5 stories credited to PoliticsPA
Latest story Sep 23, 2026 · on ChamberLight since Apr 2026
A story can appear as several articles (copies of the same piece), so counts of stories and of articles differ.
Scores for PoliticsPA
Writing quality not enough rated stories yet: 5 of 10. How it is measured
Scores last checked Sep 25, 2026.
Stories ChamberLight collected, by month
Stories credited to PoliticsPA, by publication date. ChamberLight collects articles that mention the officials it tracks, so this shows its own coverage of this source, not how much the source publishes.
- Stories from PoliticsPA
- Shaded: ChamberLight collected no stories, or almost none, from any outlet (a gap in its collection, not in the outlet’s publishing)
Show as a table
| Month | Stories | All outlets |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 3 | 3,219 |
| May 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| June 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| July 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 (collection gap) |
| September 2026 | 1 | 598 |
Top topics
Share of this source’s stories tagged with each topic. A story can carry several topics, so the shares do not add up to 100%.
- Economy3
60% of 5 stories · 24% across all outlets
- Ethics/Corruption3
60% of 5 stories · 56% across all outlets
- Voting Rights3
60% of 5 stories · 18% across all outlets
- Housing1
20% of 5 stories · 1% across all outlets
- Taxes1
20% of 5 stories · 4% across all outlets
- Veterans Affairs1
20% of 5 stories · 1% across all outlets
The thin mark on each bar is the topic’s share across all outlets.
Who they cover
Party of the officials these stories are mainly about, across all 5 officials named. A story counts once for each official it is mainly about, so the split is over 6 story–official pairs, from 5 stories.
- Republican67% · 4 pairs
- UNAFFILIATED17% · 1 pair
- Party not recorded17% · 1 pair
Most covered
Stories mainly about each official, and their share of the source’s 5 stories.
Article tone
ChamberLight’s article analysis assigns each story a tone toward the official it covers. It describes the coverage of that official, not PoliticsPA’s stance, and reader votes do not change it. 5 stories.
- Good Look
- 1 (20%)
- Mixed
- 3 (60%)
- Informational
- 1 (20%)
- Bad Look
- 0 (0%)
Challenges to these scores
No one has challenged a score on this page yet. Anyone can; editors publish every outcome here.
Articles served from politicspa.com
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PA-10: Stelson Launches Coalition of ‘Republicans For Janelle’ In Contrast to Perry
On a farm in York County, Democratic congressional candidate Janelle Stelson unveiled a coalition of Republican leaders, elected officials and […]
PA-10: Stelson Launches Coalition of ‘Republicans For Janelle’ In Contrast to Perry
On a farm in York County, Democratic congressional candidate Janelle Stelson unveiled a coalition of Republican leaders, elected officials and […]
The Protect College Sports Act: What Does It Mean For Penn State, Pitt, Fetterman and McCormick?
It is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in collegiate sports history and Pennsylvania’s senators find themselves in […]
The Protect College Sports Act: What Does It Mean For Penn State, Pitt, Fetterman and McCormick?
