State Rep. Andrew Lewis (R., Dauphin) said in a statement that he tested positive for COVID-19 last week and immediately began self-isolation. is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. .HARRISBURG — A Republican state lawmaker from Central Pennsylvania confirmed Wednesday that he tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, leading at least one of his House colleagues to self-quarantine.The admission immediately ignited outrage among Democrats in the chamber, who said...…State Rep. Andrew Lewis (R., Dauphin) said in a statement that he tested positive for COVID-19 last week and immediately began self-isolation. is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/Patriot-News. .HARRISBURG — A Republican state lawmaker from Central Pennsylvania confirmed Wednesday that he tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, leading at least one of his House colleagues to self-quarantine.The admission immediately ignited outrage among Democrats in the chamber, who said...WW…

Recent shifts in Pennsylvania voter registration have amplified a long-running realignment that is transforming politics across the state and has framed the electoral landscape for the battle between Trump and Joe Biden.It’s not 2016 anymore.President Donald Trump and Joe Biden aren’t competing for the same composition of voters who won Trump the state four years ago. And despite at the moment, at least in terms of which voters are joining which party, there’s good news for the GOP: Registration shifts across the state show Republicans gaining voters at five times the rate of...…Recent shifts in Pennsylvania voter registration have amplified a long-running realignment that is transforming politics across the state and has framed the electoral landscape for the battle between Trump and Joe Biden.It’s not 2016 anymore.President Donald Trump and Joe Biden aren’t competing for the same composition of voters who won Trump the state four years ago. And despite at the moment, at least in terms of which voters are joining which party, there’s good news for the GOP: Registration shifts across the state show Republicans gaining voters at five times the rate of...WW…

Philadelphia will have fewer than 8 in 10 of its normal amount of polling places for the June 2 primary. Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are requesting absentee ballots at lower rates than the rest of the city, officials say.As Philadelphia prepares for the June 2 primary amid , neighborhoods with low-income residents and communities of color are requesting absentee ballots at rates that far lag other parts of the city.That means the coronavirus could disproportionately depress voting in disadvantaged communities that also have relatively high rates of infection. As a...…Philadelphia will have fewer than 8 in 10 of its normal amount of polling places for the June 2 primary. Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are requesting absentee ballots at lower rates than the rest of the city, officials say.As Philadelphia prepares for the June 2 primary amid , neighborhoods with low-income residents and communities of color are requesting absentee ballots at rates that far lag other parts of the city.That means the coronavirus could disproportionately depress voting in disadvantaged communities that also have relatively high rates of infection. As a...WW…

Sanders’ campaign is still active, now trying to pressure the Hahnemann owner on social media to reopen the hospital.U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bid for the presidency is over. Again. But the democratic socialist’s agenda marches on. Again.This time, the remnants of Sanders’ campaign are waging a social media pressure war, slamming former Hahnemann University Hospital owner Joel Freedman for keeping the facility closed during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a throwback to when Sanders to protest the hospital’s closure. sent from campaign in the Philadelphia area last weekend put Freedman, a...…Sanders’ campaign is still active, now trying to pressure the Hahnemann owner on social media to reopen the hospital.U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bid for the presidency is over. Again. But the democratic socialist’s agenda marches on. Again.This time, the remnants of Sanders’ campaign are waging a social media pressure war, slamming former Hahnemann University Hospital owner Joel Freedman for keeping the facility closed during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a throwback to when Sanders to protest the hospital’s closure. sent from campaign in the Philadelphia area last weekend put Freedman, a...WW…

The influx of out-of-staters has offset a steady stream of older, mostly white working-class voters leaving the Democratic Party across the state.STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Before the coronavirus shut down in-person classes at the Bronx middle school where Vivian Jimenez runs an aftercare program, she would take the bus every weekday from Stroudsburg to New York, sleeping on the way there and listening to music on the ride home. The 14-hour days didn’t leave much time to get to know her neighbors — or to pay attention to politics.“I never cared, and for me, it was never convenient,” Jimenez, 46,...…The influx of out-of-staters has offset a steady stream of older, mostly white working-class voters leaving the Democratic Party across the state.STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Before the coronavirus shut down in-person classes at the Bronx middle school where Vivian Jimenez runs an aftercare program, she would take the bus every weekday from Stroudsburg to New York, sleeping on the way there and listening to music on the ride home. The 14-hour days didn’t leave much time to get to know her neighbors — or to pay attention to politics.“I never cared, and for me, it was never convenient,” Jimenez, 46,...WW…

