The GOP’s Philly strategy | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, Philly. After that fair-weather weekend, expect more sun and high temps near 80 today.

Democrats have long dominated politics in Philadelphia. While Republicans don’t expect to turn the deep-blue city red, they do have a plan to help former President Donald Trump lose here by a little bit less.

And the history of Reading Terminal Market is the basis of a new collection at the University of Pennsylvania. Read on for these stories and many more.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

P.S. Today is the last day Pennsylvanians can register to vote in the Nov. 5 election. Here’s how to do it.

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Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans seven to one in Philadelphia. Yet in a super-close presidential race where a few thousand votes could make the difference in purple Pennsylvania, the GOP is working to help Trump gain ground against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Recent history: In 2020, President Joe Biden won 81% of votes in the city. Yet Trump’s deficit of 471,000 votes was the smallest for a Republican candidate in Philadelphia since 2004.

Focused efforts: The former president hosted the first Philly rally of his political career earlier this year. Through a spate of mailers and billboards, his campaign and party are pushing messaging on hot-button issues such as public safety, even as violent crime has plummeted since pandemic highs. And they’re recruiting volunteers to encourage Election Day turnout among potential GOP voters.

New shades: The push comes as working-class voters in the city shifted red between 2016 to 2020.

Reporter Anna Orso explains Trump’s efforts in Philadelphia, with the help of some handy charts.

In other election news: Trump faced a friendly crowd at a Lancaster town hall Sunday. The candidate also made french fries at a Bucks County McDonald’s earlier that day after publicly doubting whether Harris — who is holding an event in Chester County today — once worked at the fast-food chain.

When David K. O’Neil became manager of Reading Terminal Market in 1980, he began photographing and gathering objects that marked its transition from recently bankrupt mess to world-class cultural attraction.

📷 His trove grew precipitously over his time as GM and well beyond to include everything from a 1913 market floor plan to old shopping bags to copies of its Market Fare newspaper.

📷 The former Penn history major went on to collect tens of thousands of photos and other public market materials from not only Philadelphia, but hundreds of other cities around the world. His collection will soon be on view at Penn Libraries.

📷 “For anyone who is interested in Philadelphia, in the origins of the market movement, in changes in social structures in the 1980s, this will be a deep archive,” a Penn curator told The Inquirer.

Reporter Mike Newall has the story on the “everyday ephemera” O’Neil collected over four decades.

After winning Olympic gold, Friends Select School alumna Maia Weintraub is back to balancing college and training. What is the Princeton University student’s sport?

A) Gymnastics

B) Fencing

C) Synchronized diving

D) Handball

Think you know? Check your answer.

📽️ Learning by watching: A short doc on New Hope’s queer history, and a feature film on legendary CHOP cancer researcher Audrey Evans.

🎸 Grabbing: Tickets for Philly Music Fest, which starts today.

🌮 Visiting: The ~ vibiest ~ restaurants on The 76.

The Philly-native congressperson who is poised to become Delaware’s first Black female senator

BACHELOR TURNSTILES

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Peggy Wood, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Shark Tank. A Jersey Shore seafood steam pot take-out shop will appear on the TV series soon.

📬 Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.

This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Nicole Lemanski, who describes a chance meeting-turned-forever:

Ten years ago on Jan. 1, 2015, I met my friend at a South Philly house party near Broad Street celebrating the Mummers parade. I started talking to a cute guy who was also there as his friend’s plus-one. Later in the afternoon, we all headed to another party over on 2 Street and danced and drank with the Mummers until we headed to a dive bar. I kept on talking to that guy — and this Saturday we’re getting married!

When I tell this story to non-Philadelphians, they are very confused both by the concept of a Mummer and the fact that we were partying all day on Jan. 1 and not the night before!

Have a great Monday. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

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