Governor Faces Biggest Political Test. This is the PoliticsPA Playbook.
TGIF. The third Friday the 13th of the year.
Headlines. Shapiro Faces Biggest Political Test. PA’s Highest General Election Turnout in Years. Democratic Trifecta in Pennsylvania: Your Questions, Answered. A DVD Comeback.
Your Morning Pick Me Up. Friday I’m In Love. Olivia Rodrigo
Noteworthy. “Microsoft says services are being “gradually restored” after a widespread outage involving its Outlook email service and other applications.”
PA Weather
Smethport | Chance of Snow Showers, 38
Chambersburg | Mostly Cloudy, 46
Reading | Rain, 41
PA Sports 
Steelers (6-2) | Sun at Cincinnati Pitt (6-3) | Fri vs. Florida State Penn State (5-4) | Sat vs. Minnesota Temple (2-7) | Sat vs. Alabama-Birmingham
Sixers (10-2) | Toronto 123-112 | Sun vs. Indiana
Flyers (5-10-6) | Sat at Columbus | Sun vs. Edmonton Penguins (7-10-2) | Sat vs Ottawa
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s premier source for nonpartisan political news and analysis. Tips or press releases can be sent to steve@politicspa.com.
The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. For the web version, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Top Story
“The moment has arrived for Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Not the start of his second term as governor, where for the first time Shapiro will have a largely unfettered ability to set the policy agenda in Harrisburg.
We’re talking about the purely political and intensely personal question of whether Shapiro makes a run for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
In many ways, he already is.” | PennLive
Elsewhere
Shapiro’s Blowout Victory Is His Strongest Case For 2028. How Do Other Presidential Hopefuls Compare? “If the 2026 midterm showings were a competition between Democrats with ambitions to run for president in two years, Gov. Josh Shapiro would have come out on top.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Incoming PA Freshman Democrats Bob Brooks, Paige Cognetti Help Their Party Chart Its Path Forward On National Stage. “The incoming U.S. House lawmakers from the Lehigh Valley and Scranton joined other rising Democratic stars and power brokers at a “What’s Next” conference in Denver.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
Can Things Get Any Worse For the GOP? Here’s Why One Senator Says Yes: ‘Colossal Blow’ “Wait until 2028? Forget about it. That’s the word from a GOP senator who believes that there’s no chance that the Republicans will regain control of the Senate in two years.” | PennLive
Brooks Talks Hakeem Jeffries, Oversight of Trump and His First Days in Washington, D.C. “Bob Brooks, the Lehigh Valley’s representative-elect, arrived in the nation’s capital Monday for new member orientation, where freshman members of Congress learn the ropes before being officially sworn into office in early January.” | Allentown Morning Call
Elephant in the Room: Sharks Are Circling Fetterman’s Senate Seat. “Sen. John Fetterman’s independent streak has not worn well with some other Democratic politicians, to say the least.” | Broad + Liberty
State
“More than half of registered voters in Pennsylvania unofficially cast ballots in the 2026 general election that saw Democrats record their first trifecta since 1993.
The Commonwealth saw its highest midterm election turnout in the last 25 years at 55.68%.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus Announces Leadership Team for 2027-28 Legislative Session. “The Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus elected its leadership team for the 2027-28 legislative session, their first as the Senate majority caucus in over three decades.” | PoliticsPA
Expectations High As Democrats Prepare to Take the Reins in Harrisburg. “Since Pennsylvania Democrats captured the state legislature and the governor’s mansion in last week’s election, they’ve pledged to fast-track a number of priorities long stymied by the Republican-controlled Senate.” | WESA
Senate Republicans Kept No-Camera Room Busy With Taxpayer-Funded Meetings. “In the main Senate chamber and other committee meeting rooms, debate is livestreamed and recorded. Not so in what is now called the “Rules room.” Republicans who controlled the Pennsylvania Senate for more than 30 years made frequent use of that room. Now, with control about to switch to Democrats, some see it as an example of a more broad failure by Republicans to emphasize transparency.” | The Center Square
Independent Fiscal Office Warns PA’s Structural Deficit Could Balloon If No Action Taken. “The commonwealth’s structural deficit could exceed $7 billion by 2030 unless state lawmakers can cut spending or find new sources of reliable revenue, according to a new report from the Independent Fiscal Office. That’s up from more than $4.5 billion in the last fiscal year.” | Penn Capital-Star
PA Supreme Court Election in 2027 Could Change Direction of State’s Top Court. “Just when you thought it might be safe to head to the polls next year, Pennsylvania appears poised for another high-stakes political contest — one that could determine the state’s direction for years to come.” | WESA
Around The Commonwealth
“This month’s election brought a massive power shift to Pennsylvania, with Democrats winning a rare trifecta to control the governor’s office and the state Senate and House.
What can we learn from this win? And what will Democrats do with their new authority?” | Spotlight PA
Elsewhere
Does Harrisburg’s Blue Wave Mean a Payday For SEPTA? It’s Not That Simple. “Pennsylvania does subsidize public transit, but the costs of operating are rising rapidly, along with the price for years of deferred infrastructure improvements.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
In 41st House District, Democrat Brad Chambers Now Leading By 28 Votes Over Incumbent Brett Miller. “With the last set of overseas and provisional ballots added to tallies in the 41st House District race, Democrat Brad Chambers is leading incumbent state Rep. Brett Miller by 28 votes.” | LNP
A Main Line Lawyer Is Building a Team to Defend Trump From An Expected ‘Subpoena-Palooza’ “Democrats have vowed to hold the president accountable when they take control of Congress in January. Wayne-based attorney Wally Zimolong is gearing up for the legal battle.” | Philadelphia Inquirer
In Bradford, A Community Reels After Hospital Closes. “For Port Allegany native Alyssa Osani, the string of healthcare closures in McKean County feels “like everything around us is dying a slow death.”” | Penn Capital-Star
Editorial
1 Thing
“DVDs are making a big comeback.
Why it matters: People are shunning streaming algorithms to create their own physical media libraries — and it’s good business for some local stores.
“It’s the hunt, the find, sharing it — it’s all part of the process,” Matt Dalton, executive vice president of operations and IT for Half Price Books, tells Axios.
“There’s a younger generation shopping our stores, and I can see them get excited when they’re flipping through the bins or going through the aisles and finding that thing and holding it up. It’s pretty exciting.” | Axios San Antonio
Thank you for starting your Friday with us.
It’s the weekend. Make the most of it. See you Monday.
