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Republicans seek votes among the Amish, who rarely cast them, in Pennsylvania

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Republicans seek votes among the Amish, who rarely cast them, in Pennsylvania


On its own, that cannot come close to flipping a state that went for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 by about 80,000 votes.

Of course, the Amish are hardly the only religious or ethnic constituency being courted by candidates. “In a context where every vote counts, every vote counts,” Nolt said. “But no, we’re not talking tens of thousands of Amish votes.”

Still, Smucker is optimistic about a larger turnout. He said Republican messages resonate with a changing Amish community.

“It was once more agrarian, but they’ve long ago run out of land in Lancaster County,” he said. Only a minority are still in farming, with many starting small businesses, where the Republican emphasis on limited regulation is appealing. Plus, he said, the Amish community perceives Republicans as more friendly to religious liberty and opposed to abortion.

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He said Amish tell stories of how their forebears were more likely to vote in the 1950s during controversies about compulsory school policies, but the practice has decreased since then.

Wayne Wengerd, Ohio state director of the Amish Steering Committee, which navigates relations between Amish community leaders and government officials, recalls registration efforts as far back as the 1960s. Get-out-the-vote activists are “going to go after everyone and anyone they think they could possibly convince to vote for their party,” he said. “The Amish are no different.”

Amish theology keeps the church separate from government

But most Amish avoid voting in keeping with “two-kingdom” theology, which puts a stark separation between earthly government and the church with its focus on a heavenly kingdom. They see themselves “being citizens primarily in another kingdom,” Wengerd said.

But, he noted, some still vote. “The Amish are just like any other people,” he said. “Not everyone thinks the same.”

Rural Lancaster County has for generations voted Republican, Nolt said, and so it’s also not surprising that any Amish who do vote would be influenced by their neighbors’ preferences. Most Amish voters register as Republicans, he said. .

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An ad in a Lancaster-area newspaper, attributed to an anonymous “Amishman” from Ohio, said refusing to vote would violate Scripture by failing to “stand against evil” while “every good thing our nation stands for is destroyed.” A voicemail message seeking comment, left with the phone number on the ad, wasn’t returned.

Nolt said that ad is appealing to a theology more similar to that of mainstream Reformed Protestantism, which says Christians have a duty both to God and country, than to traditional Amish two-kingdom theology.

“It’s very different than anything in historic Amish documents, which would have said responsibility of the church is to be the church,” he said.

Nolt said a letter being sent to Amish residents did call for voting Republican but didn’t appear aimed at the Amish in particular, citing such issues as immigration.

The widespread support for Trump among conservative Christians of many types has long perplexed observers, given his casino ventures, allegations of sexual assault and vulgar public statements.

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Nolt, however, said that compared with the Amish’s separatist lifestyles, neither presidential candidate looks much like them — one reason most of them don’t vote. “Donald Trump’s life is very different from an Amish person’s life, but so is Kamala Harris’,” he said.



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Pennsylvania Lottery Pick 2 Day, Pick 2 Evening results for Dec. 18, 2025

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The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Pick 2 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

Day: 6-1, Wild: 7

Evening: 0-7, Wild: 1

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

Day: 9-1-4, Wild: 7

Evening: 9-4-8, Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

Day: 6-6-9-7, Wild: 7

Evening: 6-1-7-4, Wild: 1

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Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

Day: 0-1-5-9-1, Wild: 7

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

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

20-26-46-57-60, Cash Ball: 02

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Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

01-02-26-31-38

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

02-11-19-20-22

Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Dec. 18 drawing

20-24-29-31-39-40

Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

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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GIANT Company closing five Pennsylvania fulfilment centers

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GIANT Company closing five Pennsylvania fulfilment centers


(WHTM) — The GIANT Company recently confirmed that it will be closing five of its Pennsylvania-based fulfillment centers.

According to The GIANT Company, these Pennsylvania fulfillment centers that will be closing down include locations in Lancaster, Philadelphia, Willow Grove, Coopersburg, and North Coventry.

