walks, bicycling, and vacationing with her family.
Surviving is a son, David (Crista) Dailey of Daytona Beach, Fla.; a grandson, Garrett Dailey, of Daytona Beach, Fla.; sisters, Regina (Drew) Bagley of Shunk, Pa., and Deborah (Ray) Thall of Mechanicsburg, Pa. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, Shirley was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Pier, and a brother, William White.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at McCarty-Thomas Funeral Home, 733 Broad Street, Montoursville, Pennsylvania, with Pastor David Smith officiating. Burial will follow in Twin Hills Memorial Park, Muncy. Friends may call from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at mccarthythomas.com.
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The digital-first gambling support model aims to strengthen the PA online casino industry’s overall infrastructure, including the integration of care coordination and self-help tools.
Players at Pennsylvania online casinos may soon find more responsible gaming resources thanks to a new, first-of-its kind rollout of a digital platform for gambling support known as Almond Digital Health. Approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, it represents the first legislative-led and funded program in the United States that aims to bolster the state’s overall gambling support infrastructure. If you’re in Pennsylvania, sign up for DraftKings Casino and get 1,000 Flex Spins:
Legislators take digital-first approach to responsible gambling
Another example of lawmakers looking to modernize responsible gambling resources among legal sportsbooks and PA online casinos, the program will offer anonymous, multilingual access to responsible gambling educational materials as well as self-help tools and connections to treatment services.
Officials called it the first legislative-backed, digital-first gambling support program of its kind in the nation, with the goal of filling gaps in access to care. That certainly created some urgency for legislators as the real money online casino and licensed sports betting industries in Pennsylvania continue to expand and grow.
The Almond Digital Health platform will be integrated into mobile casino apps, along with in-person casinos and through partnerships with universities and sports betting operators.
Ultimately, officials look to create earlier intervention opportunities to address potential gambling addictions and provide more readily available responsible gambling tools and resources. Get started at BetMGM Casino now here:
New responsible gambling initiative will complement existing resources
While the program is expected to be rolled out over the next several weeks, it is not designed to replace all of the existing tools and resources offered throughout the state and via PA online casinos. Rather, the Almond platform will act more as a complement to help fill gaps in access as the legal gambling industry continues to grow.
Kath Middleton, chief product officer of Almond Digital Health, emphasized that the platform is about “scale and access,” noting that Pennsylvania is “building an approach that works both within and outside traditional care settings.”
According to a press release, online casino gaming, sports betting, in-person gambling and the lottery has generated tens of billions of dollars in annual wagering. With that growth, officials wanted to ensure that Pennsylvanians had “practical, accessible and multilingual ways” to engage early with and understand all the available options for responsible gaming.
In rolling out the Almond program, Rep. Joe McAndrew highlighted that more and more people betting on sports or playing casino games online will be exposed to responsible gambling habits and how to prevent addiction through education – in fact, earlier than traditional resources.
It’s a practical approach, Rep. Joe Prokopiak echoed, that will provide “instant impact” for individuals struggling with addiction or at risk of developing one. “It’s an evolved issue,” Prokopiak said, which the state can now address “with an evolved solution.”
Pennsylvania
Jewish Pennsylvania judge leaves Democratic Party over antisemitism | The Jerusalem Post
An elected Supreme Court justice in Pennsylvania announced Monday night that he has left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent, citing concerns about antisemitism.
In a statement, David Wecht, who is Jewish and served as Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party chair from 1998 to 2001, said he believed antisemitism has moved from the fringe of the Democratic Party to the mainstream.
“Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled,” he wrote. “Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders, and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party.”
Wecht wrote that he had long understood that antisemitism “always festered on the fringe” of the right, a fact that hit home in 2018 when a far-right shooter killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where he and his wife were married in 1998.
“In the years that have followed, that same hatred has grown on the left,” he said in his statement. “It is the duty of all good people to fight this virus, and to do so before it is too late.”
Wecht previously made national headlines for his 2020 ruling against an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania.
Through a spokesperson, Wecht declined to be interviewed about his exit from the Democratic Party.
Wecht’s comments come as Democrats wrestle with a range of internal tensions over antisemitism.
The ascent of Graham Platner, an oyster farmer who recently covered up a Nazi Totenkopf skull-and-crossbones tattoo, to become Maine’s Democratic candidate for Senate, and the increasing coziness between some progressive politicians and Hasan Piker, the leftist streamer who has said he favors Hamas over Israel, have particularly alarmed some members of the Jewish community.
Wecht is the son of renowned forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, who was involved in investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Wecht’s mother, translator Sigrid Ronsdal, spent the first six years of her life living under Nazi occupation in Norway.
“I know David and his legendary father, Cyril,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who has clashed with his Party over Israel, tweeted following Wecht’s announcement. “As I’ve affirmed, I’m not changing my Party – but I fully understand David’s personal choice. The Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem.”
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