It is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in collegiate sports history and Pennsylvania’s senators find themselves in […]
Questions Beginning to Arise Around Brooks Campaign in PA-07
We knew the Democratic primary in the 7th Congressional District in the Lehigh Valley was going to be contentious. With a month remaining until the May 19 primary, we are about to find out just how contentious. The four candidates for the nomination – Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure, and Carol Obando-Derstine – met in their second debate last week at Cedar Crest College in Allentown. The quartet each highlighted their campaigns and trumpeted why voters should support them against Republican incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie during the 90-minute forum. And while questions surround each candidate, more and more are being raised each day about Brooks. By some accounts, Brooks, the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association, had a difficult evening, barely answering the questions posed by journalist Ryan Gaylor, before returning to his talking points. He was posed one question by Gaylor about how he would reduce the country’s climate warming carbon emissions and better prepare for the increasingly severe impacts on climate change. All Brooks could offer was that all the climate cuts that President Trump made need to be “put back into legislation.” He then talked about his time driving a snowplow, before returning to “replacing the cuts that have already been put in place. It’s simply about putting the concept back into the legislature and covering those and getting them back into play because everything we’ve been taken out of, the kind of thing we’re looking at now.” He was also asked to square the statement that he would ban money from political action committees in politics, yet, he has taken in more from PACs than the other three candidates. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” replied Brooks. “I’m not a congressman. I can’t make those rules. The rules are made and you have to play by the rules that are in place.” When pressed if he is making a distinction between corporate PACs that he opposes and PAC money that have donated to him, Brooks said, “Listen, I’d like to get all money out of politics, but you need to be able to work and be able to fund your campaign. And you can’t fund a campaign on 20 bucks.” PoliticsPA has learned that at the conclusion of the debate, representatives of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) informed the debate’s organizers that it did not want to make the video of the event available online. The DCCC cited concerns that footage would appear in GOP attack ads against the primary winner in the general campaign. To others, the suggestion appeared as a tactic to protect Brooks, who has received endorsements from Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, among others. You can see the debate video here. At least one observer feels that Shapiro’s backing of Brooks was to bring the rank-and-file worker back into the Democratic tent, after unions and their members abandoned the party in 2024 in favor of Mackenzie and President Donald Trump. Concerns have also been raised about the other candidates as well, particularly Crosswell who recently returned to the area to run for office. He served as a federal prosecutor in Baton Rouge, La., and San Diego, Calif., before moving to Washington in the U.S. Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section for the Trump Administration. He resigned his post after being ordered to drop a criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and switched parties after being a registered Republican after concluding the Democratic Party better aligned with his values. While Crosswell worked with the DOJ in the Trump Administration, Brooks has publicly backed members of the GOP for their policies, particularly when it comes to first responders. While that alone can be seen as good politics in his position, Brooks was also not fond of former President Barack Obama and the decision by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick to kneel during the National Anthem prior to a game in 2016. Screenshot Screenshot Brooks has also been in the news over a lawsuit involving his ex-wife and his then-mother-in-law. In 2008, his in-laws, Michael and Carol Wiley, transferred a residential building lot to him and his then-wife, Jennifer, fronting the $55,000 cost of subdividing the property. The money was not repaid and in 2008, a promissory note was drafted and signed among the parties which memorialized Brooks’ debt. When executed, Brooks would pay Carol Wiley $55,500 at 6.5% interest in 120 monthly payments of $630.19. Those payments were never made. A bench trial for breach of contract was held in August 2020 with a verdict against Brooks and damages due of $130,386.86. He appealed the loss but the decision was upheld in the Pennsylvania Superior Court in September 2021. In February, Carol Wiley filed another lawsuit against Brooks, stating that the debt has yet to be paid and that he has illegally transferred ownership of the home to his second wife, Jennifer Lynne Brooks. During the forum, Brooks said that the issue does not call into question his fitness for office. “No. This is a joke,” he said. “My ex-wife is supporting me and the campaign through all of this and that says a lot. While my political opponents, Ryan Mackenzie and the GOP concentrate on my ex-in-laws, I’ll concentrate what things are going on for the people of PA-07.” With all this swirling around, now it appears that the Brooks campaign is closing ranks. Recently, the nonprofit Lehigh Valley News and PBS39-TV conducted a series of 1-on-1 interviews with three of the four candidates that will air locally April 21-25. The Brooks campaign, after initially agreeing to appear, abruptly canceled. Former congresswoman Susan Wild, who held the PA-07 seat for six years before being ousted by Mackenzie in 2024, said she was “appalled” by Brooks’ behavior in a comment on her personal Facebook page, where she posts with her maiden name. “This is disqualifying, IMHO. One, the voters deserve every bit of information that they can get on these candidates. Two, who does Bob Brooks think he is? This smacks of ENTITLEMENT. Third, and just as important in my view, DON’T DISS JOURNALISTS.” It should be noted that Wild has backed the lone female in the contest – Obando-Derstine. She is a former engineer and regional affairs director for PPL and formerly served as a regional manager for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. The fourth candidate is the lone candidate who has served in political arena – former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure. At this juncture, it appears donors prefer Crosswell and Brooks are the top Democratic contenders. From January through March, Crosswell raised $483,818, while Brooks was not far behind at $436,292. Obando-Derstine was a distant third at $111,283, while McClure brought in just $20,000. The race is one of the most closely-watched in the Commonwealth and the country as Democrats hope to flip the Lehigh Valley seat as part of an overall strategy to win back the U.S. House majority. Democrats hold a 41-38% voter registration edge over Republicans with nearly 1-in-6 (17%) registered with “no affiliation” or independent. The 7th Congressional District includes all of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, and a portion of western Monroe County.