Democrats in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are criss-crossing their districts to make sure constituents know how the package can help them.U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan sat around a picnic table with three single moms, chatting about how President Joe Biden’s economic stimulus bill could during a pandemic, and beyond.“I’m first and foremost a mom,” Houlahan, a Chester County Democrat, told them Monday at a park in Kennett Square. “There’s quite a lot in the legislation that’s helping people be able to afford the cost of children. … These issues are not women’s issues, they’re human issues.”Three...…Democrats in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are criss-crossing their districts to make sure constituents know how the package can help them.U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan sat around a picnic table with three single moms, chatting about how President Joe Biden’s economic stimulus bill could during a pandemic, and beyond.“I’m first and foremost a mom,” Houlahan, a Chester County Democrat, told them Monday at a park in Kennett Square. “There’s quite a lot in the legislation that’s helping people be able to afford the cost of children. … These issues are not women’s issues, they’re human issues.”Three...WW…

The endorsement could be seen as a knock on a key part of Fetterman’s narrative: his close ties and support for the town he served as mayor for 14 years and where he and his family still live.Lt. Gov. John Fetterman rose to national prominence in part because of his leadership as mayor of the struggling Southwestern Pennsylvania town of Braddock. But his bid to climb higher took a slight hit this week when his successor chose to endorse Fetterman’s Philadelphia rival in the U.S. Senate race, State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta., a 32-year-old newcomer to politics and Braddock native, said she was...…The endorsement could be seen as a knock on a key part of Fetterman’s narrative: his close ties and support for the town he served as mayor for 14 years and where he and his family still live.Lt. Gov. John Fetterman rose to national prominence in part because of his leadership as mayor of the struggling Southwestern Pennsylvania town of Braddock. But his bid to climb higher took a slight hit this week when his successor chose to endorse Fetterman’s Philadelphia rival in the U.S. Senate race, State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta., a 32-year-old newcomer to politics and Braddock native, said she was...WW…

There are signs of a broader political shift under way, one that raises the prospect of a Republican primary electorate even friendlier to Donald Trump and Trump-allied candidates.When Diane Tyson got her driver’s license renewed Jan. 5, a DMV clerk asked whether she wanted to make any changes to her voter registration. A lifelong Republican, Tyson once ran for local office near Reading. She decided to wait: Supporters of Donald Trump were set to descend on Washington the next day as Congress met to certify his election loss.“I wanted to see if it would be as ugly as it turned out to be,”...…There are signs of a broader political shift under way, one that raises the prospect of a Republican primary electorate even friendlier to Donald Trump and Trump-allied candidates.When Diane Tyson got her driver’s license renewed Jan. 5, a DMV clerk asked whether she wanted to make any changes to her voter registration. A lifelong Republican, Tyson once ran for local office near Reading. She decided to wait: Supporters of Donald Trump were set to descend on Washington the next day as Congress met to certify his election loss.“I wanted to see if it would be as ugly as it turned out to be,”...WW…

Ben Philips, 50, a computer programmer from Bloomsburg, suffered a stroke and died amidst the chaos in Washington.WASHINGTON — Ben Philips drove to Washington in a white van Wednesday, smiling over the steering wheel as he explained the significance of the day.“It seems like the first day of the rest of our lives, to be honest,” he said, eager to protest what he believed was a stolen election with throngs of other Trump supporters, including . “They should name this year Zero because something will happen.”Philips, 50, of Bloomsburg, died that day after suffering what fellow protesters said...…Ben Philips, 50, a computer programmer from Bloomsburg, suffered a stroke and died amidst the chaos in Washington.WASHINGTON — Ben Philips drove to Washington in a white van Wednesday, smiling over the steering wheel as he explained the significance of the day.“It seems like the first day of the rest of our lives, to be honest,” he said, eager to protest what he believed was a stolen election with throngs of other Trump supporters, including . “They should name this year Zero because something will happen.”Philips, 50, of Bloomsburg, died that day after suffering what fellow protesters said...WW…