It’s time.
Not just for the resurfacing of old New Year’s workout resolutions or the annual helpings of pork and sauerkraut.
We speak of the unveling of the Pennsylvania Hot List for 2026.
We’ve peered into our crystal ball, consulted the experts and surfed the web.
Here’s the people and places with Pennsylvania street cred that we believe you’ll be hearing and talking about in the year ahead.
Surprises not included.
Josh Shapiro
Gov. Josh Shapiro
November 12, 2025.
Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
Our little Quaker State politician – if you’ve been around Harrisburg for any length of time, doesn’t it feel like we’ve raised him from a pup? – is getting ready to take flight.
Not that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s leaving us… The governor’s going to be all over Pennsylvania in 2026 trying to do right and make us feel good about ourselves.
He has a book scheduled for release in late January.
He’s also going to ask for your vote, as he seeks a second term. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, his Republican-endorsed opponent, has accepted the task of trying to make him work for it.
But if Shapiro wins that second term in November, get ready for presidential jockeying like we haven’t seen in these parts since what, then-Gov. Bill Scranton in 1964?
Matt Campbell
Matt Campbell
(AP Photo/Matthew Putney)AP
Former Iowa State boss Matt Campbell will be Penn State’s first football coach to start his tenure in the NIL + transfer portal era, and God knows what that means for Nittany Nation.
What we do know is this.
From a resume standpoint, this guy has earned the right to coach at one of college football Blue Blood programs. Given some time, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t find success.
For the sake of this fan base’s sanity, however, let’s all hope that if they ever start calling this guy “Big Game Matt,” the context is entirely different from the recent past.
Taylor Swift
TORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 14: Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Rogers Centre on November 14, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario.Emma McIntyre/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Pennsylvania’s biggest export of the 21st Century may win June – no offense to soccer’s World Cup.
As we understand it now, Swift is to be married on June 13 in Watch Hill, R.I. to Travis Kelce, of the Kansas City Chiefs.
It could be the buzziest wedding America’s seen since what, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette?
Meanwhile, while it’s unclear at this writing if there will be new music released by Swift in 2026, after 2025’s “The Life of a Showgirl” smashed all records for Digital Age music sales.
And the Wyomissing-bred star, in her recent interviews, has made clear that she’s got more to sing, and say.
Corey O’Connor
Corey O’ConnorCharles Thompson
Corey O’Connor’s victory in last year’s Pittsburgh mayoral race continued two trends in Pennsylvania’s second-largest city:
Electing Democratic mayors; and, occasionally, throwing out incumbent mayors for a new one.
After a couple of cycles dominated by progressive Democrats – SEE: U.S. Rep Summer Lee, O’Connor’s predecessor Ed Gainey, and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato – O’Conner’s rise is seen a marked step back toward the center in Pittsburgh politics.
Starting with his swearing-in on Jan. 5, the former Allegheny County Controller takes over a city government facing major challenges, in a city bursting with some exciting potential.
We’ll see what it means for Pittsburgh’s future.
Small Screen PA
Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch on “The Pitt.”HBO Max
In the recent tradition of hit comedies “The Office” and “Abbott Elementary,” Pennsylvania now figures prominently in two of television most compelling dramas.
“The Pitt,” the latest in a long line of hospital-centered shows, won five Emmy awards in 2025 and Season 2 is set to premier on HBO Max Jan. 8.
This Pittsburgh-based series focusing on a day in a city emergency room and the characters that inhabit it has been called the most-engrossing medical series since “ER”.
And then, in the Haven’t seen it? Should. Dept., Brad Inglesby’s ”Task” limited series – which debuted in November on HBO Max – is keeping people talking about the Philly burbs.
Headed for its own second season, this crime thriller is on many top shows lists for 2025, and could be a big player come the 2026 Emmys.
Shane Gillis
Shane GillisPhoto by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix
Remember when we wondered if Shane Gillis was going to be canceled?
