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GOP fears far-right candidate will be Pennsylvania governor nominee

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GOP fears far-right candidate will be Pennsylvania governor nominee


Pennsylvania State Senator Doug Mastriano delivers his speech throughout a rally towards vaccination mandates. Protesters gathered on the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol to protest towards covid-19 vaccination mandates.

With six days till Pennsylvania’s main, Republicans are overtly worrying {that a} main candidate within the crowded GOP area for governor is unelectable within the fall normal election and can fumble away a possibility for the occasion to take over the battleground state’s government suite.

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Doug Mastriano, 58, a state senator since 2019 and a retired U.S. Military colonel, is working to the appropriate of the nine-person Republican area and towards the occasion’s institution in a state nonetheless roiled by former President Donald Trump’s baseless conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the 2020 election there.

Mastriano is a outstanding peddler of the unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud marred the 2020 election and that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf was chargeable for 1000’s of COVID-19 deaths in nursing properties. Through the pandemic, he belittled efforts to include the virus and unfold conspiracy theories in regards to the COVID-19 vaccine.

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That has lengthy made Republican Get together officers and motion conservatives uncomfortable that Mastriano shall be unable to win a fall normal election matchup towards Democrat Josh Shapiro, and they’re changing into extra vocal about it.

On Monday, the state Senate’s Republican ground chief, Kim Ward, endorsed a rival candidate, Dave White, and singled out Mastriano as unable to draw the reasonable voters essential to win a normal election in Pennsylvania.

Mastriano “has enchantment to base Republicans, however I concern the Democrats will destroy him with swing voters,” Ward wrote on her private Fb web page. She added that “profitable the first and dropping the overall as a result of the candidate is unable to get the voters within the center, isn’t a win.”

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Mike McMonagle, president of the Pennsylvania Professional-Life Coalition, stated Mastriano will get a high score from his group as a result of he helps an entire ban on abortion, no exceptions. However the group is endorsing White no less than partly as a result of Mastriano “in our judgment would get clobbered by Shapiro in a normal election.”

Republicans have been shut out of the governor’s workplace in Pennsylvania since 2014 beneath Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who’s barred by time period limits from working once more.

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Shedding the competition once more this 12 months would imply that Republicans squander their flip: the occasion has gained again the workplace in each election when a term-limited Democrat is leaving because the state’s structure modified in 1968 to permit governors to serve two phrases.

However Republicans fear that Mastriano is simply too poisonous to win reasonable Republican voters and swing voters within the closely populated suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh whereas endangering down-ballot GOP candidates with a lackluster top-of-the-ticket turnout.

Mastriano got here from nowhere in 2020 to change into a rising pressure in right-wing politics.

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He led anti-shutdown rallies through the begin of the pandemic, livestreaming every day chats on Fb and enjoying to conspiracy theorists. He grew to become a key determine within the effort by Trump to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss — incomes Mastriano a subpoena by the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 rebellion on the U.S. Capitol.

Democrats have begun to pay extra consideration to Mastriano, portraying him as an extremist in a bid to weaken him forward of the overall election.

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In latest days, Democrats launched digital advertisements and flyers attacking Mastriano whereas Shapiro is airing a statewide TV advert portraying Mastriano as excessive due to his help for a ban on abortion, vow to repeal mail-in voting and conspiracy-driven makes an attempt to analyze the 2020 election.

Their closing line is that if Mastriano wins, “it’s a win for what Donald Trump stands for.”

“Doug Mastriano will drag our commonwealth backwards with an excessive agenda; he belongs nowhere close to the governorship,” Shapiro’s marketing campaign stated in an announcement.

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In a telephone interview with the Lancaster-based LNP information group, Mastriano stated Shapiro’s assault will “completely” assist him win the first.

“I’m going to must ship him a thanks card,” Mastriano informed LNP. He added that Shapiro has underestimated him and that the Republican institution “is in a panic mode” on the prospect that he would be the occasion’s nominee.

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Neither Trump not the state Republican Get together have endorsed within the main race, leaving it that rather more broad open. And Mastriano — as soon as considered a fringe candidate — has outperformed expectations in a area the place some candidates started with far more cash or identify recognition.

A latest Franklin and Marshall Faculty ballot confirmed 20% of GOP main voters saying they help Doug Mastriano. Invoice McSwain and Lou Barletta trailed barely, with 12% and 11%, respectively.

Nonetheless, a big group of voters, or one-third, stated they had been undecided and, even amongst those that stated they had been backing a candidate, about half stated they might change their minds.

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Mastriano first gained a following by main anti-shutdown rallies through the early months of the pandemic, then grew to become amongst Trump’s most devoted supporters through the 2020 marketing campaign.

