The Gen Zers who back Trump | Morning Newsletter
🥖 And the zep’s next step.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Happy Friday, Philly. The region may — may — see some drops tonight after a long rainless spell. Even if we do, though, the precipitation wouldn’t be enough to alleviate Jersey’s dangerously dry conditions.
Many young supporters of former President Donald Trump are first-time voters but longtime fans. Our lead story explores why these local voters have been sold on the candidate since childhood.
And Philadelphians have strong connections to their breads. For half a century, Conshohocken Italian Bakery has supplied rolls for cheesesteaks, hoagies, and that hyperlocal specialty, the zep. As the business prepares to close, eaters are forced to consider: Is a sandwich by any other roll just as iconic?
Here’s what to know to close the week strong.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. Friday also means we have two new games for you. The latest Bird Box challenges you to name Eagles players past and present. And The Inquirer’s weekly news quiz has questions on giant pumpkins, Saquon Barkley, and eight more. Good luck!
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For young Republicans casting their first-ever votes this election cycle, the candidate they’re backing first caught their attention when they were as young as 10 years old. It’s a “surreal” moment for some.
Gaining popularity: Republicans are making inroads among Pennsylvania’s youngest voters. Eight years ago, about a third of registered 18-year-olds were Republicans, while 45% were Democrats. As of this week, both parties claim a 38% share.
The appeal: Young Trump supporters say they like his brash behavior, his conservative policies, or both. “He made politics entertaining,” said the now-20-year-old chair of the Temple University College Republicans who remembers being impressed by the candidate’s 2016 debate performances.
On campus: Trump is planning to rally in Penn State this Saturday, just 10 days before the election — a sign that his campaign knows how essential the youth vote is. Yet there’s a stark voter gender gap, with Trump finding reliable support among young men, and Vice President Kamala Harris finding substantial backing from young women.
In other election news:
Republicans in Pennsylvania have cut Democrats’ voter registration advantage in half since 2020. Will that be Trump’s difference maker?
Harris said during a stop at Center City’s Warwick Hotel Thursday that she doesn’t see evidence of a gender gap in support, as illustrated in polls, when she campaigns around the country.
Supporters of the #NoCeasefireNoVote campaign say they will not vote for Harris as long as she continues to support Israel.
State and federal law enforcement are investigating a social media-spread video that falsely suggests Bucks County election workers were destroying ballots.
The historic Conshohocken Italian Bakery announced earlier this month that after 51 years in business, owner Dom Gambone is retiring.
🥖 But another casualty — at least existentially — may be the zep. Conshy is the main bread source for the sandwich that’s “sort of like the South Philly hoagie’s Norristown cousin,” as The Inquirer’s Craig LaBan put it.
🥖 The zep is more than just the bread that structures it, of course, with its distinctive, lettuce-less array of meat and cheese. Even so: Can the local delicacy survive the change?
🥖 “Their rolls are a big part of what makes our sandwiches so good,” said Anthony Mashett of Norristown-based Eve’s Lunch, one of the so-called epicenters of zep culture.
Want to experience a zep on a classic Conshy roll one last time? Better hurry: The bakery closes this weekend. Food reporter Mike Klein has the story on the zep’s next step.
What you should know today
A Chester man who terrorized, raped, and sexually assaulted multiple women in Delaware County between September 2016 and January 2017 was convicted of those crimes Thursday.
University of Pennsylvania police officers raided the off-campus house of pro-Palestinian activists over alleged vandalism. The residents say it’s due to their dissent over the war in Gaza.
Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark Squilla introduced 13 pieces of legislation that, if approved, would allow the Sixers to build a new arena in Center City. City Council also unanimously approved a bill banning drivers from stopping in bike lanes.
Supporters of a disciplined pro-Palestinian Philly teacher disrupted Thursday’s school board meeting.
SEPTA chief Leslie S. Richards announced Thursday that she is stepping down.
Whoever becomes Pennsylvania’s next attorney general will have to work with Philly’s progressive district attorney, Larry Krasner. The candidates differ in how they would approach that relationship.
Penn State has taken the rare step of banning a scientist from conducting research after a review of her scientific papers found several contained “unreliable data.”
The last store from Philly’s famed “Piano Row,” Jacobs Music, sold to Steinway after 124 years.
Welcome back to Curious Philly Friday. We’ll feature both new and timeless stories from our forum for readers to ask about the city’s quirks.
This week, we’re resurfacing an explainer from reporter Michelle Myers on why commuters and day trippers riding through the region need to hold it, at least until they get to a designated SEPTA station.
The main barriers to building bathrooms on board are travel distance requirements — specifically, not meeting the minimum distance for the facilities to be required — and potentially expensive logistics. Here’s the full explanation.
Have your own burning question about Philadelphia, its local oddities, or how the region works? Submit it here and you might find the answer featured in this space.
🧠 Trivia time
The Philadelphia Zoo announced a $20 million exhibit expansion — including heated pools and digging pits — for which animals?
A) Meerkats
B) Bears
C) Flamingos
D) Hippos
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🪩 Booking: A stay at this Taylor Swift-inspired Jersey Shore Airbnb.
🫣 Watching: The true-crime Oxygen series Philly Homicide.
⚾ Remembering: When the A’s, not the Phillies, brought home the city’s first World Series title.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
The Campbell Soup Co.-owned snack that just got a (temporary) rebrand
FIG HOLDS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Mary Donofrio, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Elfreth’s Alley. Take a peek inside one of the meticulously preserved homes on what’s known as the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the United States.
Photo of the day
🍁 One last autumn thing: We’ve officially reached peak fall foliage in Philadelphia! Our experts recommend peeping the oranges and yellows from West Fairmount Park or Haddonfield’s Hopkins Pond.
Hope you have a great weekend. I’ll be back with you Monday.
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