Well Gillis, the Trinity High School and West Chester University grad who has cracked wise to the top of the comedy world, is set to have an even bigger 2026.
Fresh on the heels of saving Bud Light in 2025 with an ad campaign for the masses, Gillis has landed a role in the new John Madden biopic set for release on Thanksgiving 2026.
He’ll play Madison Square Garden in a couple of weeks, host a one-night stadium show at Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field in July, and will be seen in a third season of his Netflix comedy “Tires.”
Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find any comic drawing more laughs right now.
Data Centers
Gov. Josh Shapiro announces a $20B investment by Amazon in Pennsylvania data centers in Luzerne AND Bucks counties. More are on the wayCommonwealth Media Services
Remember a generation ago when the words Marcellus Shale entered the Pennsylvania lexicon?
It’s like that with data centers now.
Major cloud computing and AI data center projects are planned for almost every region of the state, much to the excitement of politicians still seeking the key to a new era of economic growth in Pennsylvania.
There is also a great deal of public concern over whether this will quickly become too much of a good thing, given some of the stories where things haven’t worked so well.
There’s no telling how this ends right now, but prepare for some serious public debates.
But if it works, smart people believe this boomlet could significantly raise Pennsylvania’s profile in the data economy for the long term.
Lucy Score
Bestselling Mechanicsburg romance novelist Lucy Score has a new book hitting stores in March, and may soon see another of her works adapted for television.Brianna Wilbur Photography
Mechanicsburg-based author Lucy Score has become a contemporary romance sensation over the last few years, regularly hitting major bestseller lists.
But she may be about to take it to another level in 2026, as her 2023 novel Things We Never Got Over has been optioned for a television series by Amazon.
A onetime PennLive contributor who penned her first book in 2015, Score still regularly makes appearances at new and used bookstores throughout central PA to sign books and meet fans.
Her latest for Bloom Books, Mistakes Were Made, is scheduled for a March 2026 release.
Party For the USA
This image provided by America250 in December 2025 shows the New Year’s Eve ball designed for the U.S.’s 250th year. (Damon Haimoff/America250 via AP)AP
America turns 250 this year, and that’s cause for celebrations all year round that you’re not going to be able to miss.
Pennsylvania, as one of the original 13 colonies, and Philadelphia, where independence was actually declared, figure to be stars of the show.
Among the signature events planned by America250PA, watch for:
A traveling series of free, 250th birthday concerts at major venues across the state, culminating with a July 4, 2026 shindig on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. A lecture series hosted by various America250PA partners focusing on all aspects of Pennsylvania’s contribution to the American fabric.
Watch for schedules, ticketing and other information in early 2026. And then check here for other semiquincentennial events planned in communities near you.
Christian Pulisic
United States Christian Pulisic (10) during the second half of an international friendly soccer match against Ecuador in Austin, Texas, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)AP
It’s probably the biggest moment yet in this Hershey-born soccer superstar’s career.
It’s Pulisic – the most-decorated American player of his era – and his U.S. Men’s soccer team playing 2026 FIFA World Cup games right here in the good ole’ U.S. of A.
Now, soccer cognoscenti do not realistically expect the Americans to be raising a trophy after the World Cup finals in July.
But wouldn’t it be awesome for all involved if Pulisic and his boys could at least match the success of the 2002 squad that made it into that tournament’s quarterfinal round.
Jared Isaacman
Commander Jared Isaacman speaks at a news conference after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center for an upcoming private human spaceflight mission in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.AP Photo/John Raoux
This Lehigh Valley entrepreneur – now President Trump’s choice to head NASA – will lead the space agency as it seeks to land astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972, and before China.
Watch for an Artemis II lunar fly-by mission in early 2026, setting the stage for a hoped-for lunar landing in 2027.
His priorities for NASA are: Human exploration of the moon, Mars and deep space; Unlocking a larger space economy; and partnering with the private sector and academia as a “force multiplier” for scientific projects.
