Pennsylvania

Where Pennsylvania is losing Democrats

Published

2 weeks ago

May 7, 2024

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HARRISBURG — For the first time in at least 16 years, the Democratic and Republican parties in Pennsylvania are within half a million registered voters of one another.

Since 2008, Democrats’ registration edge over Republicans has steadily shrunk — from a 12% advantage in April 2008 to about a 4% advantage in April 2024, according to a Spotlight PA analysis of Department of State data.

The number of people registered as independents or under a third party has also grown, from 11% of total registered voters in 2008 to 15% this year.

Political consultants who spoke with Spotlight PA said that while registration trends can signal an electorate’s moods, they can’t tell you everything about how a closely divided state like Pennsylvania will vote.

Stephen Medvic, a government professor at Franklin & Marshall College, said 2010 was a high water mark for Democratic registration in recent Pennsylvania history and that there was “nowhere to go but down” from there in terms of registration numbers.

The party’s relatively lower registration rate is “not good [for Democrats], but I’m not sure it spells doom,” said Medvic.

Beyond that, consultants say Pennsylvania has undergone a political realignment in the last decade and a half. Anne Wakabayashi, a Democratic political consultant with public relations firm BerlinRosen, said registration is “catching up more with the behavior of the electorate.”

That behavior, she said, includes working-class voters in Western Pennsylvania who have historically been part of labor unions changing their registration to Republican in recent years, coupled with an influx of highly educated and wealthy transplants establishing themselves in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

Sam Chen, a GOP political consultant based in the Lehigh Valley, pointed to the same dynamic and noted that it can be seen in the commonwealth’s changing registration geography. Democrats used to dominate counties in the industrial and rural parts of the state, particularly in the southwest and northeast. Now those areas are redder, while Democrats have consolidated support in suburbs, particularly in the populous southeast.

“The Republican Party has shifted away from traditional conservativism into a more populist version of it, which speaks to traditional Democratic values like made-in-America union labor,” Chen said. “On the Democratic side, I think you see that shift away from traditional liberalism over to a little bit more of a progressivism.”

Wakabayashi noted that registration doesn’t always keep pace with quickly shifting political preferences.

In her experience, voters can be slow to change registration even as their political opinions change. Sometimes they vote across party lines, opt to split their ticket and vote for candidates in both parties, or just don’t turn out to cast a ballot.

For example, despite a dwindling advantage in the party’s number of registered voters in Pennsylvania, Democrats won top-of-ticket races for president in 2020, and U.S. Senate and governor in 2022.

However, in the latter year, Republicans Stacey Garrity and Tim DeFoor won statewide races for state treasurer and auditor general — flipping those offices.

Political consultants and academics also say the increase in independent and third-party voters is significant and could indicate a growing disdain for the major political parties and a wider apathy that results in low voter turnout, such as during the 2024 primary election.

This is particularly notable as Pennsylvania is one of 10 states with a closed primary system, which excludes independent and third-party voters from choosing which major party candidates will end up on the November general election ballot.

Some experts noted that this system could lead to fewer voters who consider themselves politically independent registering as such. Plus, voters can switch their party registration up to 10 days before the election, which they may do close to a primary so that they can participate in choosing a major party candidate, before switching back.

“As our partisans are getting increasingly more partisan, there are a lot of people that are heading to either third parties or the middle of the road,” said Wakabayashi. “Some of that is disillusionment with the parties on both sides.”

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Pennsylvania

Weather alert issued for dense fog in part of Pennsylvania Sunday morning

Published

6 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Weather alert issued for dense fog in part of Pennsylvania Sunday morning

A report from the National Weather Service was issued on Sunday at 6:03 a.m. for dense fog until 8 a.m. for Westmoreland Ridges, Fayette Ridges and Higher Elevations of Indiana as well as Mercer, Venango, Forest, Lawrence, Butler, Clarion, Beaver, Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties.

“Patchy dense fog is ongoing this morning, especially in and around river valleys and areas that saw the heaviest rainfall this weekend. If traveling, take it slow and allow extra time to reach your destination. Fog should begin to lift in most locations after 8 am,” according to the weather service.

Fog safety: Tips from the weather service for safe travels

If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:

Reduce speed:

Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility priority:

Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If you have fog lights, use them.

Avoid high-beams:

Refrain from using high-beam lights, as they create glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.

Keep your distance:

Keep a considerable following distance to account for sudden stops or shifts in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to staying in the correct lane.

Visibility near zero:

In situations of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a secure location, such as a nearby business’s parking lot, to pull over and come to a stop.

Limited parking options:

If no parking area is available, pull your vehicle as far to the roadside as possible. Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.

By adhering to these weather service precautions, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the likelihood of accidents and ensuring your personal safety.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

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Pennsylvania

'Stop Trump Summit': Conference debates if Pa. will ‘go blue’ in 2024

Published

13 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

'Stop Trump Summit': Conference debates if Pa. will ‘go blue’ in 2024

Abortion is a hot issue

Salon senior politics writer Amanda Marcotte led a panel titled “Will abortion decide this election?”