The company will also be closing its centralized e-commerce fulfillment operations in Manassas, Virginia, per a press release.

A spokesperson with GIANT says these upcoming closures are the result of a company decision to transition fully to store-based fulfilment, as opposed to centralized fulfilment.

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“We’ve learned over the past few years that there isn’t a one size fits all approach to our e-commerce business, particularly our fulfillment model” The GIANT Company said in an email. “With customers expecting faster delivery, we need to ensure we are operating as efficiently as possible to meet their ever-changing needs. ”

The GIANT Company adds that orders will now be “shopped” by GIANT Direct team members in store, and delivered orders will now be completed by a third-party instead of a GIANT Direct driver.

Some benefits of this change include faster delivery times, expanded assortment, delivery windows are now only one hour, and customers will be able to make changes to an order 2-3 hours before the delivery window, instead of the previous 4-6 hours window.

According to The GIANT Company, these fulfillment centers will continue to operate into early next year, with most closures occurring by the end of Q1 in 2026.

The fulfillment center in Lancaster County is expected to wind down operations by the end of April 2026, affecting 81 team members.

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According to a WARN Notice filed with the Department of Labor & Industry, the GIANT fulfillment center located in Philadelphia will close down on February 13, a move that will affect 128 employees.

The GIANT Company notes that its focus now is to support team members affected by this transition.

“E-commerce remains an important segment of our business strategy and key to our future omnichannel growth,” The GIANT Company added. “We remain committed to providing an outstanding experience to our customers by offering speedy delivery, more delivery windows, broad product assortment and value.”

This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available.



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Pennsylvania GOP Reps buck party on health care subsidies

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Pennsylvania GOP Reps buck party on health care subsidies


Although he voted for the first iteration of the bill, which cut funding for Medicaid and Medicare, Fitzpatrick ultimately voted against it a few months later. Mackenzie and Bresnahan, however, did vote for its ultimate passage, which their opponents have been quick to jump on.

“Rob Bresnahan unleashed a health care crisis on Northeastern Pennsylvania by voting for the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, stripping funding from our rural hospitals, and failing to take meaningful action in time to prevent health care costs from skyrocketing for Northeastern Pennsylvanians next month,” Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said in a statement.

“Ryan Mackenzie’s eleventh hour attempt to paper over his own record of gutting health care and jacking up costs is like an arsonist calling the fire department after he already lit the match,” said firefighter Bob Brooks, who is running to replace Mackenzie. “Hardworking people all across the Lehigh Valley are struggling with rising prices and a health care crisis that Mackenzie unleashed when he voted for Trump’s so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’”

Neither Fitzpatrick nor Bresnahan responded to WHYY News’ requests for comment, but Mackenzie replied with a statement in which he called the health care crisis “a serious issue with real-world consequences” and said “we must find commonsense, bipartisan solutions to protect access to health insurance for families in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.”

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Mackenzie’s office pushed back on the characterization that the congressman waited until “the 11th hour,” arguing he has spent several months working with members on both sides of the aisle to find a bipartisan compromise. They also pointed out that Mackenzie participated in a televised town hall in September, during which he discussed the impending health care crisis.

Sans bipartisan compromise, Mackenzie called the three-year extension “the only remaining option.” He further blamed Democrats for failing to sign onto his efforts for compromise that would include “longer-term reforms that reduce costs.”

“The Affordable Care Act remains broken, and our health care system is in urgent need of reforms that improve transparency, expand choice, and reduce costs,” he said. “Supporting this discharge petition is currently the only way to keep discussions about bipartisan reforms alive.”

Harvie disputes that contention and that the “so-called problem solvers” among the Republican Party have their constituents’ best interests at heart.

“The Republican party’s been trying to kill the Affordable Care Act since it was originally passed, and I think this is just another step of what they’re trying to do and they’re trying to make it look like they’re not doing it,” he said. “Democrats have been fighting for people to have access to health care access that really is meaningful to expand health care opportunities for people.”

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