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What’s next for Pennsylvania politics | Morning Newsletter

And the Krasner impeachment saga continues

John Fetterman (top left) is the Democratic candidate for United States Senate. .Mehmet Oz (top right) is the Republican candidate for United States Senate. .Doug Mastriano (bottom left) is the Republican candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania. .Josh Shapiro is the Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania.
John Fetterman (top left) is the Democratic candidate for United States Senate. .Mehmet Oz (top right) is the Republican candidate for United States Senate. .Doug Mastriano (bottom left) is the Republican candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania. .Josh Shapiro is the Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania.Read moreStaff photographs
    by Taylor Allen
    Published 

    The Morning Newsletter

    Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter

Expect a lot of sun and high of 55. If you’re still making plans for New Year’s Day, take advantage that it’s supposed to be unusually warm and do something outdoors.

This is your last newsletter of the year. It’s the perfect time to reflect on the huge — and sometimes chaotic — year in Pennsylvania politics.

Our lead story follows another year of Pennsylvania in the national spotlight and what to watch in the new year.

If you see this 🔑 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.

— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

What’s next for Pennsylvania politics in 2023 🔑

Pennsylvania has become accustomed to getting the political spotlight and that doesn’t seem like that’s going to change any time soon.

A quick recap: Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro will be the next governor.

  1. John Fetterman’s victory flipped a Senate seat. Nationally, Dems now have 51 senators who will caucus together, including Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, despite her decision to become an independent.

  2. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s quote, “I’ll be happy when I’m not here — when I’m not mayor” became a defining moment of his administration which has been widely criticized for failing to address the city’s gun violence crisis with adequate urgency.

  3. City Council members Bobby Henon and Kenyatta Johnson were indicted on unrelated federal bribery charges. Henon was convicted. The jury couldn’t reach a verdict in the first trial for Johnson and his wife, Dawn Chavous, but they were acquitted in the second.

What’s coming: Surprise victories could give Pennsylvania Democrats control of the state House, depending on which party prevails in the fight over control of the chamber that was triggered by several vacancies.

  1. Nine Philadelphia mayoral hopefuls (so far) are seeking the Democratic nomination in the May primary.

Keep reading to learn more about rising stars in the Pennsylvania political world.

Philly DA Larry Krasner wants the courts to step in to block his impeachment trial

Lawyers for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner urged Commonwealth Court judges Thursday to declare the Republican-led effort to impeach him as legally baseless.

Krasner’s lawyers argued that it’s a dangerous attempt to remove a locally elected Democrat over ideological disagreements and not impeachable conduct.

The rebuttal: Lawyers for Republican legislative leaders claim the courts don’t have a role in this ongoing process because the House and Senate have acted within their constitutional authority in approving articles of impeachment against Krasner.

Republicans accused the district attorney of enacting policies that have fueled the city’s shooting crisis. Krasner denied the allegations.

Continue reading for the latest developments in the contentious impeachment effort against Krasner.

What you should know today

  1. Larry Krasner announced a new unit focusing on carjackings, which hit a record high in 2022.

  2. 15 developers of color graduated from a new Philly program that aims for equity in real estate.

  3. U.S Park Rangers are investigating last week’s fire in Independence National Historical Park as arson.

  4. Philly will start enforcing new rules for Airbnb and other short-term rentals beginning Jan. 1.

  5. In response to record inflation driving up the costs of gas, groceries, and dining out, singles are opting for inexpensive dates.

  6. Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.

🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠

Who’s the celebrity wrestler who recently started following dozens of local journalists across the country on Twitter?

A) John Cena

B) Dave Bautista

C) Hulk Hogan

D) None of the above

Find out if you know the answer.

What we’re...

🗞️ Reading: The opinions of the last year that caught your attention the most.

❤️ Sharing: How to make friends as an adult.

🎆 Providing: Guidance to keep your New Year’s resolution to work out more.

🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩

Hint: Bethlehem

EFTSESPPE

We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Bonnie Coccagna who correctly guessed Thursday’s answer: The Volstead.

Photo of the Day

And that’s it from me until Wednesday. I’ll see you back here bright and early next year ☀️.