Legislative caucuses Pennsylvanians wish were real

If you’ve been around politics long enough, you know there’s basically a caucus or advocacy group for everything. Here in Pennsylvania, you’d be surprised to know there are caucuses ranging from sportsmen and cigars to concrete pavement and antique cars. 

To better serve the groups that didn’t know they needed a group, we’ve come up with a few caucuses of our own that would best fit the General Assembly and its wide-ranging cast of characters. 

Here are a few fun caucuses we wish were real – and who we think would lead the charge for the like minded lawmakers. 

The Raucous Caucus

You should be able to hear these folks even through all the chatter in Harrisburg. There are several musically inclined legislators who can bring the noise, whether they’re public enemies or not. State Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski and Russ Diamond, as well as state Sen. Tim Kearney are among the musicians and singers in the General Assembly. Perhaps a karaoke caucus is also in order. 

The Herstory Caucus

Pennsylvania has no shortage of history-making women – and this caucus highlights their groundbreaking achievements. Joanna McClinton, the first Black woman elected speaker of the state House, Kim Ward, the first woman elected Senate President Pro Tempore, and Debra Todd, the first female Chief Justice in the history of the state Supreme Court, are all charter members of this group – and they are no doubt preparing for new inductees.

The Beard Caucus

There are some magnificent beards across Pennsylvania, including in the legislature. That got us thinking – with so much stubble, there should definitely be a caucus dedicated to tonsorial tendencies. Perhaps House Appropriations Chair Jordan Harris would be up for chairing this one? We’ll have to save mustaches for later – perhaps for the Soup Strainer Power 100?

The Joint Caucus on Joints

The commonwealth doesn’t have recreational marijuana in common with its neighboring states, but that’s not for a lack of trying. There have been a few bipartisan efforts looking at cannabis legalization, including ones cosponsored by Democrats like state Sen. Sharif Street and Republicans like state Sens. Dan Laughlin and Mike Regan. Until an adult-use market is established in the state, it’s not about puff-puff-pass, but pass-pass-pass. 

The BROKE Caucus - Bipartisan Representatives for Operational and Keeping up Escalators

We figured it’s about time that some of the commonwealth’s best join forces to address the fussy escalators that make travel within the state Capitol so very, very frustrating. The possibilities here are endless – maybe we can round up an appropriator and someone with mechanical know-how to pull off this long-overdue project. Our choice: longtime plumbers union leader-turned state Sen. John Kane.

The Convenience Caucus

There’s no shortage of debate among Pennsylvanians when it comes to their convenience chain of choice. Whether they’re Team Wawa or Team Sheetz, lawmakers would have plenty to say about their favorite pit stop while on the road. Not to mention the potential for various sweet and savory subcommittees including the Subcommittee on Pretzel Types, Subcommittee on Candy, and of course, Subcommittee on Subs … we mean Hoagies.