Aug. 21, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesData centers are ‘redefining’ midterm races across Pennsylvaniaby Jaxon White of Spotlight PACandidates in at least 20 competitive legislative races are staking out data center positions, and Gov. Josh Shapiro has pivoted to a tougher stance.
Aug. 20, 2026Matt Rourke / APDemocrats narrow their list of 2028 presidential convention sites to Boston, Denver and Philadelphiaby Mike Catalini of the Associated PressParty officials eliminated two other contenders after weighing logistics and fundraising ahead of a wide-open race to succeed Trump.
Aug. 20, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAPa. election 2026: Where governor candidates Garrity and Shapiro stand on electionsby Carter Walker of VotebeatShapiro has a long track record, while Garrity has mostly avoided talking about elections since denying the 2020 results.
Aug. 19, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PADems declare upset victory in special election for exurban Pittsburgh state House seatby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAThe candidates will meet again for a rematch in the November general election.
Aug. 18, 2026Julia Demaree Nikhinson / APConservative activist Scott Presler violated campaign finance law, complaint allegesby Carter Walker of VotebeatPresler didn’t disclose his spending in Pennsylvania’s 2025 judicial retention races, the complaint says.
Aug. 13, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesStacy Garrity is ambitious, Trump-endorsed, and experienced. Is that enough to beat Josh Shapiro?by Katie Meyer and Jaxon White of Spotlight PAA two-term treasurer, Garrity is running for Pennsylvania governor with much less money and name recognition than Shapiro.
Aug. 3, 2026Jacquelyn Martin / APThe struggle of being a no-corporate-PAC-money Democratby Oriana González and Kadia Goba of NOTUSThe time constraints attached to calling and meeting individual donors can cut into lawmakers’ legislative responsibilities.
July 30, 2026Julia Demaree Nikhinson / APRep. Ryan Mackenzie returns donation from pardoned Republican megadonorby Avani Kalra of NOTUSAdam Kidan donated $2,600 to Mackenzie’s leadership PAC on June 30. Trump pardoned Kidan on July 3.
July 30, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesPennsylvania asks Trump admin how it identified potential noncitizens registered to voteby Carter Walker of VotebeatThe Department of Homeland Security has said there may be more than 14,000 noncitizens registered to vote in the state but hasn’t provided details.
July 30, 2026Matt Rourke / APPaige Cognetti refuses corporate PAC money. But some is arriving indirectly.by Avani Kalra of NOTUSThe Democratic candidate in a hot Pennsylvania congressional race has accepted money from political groups that are themselves funded by corporate PACs.
July 29, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesPa. election 2026: Where governor candidates Garrity and Shapiro stand on energy costs, the environment, and moreby Charlotte Keith and Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAAs electric bills soar, Stacy Garrity and Josh Shapiro diverge on what kind of energy they want Pennsylvania to produce.
July 28, 2026Matt Rourke / APDem harnesses data center backlash in ad targeting swing Pa. congressional district held by GOPby Marc Levy of the Associated PressThe race between Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan is considered one of the Democratic Party’s best opportunities to pick up a seat in the November election.
July 20, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAPennsylvania ranks last in new study of 18-year-olds’ voter registration ratesby Carter Walker of VotebeatOnly 22% of 18-year-old Pennsylvanians are registered to vote, but advocates say there are ways to boost that number.
July 14, 2026Jose Luis Magana / APDHS faces 'impossible dilemma' as judges battle over Trump voter databaseby Adora Brown and Marissa Martinez of NOTUSTwo courts want opposite actions on citizenship verification system, leaving homeland security agency unable to comply with both rulings simultaneously.
July 8, 2026Ed Mahon / Spotlight PAPa. election 2026: Where governor candidates Garrity and Shapiro stand on marijuana, hemp, and moreby Jaxon White of Spotlight PADemocrat Josh Shapiro supports legalizing recreational marijuana, while Republican Stacy Garrity does not.
July 8, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAPa. elections could look different if Democrats win full control of state government in 2026by Carter Walker of VotebeatA Democratic trifecta could restart stalled election proposals like pre-canvassing, same-day registration, and mandatory e-pollbooks.
July 7, 2026Feixu Chen / Pittsburgh Media Partnership NewsroomPa. election 2026: Where governor candidates Garrity and Shapiro stand on data centersby Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAAs public frustration about data centers has risen, both candidates have tempered their enthusiasm.
July 2, 2026Joe Lamberti / AP‘Dark money’ group paid Democrat Janelle Stelson for disappearing podcastby Avani Kalra of NOTUSStelson was paid $45,000 by Voting for America to produce four episodes of “Voices of Central Pennsylvania With Janelle Stelson.”
June 23, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesShapiro and Garrity both say they’re willing to debate in this year’s Pa. gov raceby Jaxon White of Spotlight PAExperts say political debates are getting rarer, but this year both of Pennsylvania’s candidates for governor say they’re open to it.
June 18, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PABipartisan election board languishing as Gov. Josh Shapiro fails to appoint new membersby Carter Walker of VotebeatThe board has not met in nearly three years, even as county election officials call for changes to the state’s outdated election law.
June 16, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAPennsylvania organizers push county ballot measures to ban insider trading by local officialsby Dave Levinthal of NOTUSThe effort is in part inspired by NOTUS’ Capitol Gains reporting on the personal finances of members of Congress.
June 12, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesPa. election 2026: Where governor candidates Garrity and Shapiro stand on abortionby Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PADemocrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Stacy Garrity have radically different positions on abortion access.
June 10, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesPennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee working with acquitted sex assault defendantby Avani Kalra of NOTUSCitizens Alliance of Pennsylvania, a right-leaning grassroots group founded and run by Cliff Maloney, has contributed $16,000 to Stacy Garrity since 2020.
June 9, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PADemocratic Party registration plummets in key House districts ahead of 2026 midtermsby Alex Roarty and Christa Dutton of NOTUSRepublicans will still have to overcome deep dissatisfaction with Trump, while Democrats have shown recent voter gains in states like Pennsylvania.
June 5, 2026Jared Wickerham / For Spotlight PAStudents across Pennsylvania step up on Election Day to keep democracy workingby Carter Walker of Spotlight PAYoung poll workers are hired to fill a critical need for counties and earn some money. They emerge ‘kind of inspired’ by civic engagement.
June 3, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PANew study finds that ballot curing helps more mail ballots get countedby Carter Walker of VotebeatResearchers at the University of Pennsylvania used the 2024 election to measure how effective Pennsylvania’s ballot-curing policies are.
May 28, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAFederal judge declines to stop Trump order to limit mail votingby Nicholas Riccardi of the Associated PressThe president’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting was challenged as unconstitutional by Democrats and civil rights groups.
May 26, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesProgressives land a big win in a Philadelphia House primary and hope it means more are on the wayby Marc Levy of the Associated PressChris Rabb was propelled by a constellation of progressive groups, charting a path to victory partly by assailing his own party as listening more to donors than voters.
May 26, 2026Courtesy of Stacy Garrity’s campaignBefore she was a candidate for governor, Republican Stacy Garrity was a military whistleblowerby Jaxon White of Spotlight PAGarrity often talks about her military career on the campaign trail, highlighting the accolades she received and describing how it prepared her for public service.
May 22, 2026Matt Smith / For Spotlight PADemocrats saw relatively strong turnout for Pa.’s gubernatorial primary. What does that mean for November?by Kate Huangpu and Jaxon White of Spotlight PAHigher turnout in a primary is a positive sign for a party’s general election chances, experts say — though it’s not a perfect predictor.