He labored with Trump to overturn the end result and arranged bus journeys to the U.S. Capitol for Trump’s Jan. 6 “Cease the Steal” rally, the place he was later seen in footage along with his spouse passing by means of breached barricades arrange by Capitol Police.

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Final Could, he claimed on a radio present that Trump ” requested me ” to run for governor.

Within the weeks after that, he tried to launch an Arizona-style partisan “audit” of the 2020 election — solely to be stripped of his committee chairmanship by state Senate GOP management in conflict over financing and hiring contractors.

Mastriano has bragged that he’s extra conservative than his rivals, that he attracts greater crowds and isn’t a politician, a category he derides as corrupt.

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He usually campaigns with key figures in Trump’s circle who’ve unfold denialism in regards to the 2020 election, together with Trump’s former nationwide safety adviser, Michael Flynn, and lawyer Jenna Ellis. And he campaigns with robust Christian themes, working prayers into his marketing campaign occasions, peppering his speech with quotes from the Bible and calling for a quick for the ultimate 21 days of the first.

“So let’s stand robust collectively, take our state again, and when Pennsylvania is restored I imagine there’s going to be a revival right here like we’ve by no means seen earlier than,” Mastriano informed an viewers Monday in Somerset on his weeklong bus tour. “And it’s going to deliver our nation again to the place it must be, in God.”

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A normal election cycle will deliver new challenges for Mastriano.

He has largely averted talking to unbiased media retailers, together with The Related Press, and barred reporters from his marketing campaign occasions. Final week, he went on the conservative Delaware Valley Journal podcast earlier than having what the group known as a “meltdown” and hanging up after 20 minutes.

What set off Mastriano had been questions on him talking to an viewers of QAnon adherents lately, his election fraud claims and his actions on the Capitol on Jan. 6.

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The subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee got here up on the solely stay televised main debate Mastriano attended. He insisted he has no “authorized points.”

In the meantime, Shapiro has unified the Democratic Get together and its allies.

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Dave Ball, the chairman of the Washington County Republican Get together, stated many Republicans are involved that Mastriano’s enchantment is slim.

However, he stated, Republicans will want Mastriano and his voters, and vice versa, to beat Shapiro, no matter who wins the first.

“The entire Republican occasion higher be behind whoever the winner is,” Ball stated, “as a result of Josh Shapiro continues to be there.”

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Pennsylvania

What to know about bird flu in Pennsylvania

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What to know about bird flu in Pennsylvania


Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

As more cases of bird flu are reported across species and locations, states across the country are taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Hundreds of thousands of people will gather at the Pennsylvania Farm Show beginning later this week—a potential breeding ground for virus transmission, which the state Department of Agriculture has taken extra steps to try to prevent.

Here’s a look at how Pennsylvania and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration are responding to the bird flu and trying to prevent a widespread outbreak among cattle and humans.

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What is the status of the avian flu outbreak in Pennsylvania and across the United States?

As of Dec. 31, there have been no reported cases of bird flu in cattle or humans in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has been fighting the avian flu outbreak since 2022. To date, 32 commercial flocks, 39 backyard flocks, and a total of more than 4.7 million birds in Pennsylvania have been affected by the outbreak—mostly in early 2023—resulting in one of the worst outbreaks of bird flu among commercial flocks across the country.

But Pennsylvania has largely been able to quell the outbreak among poultry since then, spending more than $30 million last year on testing and reimbursement for farmers. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, there have been no cases of bird flu in commercial poultry since February.

The last confirmed infection was in October in Venango County, in a backyard flock of 20 birds that did not produce eggs or other products, Department of Agriculture spokesperson Shannon Powers said in an email.

Nationally, farmers have been forced to slaughter more than 100 million chickens and turkeys since 2022 to prevent an outbreak. However, those efforts have largely failed, now that the virus has mutated to infect cows and make it more likely to spread to humans; 875 herds of cattle in 16 states have tested positive for the virus, and more than 60 people have been infected.

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Are Pennsylvania residents at risk of contracting the virus?

Risk to humans remains low in Pennsylvania and nationally. Approximately 34 California residents have been infected since March, and symptoms remain mostly mild—although two individuals in Louisiana and Canada experienced severe symptoms. Most of the documented human cases so far are in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last month.

What is Pennsylvania’s government doing to prevent spread of the virus?

Pennsylvania has taken “aggressive precautions to protect Pennsylvania’s dairy and poultry industries,” Powers said. Since November, the state has required milk processors and shippers to collect and test milk samples from bulk milk tank trucks. This is at no cost to dairy farmers.

Poultry continues to be tested on poultry farms and at live bird markets, Powers added.

Will the bird flu affect the Pennsylvania Farm Show?

