🗳️ Harris takes the lead in Pa. | Morning Newsletter

Hi, Philly.

Today we have the results from The Inquirer’s latest poll of Pennsylvania voters. The big takeaway: Vice President Kamala Harris is leading former President Donald Trump after picking up considerable ground with key groups.

And despite fervent protest out of Chinatown, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has endorsed the 76ers’ plan to build a downtown arena. We look at the reaction and what’s next as the proposal goes to City Council for consideration.

Plus, girls’ flag football just became a state-sanctioned sport in the Keystone State. Read on for these stories and many more.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Less than seven weeks from the Nov. 5 election, the presidential matchup is still shaping up to be extremely close. But in purple Pennsylvania, new polling shows one candidate is gaining with wavering demographics.

Here’s a sample of the results from The Inquirer’s latest voter poll, conducted with The New York Times and Siena College after last week’s debate:

🗳️ Harris v. Trump: The poll showed the Democratic VP with a more than three-point lead, within the survey’s margin of error. Harris is also well ahead of where her predecessor, President Joe Biden, was at four months ago, including with young and nonwhite voters. And while Trump is still favored on the economy, Harris has narrowed the field.

🗳️ Casey v. McCormick: Democrat Bob Casey leads Republican Dave McCormick by nine points in the nationally watched U.S. Senate race. But with neither candidate taking the majority, there’s still time for McCormick to catch up to the three-term incumbent.

🗳️ Shapiro v. everyone: Pennsylvanians like Gov. Josh Shapiro more than both Harris and Trump. The first-term governor’s popularity has made the would-be VP pick an enduring asset to the Harris campaign.

🗳️ And she’s not running, but: Berks County-native pop superstar Taylor Swift, who endorsed Harris on the eve of our poll, has about the same approval rating as Trump. (To the 2% of polled voters who say they haven’t heard of her: How?)

Look out for more poll takeaways tomorrow.

Mayor Parker has officially backed the $1.55 billion proposal to build a Center City basketball arena. But that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal.

Next up, City Council will consider legislation and agreements hashed out between the mayor and the Sixers. Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes the proposed site, will be the point person for bills enabling the arena. A vote could happen by the end of the year.

In the meantime, Chinatown protesters made clear on Wednesday that the proposal will continue to face community opposition. Both activists and city-sponsored studies say the neighborhood would be drastically impacted by a nearby arena.

Read more about Parker’s announcement, how stakeholders reacted, and what’s next.

It just got easier for Philly-area girls who grew up loving football to imagine playing themselves.

🏈 Girls’ flag football was approved as a state-sanctioned sport by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association board of directors on Wednesday, clearing the way for more than 100 high schools across the state to field teams in the 2025-26 academic year.

🏈 The sport picked up popularity in the region when the Philadelphia Eagles established their girls’ flag football league, growing over three seasons to include 1,600 players.

🏈 The PIAA’s sanction will bring support for schools outside of the footprint of the Eagles’ league who want to start a team, as well as a centralized structure for state championships.

🏈 Eagles players Jordan Mailata, Jalen Hurts, and Nakobe Dean, who have attended league events, told The Inquirer they’re impressed by the skill level they’ve seen and glad to see the sports’ expansion.

🏈 To the girls who play, does the sanction mean? “It’s awesome,” one told sports columnist Marcus Hayes. “It means it’s getting respected now. People come up to me in school and ask, like, when our games are. Boys come up and say, ‘I wish there was a boys’ flag football team.’ And with the Olympics? It’s, like, a real sport.”

P.S. Ahead of their Sunday game against the New Orleans Saints, play the third edition of our weekly Eagles game, Bird Box.

Immigrant workers have been a significant contributor to Philadelphia’s growing workforce. What portion of self-employed entrepreneurs in the city are immigrants, according to a new Pew report?

A) One-tenth

B) One-third

C) One-half

D) Two-thirds

Think you know? Check your answer.

🕷️ Side-eyeing: The giant, flying Jorō spider, which has landed in Bucks County.

🥤 Already missing: The “legacy” Wawa set to close in early October in Cherry Hill.

🍪 Swooning over: The origin story of Tang’s Bakery, Philly’s queer-owned, gluten-free Asian bakery.

This beloved science exhibit will be back on display in November following a big renovation.

THREAT GAIN

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Diane Thompson, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Main Line. We rounded up the best flavors of Philly’s suburbs — including this area named for the Pennsylvania Railroad — with our guide to the best spots for waterfront dining, weekend brunch, cheesesteaks, and more.

👋 Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. See you back here tomorrow.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.