Local speakers Lizbeth Rodriguez of the Philadelphia Women’s Center, Drexel University law professor David Cohen, and Rutgers Law professor Kimberly Mutcherson participated in the discussion.

Marcott asked how the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which overturned Roe v. Wade has affected abortion access in the state.

“In Pennsylvania, abortion is legal,” Rodriguez said. “However, legality has never meant accessibility for folks. For a lot of marginalized communities, these barriers, bad laws and restrictions on providers have been affecting us for the past 50 years.”

Cohen said states like Pennsylvania have a responsibility to expand access.

“We’ve seen states around the country where abortion remains legal, where pro-choice legislators and governors have actually started actually doing what we’ve wanted them to do for decades – which is get rid of restrictions that have remained on the books even in liberal states and fund abortion,” he said.

Panelists said they are seeing some women come to Pennsylvania from other states seeking abortion support. But Rodriguez says the state is “still very restricted.”

“We have the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act with mandatory waiting periods, restrictions on young folks, and a number of restrictions on providers that truly make it difficult for folks in red states to come and seek care here,” she said.

Mutcherson told Marcotte that New Jersey has gone much farther in terms of expanding access.

“There are lots of jokes about New Jersey, but if you are a person who cares about reproductive healthcare and abortion in particular, New Jersey is at the top of the list,” she said. “We have a great reproductive freedom act that was passed even before Dobbs came down. We do not have the kinds of restrictions that a lot of states have, including gestational limits. You can use Medicaid to pay for abortion in New Jersey. So low income women have access to abortion in ways that are not true in a lot of other states.”

All eyes on PA

Biden is expected to heavily focus on Pennsylvania this election cycle, given the importance of a win for either candidate but also his affinity for his birth state.

“Biden loves Pennsylvania,” writer and author Molly Jong-Fast said, noting that a Biden staff member told her “Biden is always in a good mood when we go to Harrisburg.”

She added that she doesn’t believe in polls – which are giving an edge to Donald Trump in Pennsylvania – and that Biden had advantages the former president doesn’t.

Biden is “a politician because he’s good at connecting with people,” she said.

Saturday’s event was co-sponsored by Project on Government Oversight. Other speakers included University of Pennsylvania law professor Claire Finkelstein, Drexel Klinke School of Law professor David Cohen, The Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson, Salon politics writer Amanda Marcotte, Democracy Forward CEO Skye Perryman, The New Republic staff writer Walter Shapiro, and POGO Action policy counsel Joe Spielberger.

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Pennsylvania

13 Charged in Alleged Drug and Gun Trafficking Ring in Northwest Pennsylvania – MyChesCo

Published

20 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

13 Charged in Alleged Drug and Gun Trafficking Ring in Northwest Pennsylvania – MyChesCo

HARRISBURG, PA — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the 51st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury has recommended charges this week against 13 individuals in connection with an alleged drug and gun trafficking ring based in Erie and Crawford counties.

The arrest operation commenced late last week with the apprehension of Quran Lindsey-Cooley, 25, identified as the purported leader of the organization. Lindsey-Cooley faces numerous charges, including involvement in corrupt organizations, felony drugs and firearms offenses, among other related charges.

Investigators allege that Lindsey-Cooley and Daymeon Duck, 26, orchestrated a trafficking network that involved selling fentanyl/heroin and methamphetamine, while also supplying firearms to their associates.

The Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigations tracked the activities of Lindsey-Cooley, Duck, and their associates, leading to the initiation of Grand Jury proceedings in 2022. This resulted in the recent presentment of charges.

“This network of defendants was committed to pushing poisons into numerous communities in the northwest corner of the Commonwealth, and they possessed firearms to protect their profitable operation,” Attorney General Henry said. She commended the agents for their diligent work and expressed gratitude to the grand jurors whose efforts have contributed to making neighborhoods safer.

Those charged and arrested in recent days include:

Quran Lindsey-Cooley (bail set at $250,000)
Daymeon Duck (posted $75,000 bail)
Tyreem Craig (bail set at $250,000)
Tiffany Fletcher (bail set at $50,000)
Steven Mills (bail set at $50,000)
Kaelesha Johnson (released on unsecured bail)
Penny Cattledge (released on $100,000 unsecured bail)
Jody Joint (awaiting arraignment)
Antonio Jefferson (released on $50,000 unsecured bail)

Four other individuals charged remain at large: Brant Rittenhouse, Kevin Carter, Edwin Peelman, and Dustin Sudul.

Multiple search warrants executed by law enforcement resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine, fentanyl, pills containing fentanyl, seven firearms, and cash proceeds from trafficking activities.

Assisting agencies included the City of Erie Bureau of Police, City of Meadville Police, City of St. Marys Police, Elk County District Attorney’s Detective Bureau, Edinboro Borough Police, Emporium Borough Police, Erie County District Attorney’s Detective Bureau, Girard Borough Police, Lake City Borough Police, Lawrence County District Attorney’s Detectives, New Castle Police, and Millcreek Township Police.

The defendants will be prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section. It is important to remember that all charges are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and Microsoft Start.

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