The Pennsylvania Farm Show—the nation’s largest indoor agricultural exhibition—starts this weekend to celebrate the state’s agricultural industries. The Farm Show, which runs Saturday through Jan. 11 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, usually attracts more than 500,000 people each year—making it a potential hot spot for virus transmission.

But the Department of Agriculture has taken several precautions to prevent the spread: Live bird exhibits are limited to birds headed to slaughter to stop transmission back to farms, and Farm Show attendees won’t be allowed to handle or pet the birds.

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Any live animal at the Farm Show must have a veterinary inspection signed by an accredited veterinarian within 30 days of arrival.

Veterinarians will also check animals for physical signs of disease once they arrive at the Farm Show Complex. The animals will be checked again during daily rounds during the weeklong exhibition.

Are eggs safe to eat, and is milk safe to drink in Pennsylvania?

Yes, egg and pasteurized milk supplies from reputable suppliers that follow state food-safety laws remain safe to consume.

Consumers of raw milk are at a greater risk of contracting the bird flu or other viruses, because raw milk has not been heated and cooled to kill active viruses.

How is Pennsylvania’s medical industry responding?

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are working on a vaccine to protect humans and animals from the H5N1, or avian flu, virus. The vaccine, which is in clinical trials among cattle, uses the same messenger RNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.

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What to know about bird flu in Pennsylvania (2025, January 5)
retrieved 5 January 2025
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part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball, Pick 2 Day results for Jan. 4, 2025

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The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

26-32-43-54-56, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 3-8, Wild: 1

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Evening: 1-7, Wild: 4

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 0-6-9, Wild: 1

Evening: 0-7-4, Wild: 4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 3-8-5-7, Wild: 1

Evening: 2-3-9-9, Wild: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 3-4-2-6-0, Wild: 1

Evening: 4-5-5-2-8, Wild: 4

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Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

01-21-24-32-46, Cash Ball: 01

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

02-08-29-39-41

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

04-06-07-28-29

Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

14-24-25-37-38-47

Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

12-25-63-65-66, Powerball: 14

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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

  • Sign the Ticket: Ensure your ticket has your signature, name, address and phone number on the back.
  • Prizes up to $600: Claim at any PA Lottery retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
  • Prizes from $600 to $2,500: Use a Claim Form to claim at a retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
  • Prizes over $2,500: Mail your signed ticket with a Claim Form or in person at a Lottery Area Office (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Lottery Headquarters is currently not open to the public. Visit the PA Lottery website for other office locations near you.

When are the Pennsylvania Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: 1:35 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. daily.
  • Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
  • Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. daily.
  • Treasure Hunt: 1:35 p.m. daily.
  • Match 6 Lotto: 6:59 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Pennsylvania Turnpike to switch to

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Pennsylvania Turnpike to switch to


While putting air in his tire near the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Sean Malloy said he uses the highway often.

Malloy said he welcomes the change to open road tolling if it means it makes his commute more convenient.

“No brainer. They should’ve done that a long time ago,” said Malloy. 

Tollbooths will soon become a thing of the past on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with the change that begins on Sunday.

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Drivers will be charged electronically as they pass under overhead structures called gantries, instead of the traditional stop-and-go tolling. For E-ZPass drivers, the toll money will be taken out of your account, but others will receive a bill in the mail. 

The commission advises drivers to make sure they mount their E-ZPass tag in their vehicle and have all their information including their vehicle and credit card updated.

Open road tolling allows drivers to pass through a toll, without the hassle of stopping. This method also reduces incidents on the highway and increases customer convenience.

The change will first start east of Reading and along the Northeast Extension.


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Pennsylvania Turnpike to begin “open road tolling” soon: what EZPass customers should know

03:13

“I’ve had E-ZPass for a few years, so I’m kind of used to the drive-thru. I think it’s going to make it a lot simpler for everybody. I think it’s going to avoid a lot of congestion,” said Pennsylvania resident Tony Cuttone.

Another change is how the toll will be calculated. The turnpike will now use the number of axles, height, and miles traveled rather than the vehicle’s weight to determine the rate.

A 5% toll increase will also take effect on Sunday, but the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said that with open road tolling and other changes, most non-commercial drivers will pay less than they did before, but commercial drivers could see an increase of up to $5.

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“We worked really hard behind the scenes to make sure that all of the changes that are coming with open road tolling are all revenue neutral,” said Marissa Orbanek with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. 

Orbanek said the changes will modernize the system and also make it safer to travel.

“We actually have open road tolling highlighted throughout our system currently at the Delaware River Bridge which is closer to the customers in Philadelphia. And where we already highlighted open road tolling, we’ve seen a decrease in the percentage of crash rates,” she said.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said it will begin removing the toll booths later this year. 

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