Election guide: What’s happening in Pennsylvania?

STATE STATS

• Voter makeup: The Keystone State is known as another “purple” region, where voter affiliation is nearly evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Last year’s voter registration report found that Democratic voters outnumbered registered Republicans by roughly 595,000. The commonwealth is familiar with gridlock, though. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is frequently at loggerheads with the Republican-led state legislature, meaning few bills have actually been passed. Both parties are scrambling to claim a majority this cycle.
• Voting: The state legislature passed Act 77 in 2019, a groundbreaking election code update that eliminated straight-party voting and allowed no-excuse, mail-in ballots. A legal challenge to the law failed in the state Supreme Court earlier this year. Only first-time voters or new Pennsylvania residents must show ID at the polls.
• Fraud watch: In September, the America First Legal Foundation, spearheaded by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, filed a lawsuit against Lehigh County over ballot drop boxes, alleging that some voters submitted more than one ballot. The county Board of Elections has agreed to pause its use of ballot boxes. Meadows himself is accused of registering to vote in multiple states, and he has also been asked to testify in a Georgia election investigation. President Joe Biden won the state in 2020 by only 80,000 votes. Trump has claimed that thousands of those votes were fraudulent, though standard audits did not uncover any widespread wrongdoing. Twenty state lawmakers signed fake elector slates in 2020 claiming that Trump won the state. The U.S. State Department documented four cases of voter fraud in the state in 2020. Three people signed ballots under a deceased relative’s name, and a fourth voted using his son’s name. At least two were confirmed to be Republicans.

GUBERNATORIAL

• Republican candidate Doug Mastriano calls himself a MAGA candidate and “Christian nationalist.” He scored the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, beating out a crowded field of Republican candidates in the primary. He has come under fire for being at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 during riots and for transporting a group of people to the grounds, but Mastriano has said he did not participate in any violence or enter the building. Mastriano has maintained his allegations that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. He has also held several events claiming that COVID-19 vaccines are toxic and that the pandemic was a “fake crisis.” Mastriano refuses to grant interviews to mainstream media outlets and posts nearly all his campaign updates on right-wing platforms like Truth Social instead. A recent Rolling Stone article reported that he prayed for a MAGA takeover in 2020 over a Zoom call. He has campaigned heavily on a pro-life platform, on ending no-excuse, mail-in voting, and on making the state a “Second Amendment sanctuary.”
• Josh Shapiro, a Jewish attorney from Philadelphia and self-described populist, isn’t trying to deflect Mastriano’s attempts to apply faith to a gubernatorial race. To the contrary, he has also positioned himself as a uniquely religious candidate—one whose values can appeal to conservatives who wouldn’t normally vote for a Democratic candidate. His tactic has been to paint Mastriano as a far-right conspiracy theorist with little grounding. Where Mastriano looks to build a race that focuses on the Oval Office, Shapiro has put Mastriano squarely in his sights. During the primaries, Shapiro’s campaign went as far as to fund $900,000 in ads in favor of Mastriano, believing him to be the easiest candidate to beat. According to FiveThirtyEight, Shapiro has a 10-point lead on Mastriano in polls as of Oct. 10.

SENATE

• Republican Senate candidate and celebrity surgeon Mehmet Oz captured the nation’s attention earlier this summer through a primary contest against fellow Republican and hedge fund manager CEO David McCormick. Oz moved to Pennsylvania from New Jersey in the last year, something his opponents have criticized as political tourism. During the primary, Oz highlighted his immigrant roots from Turkey and the effectiveness of the American Dream. He describes himself as a “secular Muslim” but supports same-sex marriage. He is, however, highly critical of transgender operations—especially those geared toward children. Late in the race, Oz secured Trump’s endorsement and ultimately won the runoff by less than 1,000 votes. With eyes set on November, Oz hopes to frame his Democratic opponent, John Fetterman, as having a track record of being soft on crime.
• Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, the current lieutenant governor and formerly the mayor of the 2,000-person town of Braddock, has been in politics since 2005. In his standard hoodie and shorts outfit, he has set himself up as the relatable candidate in the race, calling for an increased minimum wage, criminal justice reform, and universal healthcare. Fetterman emphasizes his approach to crime and law enforcement. His positions include giving second chances to life convicts who show signs of repentance, a position Oz has lambasted as soft on crime. He also supports gun control and abortion. Having suffered a recent stroke that brought his health into question, Fetterman will look to persuade voters he’s still capable of leading the Pennsylvania Democratic Party on a national level.