August 20 Playbook: Data Center Debate Continues

🌧️ Good Morning. Buckle up PA for a wild weather day

🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. Footloose. Kenny Loggins

PA Weather
☂️  Allison Park | Showers, 77
🌧️  Centre Hall | Heavy Rain, 70
☔  Bethlehem | Showers, 77

PA Sports 
⚾  Phillies (70-58, +2.0 GB WC) | Miami 4-1 | Fri vs. St. Louis
⚾  Pirates (63-66, -5.5 GB WC) | Detroit 4-3 | Fri at LA Dodgers
⚽  Union (5W, 5D, 10L) | Inter Miami 2-2 | Sat at Austin FC

🔈 What We’re Hearing. A new Emerson College Polling survey of likely voters finds 40% approve of the job President Trump is doing in the Oval Office, while 56% disapprove. On the 2026 generic congressional ballot test, 51% support the Democratic candidate, while 43% support the Republican. Six percent are undecided. 

📅  What’s Happening Today. Commonwealth Court will hold two hearings on the viability of Andrew Tupone candidacy in PA-07.

Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s premier source for nonpartisan political news and analysis. Tips or press releases can be sent to [email protected].

The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. For the web version, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

Top Story

1.   The Stakes of Josh Shapiro’s Data Center Pivot

“Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s newly hard line on data centers says plenty about the evolving politics of AI and the tech industry’s challenge to build the energy and computing power it needs.

Why it matters: He’s in the 2028 presidential mix, leads a critical swing state, and faces November reelection in one of several governor’s races where data centers are taking center stage.” | Axios

Elsewhere

Pennsylvania’s New Data-Center Rules Aren’t All Bad For Power Companies. “States are stalling efforts by data centers to connect to the electric grid, which could delay—though probably not derail—power companies’ efforts to profit from the artificial-intelligence boom. In fact, for some companies that provide electricity, it could turn out to be a benefit.” | Barron’s

What It Means That Democrats Are Winning Special Elections in Trump Country. “The latest victory came in a state House race near Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump survived an attempt on his life in 2024 and won big.” | Washington Post

Data Center Boom Meets Rust Belt Politics. “Need more evidence that the data center boom is scrambling politics? Look to the Rust Belt.” | Politico

Why Democrats Are Encouraged by a Narrow PA Special Election Upset. “Democrat Brandon Dukes’ narrow victory for a Pennsylvania House seat held by the GOP since 1994 is invigorating the party not just across the state, but across the country ahead of the midterm elections in November.” | Erie Times-News

Democrats Narrow Their List of 2028 Presidential Convention Sites to Boston, Denver and Philadelphia. “A final decision is expected to be made later this year by party leaders. Republicans have already chosen Houston for the site of their 2028 convention.” | AP

State

2.   Speaker Johnson Warns of Socialist Takeover During Lehigh County Visit

“U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson stumped for U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie on Wednesday and warned local voters that backing Democrats this election could place the country on “a deadly road.”

During a visit to Upper Saucon Township Volunteer Fire Department, Johnson painted the PA-07 race as a consequential one with dire stakes. The Democratic Party, he said, is being consumed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Voting for Bob Brooks or any Democrat, he said, risked putting the country on a path to a communist takeover.” | Lehigh Valley Public Media

Elsewhere

PA-07: Ryan Mackenzie Touts His First Year Accomplishments In Bid For Reelection. Is It Enough to Win In Lehigh Valley’s Battleground District? “Mackenzie faces a difficult reelection campaign in one of the most competitive, battleground districts in the entire country.” | Allentown Morning Call

Pennsylvania Democrats’ Plan to Win Back Swing Voters. “Eugene DePasquale says he doesn’t see the state party as a laboratory for solutions to a national Democratic Party that has struggled to articulate a vision for post-Trump politics.” | USA Today Network

PA-08: Johnson ‘Bullish’ On Midterms, Predicts Expanded GOP Majority During Wilkes-Barre Visit to Support Bresnahan. “U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Republicans will expand their narrow House majority in the November midterm election during a visit Wednesday to Wilkes-Barre.” | WVIA

How Josh Shapiro and Stacy Garrity Stack Up On Election Issues. “Two candidates with vastly different visions for elections are competing for Pennsylvania’s governorship this year.” | Votebeat Pennsylvania

Shapiro’s Latino Ad Blitz Reaches Out to Voters He May Need in 2028. “Winning over the state’s growing Latino electorate could be key to Josh Shapiro’s reelection — and a test of his ability to build the broad coalition he’d need for a potential presidential run.” | Axios Philadelphia

Around The Commonwealth

3.   Does Democrat’s Surprise Win in Red Butler County Predict A Wave? Experts Urge Caution

“In a narrow victory, Democrat Brandon Dukes won Pennsylvania’s 12th state House district in Tuesday’s special election. Dukes could be sworn in within the next few weeks and serve out the year, though he will face Republican Scott Timko again in November’s general election, which could see higher turnout as voters nationally weigh in halfway through President Donald Trump’s term. 

Jennie Sweet-Cushman, a professor of political science at Chatham University, said that while yesterday’s Democratic victory is significant, November’s electorate will be different and the likelihood of the district staying blue is a “tall order.”” | Public Source

Elsewhere

When Will the 12th House District Special Election Results Be Final? “After the Butler County Bureau of Elections met Wednesday morning, Aug. 19, to count provisional ballots and cast in the 12th state House District special election, unofficial results now show Democrat Brandon Dukes as the winner by 97 votes.” | Butler Eagle

Philly Building Trades Turn Against Garrity’s Governor Bid. “The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, which endorsed Republican Stacy Garrity for state treasurer just two years ago, is now campaigning against her 2026 bid for governor, accusing her of breaking promises made to building-trades unions.” | Northeast Times

PA State Workers’ Pension Outsources $2 Billion to a Firm It Just Fired. “The $42 billion Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System last month unanimously agreed to end a $300 million foreign-stocks investment for failing to meet targets — then gave the same firm a fresh $2 billion to invest in U.S. stocks.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Editorial

4.  What Do You Think?

• Trump’s Election Interference Is Eroding American Democracy | New York Times
• From ‘All In’ to Tap the Brakes: Josh Shapiro Redefines Pennsylvania’s Tech Boom | Salena Zito
• Boo! Josh Shapiro Restricts New Data Center Construction in Pennsylvania | Robby Soave
• Pennsylvania Catches Fraud — Minnesota Makes Excuses | Jay Rogers
• Trust is the Currency the PHRC Can’t Afford to Lose | PennLive
• Powering Pennsylvania’s Potential | Emily Brey
• Betting the Farm: Sports Leagues Are Gambling Away Fans’ Trust | Anthony SanFilippo

1 Thing

5.   Small Idaho Town Absolutely Not Known For Cheesesteaks Attempts to ‘Unofficially’ Beat Philly Cheesesteak Record

“A restaurant group in Idaho is determined to reclaim what it insists was theirs to begin with: a world record involving cheesesteaks.

On Sunday, Happy Day Restaurants — a company with a slate of eateries across the Gem State — is hosting an event where they’ll attempt to assemble the longest cheesesteak.

The bad news: Lewiston, Idaho, is coming for Philly’s newly established “longest cheesesteak” world record. The good news: It’s still unofficial and the proceeds are going to charity — which is kind of hard to bash.” | Philadelphia Inquirer

Thank you for starting your Thursday with us.
One more day til the weekend. See you tomorrow.