Pennsylvania
Democrats get a third-party hopeful knocked off Pennsylvania ballot, as Cornel West tries to get on
Pennsylvania Democrats have won legal challenges keeping the left-wing Party for Socialism and Liberation off the battleground state’s presidential ballot, at least for now, while a lawyer with deep Republican Party ties is working to help independent candidate Cornel West get on it.
The court cases are among a raft of partisan legal maneuvering around third-party candidates seeking to get on Pennsylvania’s ballot, including a pending challenge by Democrats to the filing in Pennsylvania by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
A Commonwealth Court judge agreed with two Democratic Party-aligned challenges on Tuesday, ruling that the paperwork filed by the Party for Socialism and Liberation was fatally flawed and ordering the party’s presidential candidate, Claudia De la Cruz, off Pennsylvania’s Nov. 5 ballot.
Seven of the party’s 19 presidential electors named in the paperwork were registered as Democrats and thus violated a political disaffiliation provision in the law, Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter wrote. Six voted in the Democratic Party’s primary on April 23.
“They literally voted in the Democratic primary and then turned around to try to be electors for a third-party candidate,” said Adam Bonin, a Democratic Party-aligned lawyer who filed one of the challenges. “You can’t do that.”
The Party for Socialism and Liberation didn’t immediately say whether it planned to appeal.
Meanwhile, a lawyer with longstanding ties to Republican candidates and causes went to court to argue that the Secretary of State’s office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro was wrong to reject West’s paperwork.
“I see no good reason for Mr. West to be kept off the ballot or Pennsylvanians otherwise prevented from voting for him,” the lawyer, Matt Haverstick, said in an interview. Haverstick declined to say who hired him or why.
The Secretary of State’s office is contesting the legal challenge, saying the paperwork lacked the required affidavits for 14 of the 19 presidential electors before the Aug. 1 filing deadline. A broader effort by conservative activists and Republican-aligned operatives is underway across the country to push the candidacy of the left-wing academic.
The 2026 MLB Draft is approaching, and Baseball America is providing a comprehensive, state-by-state look at the talent across the country with our rankings of the the top 2026 high school baseball players by state.
Our state lists collectively include rankings for more than 1,000 players from across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, offering an in-depth look at the 2026 high school class. Players are listed in the state where they attend high school, with the depth of each list varying depending on the level of talent in each state.
More MLB Draft Rankings
These rankings are based on Baseball America’s extensive scouting coverage, combining first-hand evaluations and industry feedback to line up players based on their projected future talent. The rankings reflect the full spectrum of talent in the 2026 class. The players who project to be the best major league players—and thus will likely end up being high draft picks—are at the top of our rankings.
In addition to elite draft prospects, these lists include high-end college recruits, many of whom project to be impact college players who could raise their MLB prospect profiles after getting to campus. They also include other players who have the potential to be quality Division I regulars.
The players at the top of the lists stand out right now with the highest long-term major league projection, but there are future major leaguers throughout these lists. Player further down the rankings have a greater chance of getting to college, where they have the potential to emerge after more development at that level.
These lists offer a resource for tracking the best 2026 high school baseball prospects who could shape the 2026 MLB Draft and make an impact on college baseball programs in the years ahead. For college programs, major league teams and fans, these lists provide a deeper look into the pipeline of talent that will shape the 2026 MLB Draft class, future draft classes and the next half decade of college baseball.
Pennsylvania Class Of 2026 Baseball Rankings
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL | COMMIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerek Turlij | RHP | North East | Penn State |
| 2 | Daniel Kellis | RHP | Radnor | Wake Forest |
| 3 | Luke Williams | SS | Franklin Regional | Vanderbilt |
| 4 | Ryder Olson | RHP | Pennridge | Coastal Carolina |
| 5 | Keller Bradley | RHP | Pennsbury | Vanderbilt |
| 6 | Nick Bradley | RHP | Abington Heights | Auburn |
| 7 | Blake Krushinski | RHP | Fox Chapel Area | West Virginia |
| 8 | Elijah Barr | RHP | Pittston Area | Pittsburgh |
| 9 | Nolan Stefaniak | RHP | Butler Area | Penn State |
| 10 | Sebastian Shulsky | RHP | Canon-McMilan | Cincinnati |
| 11 | Kyle Casteel | RHP | Butler Area | West Virginia |
| 12 | Austin Havertine | RHP | Radnor | Lehigh |
| 13 | Caden Sivrich | RHP | Norwin | Pittsburgh |
| 14 | Jackson Melconian | SS | Malvern Prep | Vanderbilt |
| 15 | AJ Calio | RHP | West Chester Bayard | Vanderbilt |
| 16 | Hunter Strohm | C | Lower Dauphin | Mississippi State |
| 17 | Ryan Fuller | RHP | Avon Grove | Penn State |
| 18 | Luke Hillegass | LHP | Central Bucks South | Boston College |
| 19 | Jacob Snyder | OF | Wyoming Area Sec | Rutgers |
| 20 | Eddie Rosado | OF | Holy Ghost Prep | St. Joseph’s |
| 21 | Brady Abate | OF | Malvern Prep | Wake Forest |
| 22 | Ryan Petruska | LHP | Nazareth Area | Harvard |
| 23 | Anthony Grippo | C | Greensburg Central | Penn State |
| 24 | Blake Umberger | C | Hershey | Louisville |
| 25 | Andrew Cross | SS | Moon | Penn State |
| 26 | Noah Farrell | RHP | Dubois Area | Connecticut |
| 27 | Tanner Stroup | LHP | Altoona Area | Marshall |
| 28 | Logan Kriner | RHP | Palmyra Area | Delaware |
| 29 | Jake Keaser | SS | Holy Ghost Prep | La Salle |
| 30 | Owen Rozzi | OF | West Chester East | Pittsburgh |
| 31 | Reed Curtier | RHP | Council Rock South | Notre Dame |
| 32 | Jonathan Drawbaugh | RHP | Camp Hill | Marshall |
Pennsylvania
Monroe County church youth pastor arrested in Pennsylvania child pornography investigation
MONROE COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) — A Mt. Zion Baptist Church youth pastor was arrested in connection with a child pornography investigation based in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).
The sheriff’s office says 30-year-old Johny Tyler Moreland of Macon was identified as a suspect in the case after Pa. State Police investigators learned that pornographic images of minors were being downloaded in the area of Mt. Zion Baptist Church located on Rivioli Road, where he is employed.
Five arrest warrants were served in Pennsylvania, and Moreland was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Houston County, where he is currently being held without bond awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
MCSO and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are actively investigating any crime were committed in Georgia, and search warrants are set to be executed by Monroe and Bibb County authorities.
READ MORE | Man sentenced to 20 years for murder of rival gang member in west Macon, DA says
Anyone with information is urged to contact the MCSO Communications Division at 478-994-7010 or the Investigations at 478-994-7043.
Stick with WGXA as we learn more and update this developing story.
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