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| Political spending, King's Bench, cannabis rules, Proud Boys, ReAwaken America, siege sentence, and strike reporting. It's Monday and Diwali. |
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Campaign finance records show outside groups have spent a combined $2.5 million since the start of the year on Pennsylvania's governor's race: most of it against far-right Republican nominee Doug Mastriano.
The spending presents another obstacle for Mastriano, who has struggled to gain traction with establishment GOP donors and whose campaign has complained about the lack of institutional support.
His political fundraising trails Shapiro's by more than $45 million, according to the latest campaign finance reports, as outside groups — some Republican-aligned — spend millions more against him.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: Most outside spending on Pa. governor's race has one aim: to defeat Doug Mastriano.
THE CONTEXT: Gunner Ramer is political director of the Republican Accountability Project's political action committee, which has spent roughly $850,000 and counting on anti-Mastriano ads this year.
That includes showcases of Mastriano's Republican critics.
"Our target is suburban, college-educated voters," Ramer told Spotlight PA, adding that the goal is "showing them who Doug Mastriano is."
This year, anti-Mastriano groups from outside the state have spent $2.5 million combined on the race. Some outside groups have countered with ads on his behalf, but they total just under $135,800.
Spending by outside groups, called "independent expenditures," is unaffiliated with campaigns but typically benefits one.
WESA's Chris Potter noted they can move the needle in a given race: "... in part because they often are meaner than ads candidates put out themselves. Oftentimes the more expensive the buy, the cheaper the shot." |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"They want to impeach our ideas."
—Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner saying he expects to face an impeachment vote in the state House as soon as this week |
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| An aerial shot of Toon Town (aka Altoona) and the Tuckahoe Valley, courtesy of pilot DeeBee C. Have an interesting image of your own to share? Email PA Gem submissions (including Halloween and voting pics) to us here, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 BALLOT BENCH: Pennsylvania's Supreme Court will invoke its extraordinary King's Bench power to weigh in on whether undated or misdated mail ballots should be counted here, a question very much hanging over the Nov. 8 election. The case will move quickly — litigant briefs are due today and tomorrow. In a ruling delivered on Friday in a separate case, the high court said yes to "ballot curing."
 FINAL VERSION: A final version of Pennsylvania's medical marijuana law was adopted last week after six years of temporary rules. PennLive reports the most contentious issue involves an added layer of lab testing to prevent labs and growers from working in "cahoots" or growers from favoring labs that produce more desirable results, an issue in other cannabis markets around the country.
 PSU PROTEST: Penn State hosts Gavin McInnes, founder of the far-right Proud Boys, for a "comedy event" today. Students have protested and urged the university to intervene, which it didn't, citing First Amendment issues. "My friends and I are pretty disgusted," student Sam Ajah told The Guardian. "The university can't just abdicate all responsibility. They're giving him a platform."
 'ARMY OF GOD': HuffPost reporter Christopher Mathias has an illuminating Twitter thread from inside the ReAwaken America tour's weekend stop in Lancaster County, where a coterie of election deniers, vaccine deniers, and QAnon "truthers" assembled as a right-wing "Army of God." Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano was slated to address attendees but ultimately didn't show.
 THREE YEARS: Alan Byerly of Berks, 55, was sentenced on Friday to nearly three years in prison for assaulting an Associated Press photographer and attacking police officers with a stun gun during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Byerly, a carpenter by trade and father of four, has remained in custody since his arrest more than 15 months ago. Byerly said, "I should have never gotten involved." |
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HIGH HOLIDAY: Today is Diwali, and while a number of schools will be closed for the Hindu holiday, statewide recognition in schools remains elusive.
STRIKE NEWS: Striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers have launched their own online news site called Pittsburgh Union Progress.
DEBT CLOCK: A federal court has paused President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program, but applications are open during the review.
THE PHILLIES: With Philadelphia's light poles preemptively greased, the Phillies won a trip to the World Series on Sunday, their first since 2009.
DANCE BATTLE: "Dancing on My Own" is the anthem of the Phillies post-season. But Billy Penn says it's the wrong version of the song. |
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| YOU'RE INVITED: Join us for an in-person "Meet the Reporters" event on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 3 Dots Downtown in State College! We'll share how we find, report, and write stories. We'd also love to hear your questions and coverage ideas. RSVP for free here. |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Answers submitted by 6 p.m. on issue date will be counted. H U I S S Q A E M
Friday's answer: Relinquish
Congrats to our weekly winner: Debra P.
Congrats to our daily winners: Becky C., Michelle T., Joel S., Barbara F., Kimberly D., Jody A., Kim C., Don H., Hugh M., Connie K., Mike B., Susan N.-Z., Starr B., Irene R., John P., Patricia M., George S., Chuck M., Steve D., Susan D., Jane R., Deb N., David W., Elaine C., Ted W., Eddy Z., Stanley J., Janet C., Craig W., Wendy A., Cameron T., and Jim A. |
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