What Caught Our Eye When Reviewing Q1 Fundraising Numbers
The Federal Election Commission gathered quarterly fundraising reports for the period from January 1 through March 31. After taking a few moments to rub our eyes … here’s what caught our eye in the first glance at the numbers. First, there is too much money in politics. Yes, Steve. And the sun rises in the east. Over the last three months, nearly $16.5 million was raised by candidates for Congress in the Keystone State alone. Taking Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick out of the equation, the sum still exceeds $15 million for the U.S. House. Those candidates spent a total of $9 million to staff their campaigns and have a combined war chest totaling $44.7 million. There’s too much money in politics. Republican incumbents in the “swing” districts in the Commonwealth did very well in the first quarter. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01) led the way with a $1.17 million haul, while Rep. Scott Perry (R-10) pulled in $1.13 million. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-08) also joined the $1 million club by securing $1.026 million in contributions, while Rep. Ryan Mackenzie just missed the seven-digit club at $906,926. But two of the Democratic challengers in those races – Paige Cognetti in the 8th Congressional District and Janelle Stelson in the 10th – outpaced their competition in fundraising. Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, secured $1.46 million, while Stelson, the former broadcast journalist, brought in a whopping $2.17 million. The primary contest in PA-03 will most likely determine the eventual winner in one of America’s bluest districts in Philadelphia. Rep. Chris Rabb raised the largest figure at $393,727 with Ala Stanford ($211,084) and Sen. Sharif Street ($198,601) following behind. Stanford, the pediatric surgeon, has nearly $450,000 in the bank which is nearly double the two state lawmakers. Here is a look at all the numbers from the FEC filings.
What Caught Our Eye When Reviewing Q1 Fundraising Numbers
The Federal Election Commission gathered quarterly fundraising reports for the period from January 1 through March 31. After taking a few moments to rub our eyes … here’s what caught our eye in the first glance at the numbers. First, there is too much money in politics. Yes, Steve. And the sun rises in the east. Over the last three months, nearly $16.5 million was raised by candidates for Congress in the Keystone State alone. Taking Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick out of the equation, the sum still exceeds $15 million for the U.S. House. Those candidates spent a total of $9 million to staff their campaigns and have a combined war chest totaling $44.7 million. There’s too much money in politics. Republican incumbents in the “swing” districts in the Commonwealth did very well in the first quarter. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01) led the way with a $1.17 million haul, while Rep. Scott Perry (R-10) pulled in $1.13 million. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-08) also joined the $1 million club by securing $1.026 million in contributions, while Rep. Ryan Mackenzie just missed the seven-digit club at $906,926. But two of the Democratic challengers in those races – Paige Cognetti in the 8th Congressional District and Janelle Stelson in the 10th – outpaced their competition in fundraising. Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, secured $1.46 million, while Stelson, the former broadcast journalist, brought in a whopping $2.17 million. The primary contest in PA-03 will most likely determine the eventual winner in one of America’s bluest districts in Philadelphia. Rep. Chris Rabb raised the largest figure at $393,727 with Ala Stanford ($211,084) and Sen. Sharif Street ($198,601) following behind. Stanford, the pediatric surgeon, has nearly $450,000 in the bank which is nearly double the two state lawmakers. Here is a look at all the numbers from the FEC filings.
