On Sept. 9, 2026, members of the Pennsylvania House met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia’s Old City to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the adoption of the Pennsylvania constitution. Before the historic session, House Speaker Joanna McClinton spoke with NBC10’s Lauren Mayk about the upcoming Pennsylvania election, the future of data centers, transit funding and skill games in the latest episode of Battleground Politics.
Here’s a full breakdown of the episode:
:00 – Intro
:51 – A historic session in Philly
2:36 – Childhood dreams and career goals
3:18 – Making history as the first Black female Pa. house speaker
5:21 – The current state of the country
7:00 – Voters who are concerned over Pa. being pushed more to the left
10:07 – AI and data centers
12:12 – Tax breaks and data center developers
13:36 – Unions, data centers and communities
15:00 – Transit funding
16:15 – Skill games
18:40 – Functionality and division in Harrisburg
20:12 – McClinton’s approach as Pa. House Speaker
21:10 – Future plans
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