This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

GOP state Sen. Greg Rothman appears to be a clear frontrunner in the race to be the next chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, earning the endorsements of several high-profile Republicans after announcing his bid for the chairmanship. Shortly after Rothman – a former chair of the Pennsylvania House Republican Campaign Committee – announced his candidacy, he picked up endorsements from U.S. Sen.-elect Dave McCormick and Pennsylvania House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, among others.

A year-end bonus is coming in for the commonwealth’s casinos and sportsbooks. The Gaming Control Board reported a record monthly haul in November, bringing in more than $562 million in revenue – a 26% increase compared to November 2023. We would bet that these gaming numbers continue to go up. 

U.S. Representative-elect Rob Bresnahan received three major committee assignments to cap off a banner year for the NEPA Republican, who defeated longtime incumbent Matt Cartwright in November. Bresnahan, who will represent the state’s 8th Congressional District, will serve on the House Transportation & Infrastructure, Agriculture and Small Business committees in the new term – adding a Pennsylvania voice to congressional conversations about infrastructure, agriculture and the economy.

The bipartisan tsk-tsking around President Joe Biden’s single-day-record 1,500 clemency orders continues to reverberate throughout the commonwealth – especially when it emerged that a commutation went to Michael Conahan, the former Luzerne County judge at the center of the 2008 Kids for Cash scandal. Conahan, who was serving an 18-year sentence, is now off the hook for helping secure nearly $3 million in bribes to steer Pennsylvania juveniles to for-profit prisons.

Capital punishment has reached a new level. A new lawsuit alleges Dauphin County Prison, a 1,000-person lockup outside the state capitol in Harrisburg, escalated a monthlong campaign of collective punishment against inmates by confiscating legal paperwork and withholding necessities. The federal lawsuit filed by inmates says entire cell blocks were retaliated against after inmates were suspected of smoking synthetic marijuana, leading to the withholding of basics like toilet paper, soap, power and heat. 

Even before the County Council approved a 23% property tax increase this week, Delaware County homeowners were already paying the state’s highest rate. While many taxpayers are furious – and some allege financial mismanagement – councilmembers say the hike is necessary to maintain essential services as pandemic-era federal funds expire. Their claims are bolstered by proposals for significant tax hikes in Delco’s neighboring counties as well.