Optimism Abounds For Garrity’s Second Historic Upset, This Time Against Shapiro
(The Center Square) – Unseating an incumbent governor is historically considered an uphill battle for any candidate, even when the party clears the primary field for a single nominee. It’s much harder still when that governor happens to be Josh Shapiro, a popular Democrat once under consideration as Kamala Harris’s running mate and long-rumored to run for president in 2028. Treasurer Stacy Garrity, however, hopes to do just that. “Josh Shapiro has failed us,” Garrity said during the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference at the Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill on Friday. “But somehow he believes he deserves a promotion.” “He is more focused on his personal political ambition than fixing the problems that Pennsylvanians are facing today,” she added. Garrity also recalled a story that former President Ronald Reagan would deliver on the campaign trail about how voters’ eyes were “opening,” and likened it to the momentum she believes that she’s gaining. Polling and national ratings outlets, however, paint a challenging road ahead. Susquehanna Polling and Research conducted a survey March 9-17 that showed Shapiro leading Garrity by 22 points. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted Feb. 19-23 had Shapiro leading Garrity by 18 points. On March 11, the Cook Political Report, a national ratings outlet, shifted the 2026 governor’s race further in favor of Shapiro, changing the rating from “likely Democratic” to “solid Democratic.” “Shapiro has an approval rating consistently around 60%, a gargantuan cash-on-hand advantage and a decisive polling lead over GOP state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, making it almost impossible to see him coming up short in his quest for a second term,” the Cook Political Report writes as a summary of the race. Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Greg Rothman dismissed the reliability of polls in an interview with The Center Square. “Eighteen months ago, an actual poll was taken at the election and every Republican won,” Rothman said. “Trump won by one and a half points. Now, you’re telling me that 18 months later, our candidate is down 30 points?” “That’s ridiculous. Those aren’t polls,” he continued. “Those are trying to dampen the spirit of Republicans. That’s what those polls are being used for. And they’re not real polls…I’ve been at this for a long time, and ultimately the election’s decided on Election Day.” In addition to Trump and Garrity’s victories in 2024, Republicans Tim DeFoor, Dave McCormick, and Dave Sunday won their respective races for statewide office in Pennsylvania. Excluding judicial elections, the last Democrat to win a statewide race in Pennsylvania was Shapiro in 2022. Rothman also told The Center Square that Pennsylvania has a history of upsets, specifically citing the victories of Harris Wofford defeating Dick Thornburgh in 1991 for U.S. Senate, Rick Santorum unseating Wofford in 1994, plus the recent example of McCormick’s victory over three-term U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. It wouldn’t be the first time Garrity unseated an incumbent Democrat. Her rise to statewide office in 2020 came after she defeated Treasurer Joe Torsella by roughly 53,000 votes – the first Republican to do so in nearly three decades. During Garrity’s successful bid for reelection in 2024, she broke a Pennsylvania record for most votes received in a statewide election, which was previously held by Shapiro in his 2022 gubernatorial victory. And this time, Garrity has the support of President Donald Trump, who appeared with her at a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 30. Calling herself a “strong ally,” Garrity touted that hers was among the first campaigns the president endorsed this year. While Trump won Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes in 2024 over Vice President Kamala Harris, recent polling shows that a majority in the state disapprove of his job performance. Democrats, including Shapiro, say this association hurts Garrity more than it helps. “As Governor, Josh Shapiro has brought people together to get stuff done for all Pennsylvanians and protect our freedoms and our democracy,” Shapiro’s campaign wrote in a press release, promoting upcoming events. “Whether it’s investing in our schools and small businesses, supporting Pennsylvania law enforcement and farmers, expanding economic opportunity, or standing up to Donald Trump’s chaos, cruelty, and corruption – Governor Shapiro is fighting for Pennsylvania families and continuing to move our Commonwealth forward.” Rothman disagrees. He sees Trump as an asset for Garrity this November, saying that it’s all “about turnout” and that the president brings people to the polls. “We need him here. We need him to come here,” Rothman told The Center Square. “We need him to be talking more about Stacy and Jason.” “We know he’s busy trying to save the free world and put men back in space, but yes, I think he will help her,” he added. Rothman said he “100%” expects Trump to campaign for the ticket this year and cited U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson traveling to Pennsylvania this week to boost Republican incumbents in battleground congressional districts. “They know how important Pennsylvania is,” Rothman said. “The most important state in the country, again.” On Saturday, Shapiro hit the campaign trail in north-central Pennsylvania, a region that has historically supported Republican candidates.