Isaacman, a highly-accomplished jet pilot who became a billionaire after founding a payment-processing company in his parent’s basement, has also actually been in space himself.
He’s led two privately-funded missions in Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets, including the first-ever privately funded space walk in September 2024.
Rocky
The Rocky statue at the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, seen here in December 2024, is an ode to a famous scene in the 1976 film. The movie’s 50th birthday will be feted in Philadelphia this year. (Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)TNS
Guess who turns 50 in 2026?
One Rocky Balboa, said to be the most famous of the fictional Philadelphians.
“Rocky” the film’s golden anniversary will be feted with a series of events in and around Philadelphia this year, including a special exhibit opening at the Philadelphia Art Museum in April exploring monuments and their role in bringing people together.
(Did you know the Rocky statue, installed on the Art Museum’s steps in an ode to the climax of the title character’s training runs, is said to attract an estimated 4 million visitors per year?).
Other events commemorating the film’s anniversary are still in planning, and will be announced at a later date by the Philadelphia Visitor Center.
David McCormick and John Fetterman
U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and David McCormick, R-Pa., during the sixth installment of The Senate Project moderated by Fox News anchor Shannon Bream at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on June 2, 2025, in Boston. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images/TNS)TNS
What an odd couple Pennsylvania has sent to the U.S. Senate.
McCormick, the uber-establishment Republican navigating Donald Trump’s Washington, is punching above his weight class as a first-year senator.
So far, that’s meant more promotion of Pennsylvania than actual results. But the man once mocked as “Connecticut Dave” is working hard to learn where and how his impact can be best deployed, even if it sometimes helps a Democratic governor in the process.
And then, there’s Democrat John Fetterman, the persona the national media seemingly can’t get enough of.
Fetterman isn’t exactly setting the world on fire as a great legislator.
But because of his independence, doesn’t it feel like he has outsized (no pun intended) importance on every vote of consequence in this narrowly divided Senate?
Their public bromance aside, it’s hard to think of any state with a more interesting pair of senators.
The Winter Olympians
Summer Britcher, a native of Glen Rock, York County seen here at a World Cup race in December, is considered a medal contender in women’s luge at the upcoming Winter Olympics.Associated Press
Down here in the Mid-Atlantic, we’ll never be confused with Colorado, Minnesota or Wisconsin when it comes to sending athletes to the Winter Olympics.
But if you look past some of the glamour events like alpine skiing and figure skating, you’ll find some Pennsylvanians to root for.
Summer Britcher, a native of Glen Rock, York County, is considered a top medal contender in the women’s luge as she eyes her fourth winter games.
Andrew Heo, from Warrington, Bucks County, will represent the U.S. in short track speed skating.
Ava McNaughton, a University of Wisconsin goalie from Seven Fields, Butler County, has been named to the medal-contending women’s ice hockey team, along with Tessa Janeke, a member of the Penn State women’s hockey team from Illinois.
It’s worth noting that Mike Sullivan, a past Stanley Cup winning coach with the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins, will lead the U.S. men’s ice hockey team into its tournament.
There are also serious hopefuls in other sports where final rosters are still being selected, like Dan Barefoot, a native of Geistown, Cambria County, who is a member of the U.S. Skeleton World Cup team; and long track speedskater McKenzie Browne, of Coopersburg, Lehigh County.
Swing Seat Congressmen
U.S. Reps. Scott Perry, Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan, seen left to right here, are three Pa. Congressman whose re-election bids will go far in deciding whether Republicans or Democrats control of next U.S. House.Charles Thompson
Pennsylvania will once again be a major battlefront in the fight for majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.
Two of our swing state’s swingiest districts are listed among the non-partisan Cook Political Report’s 17 toss-up races that most analysts believe will determine who’s in control of the 435-seat chamber for the second half of the Trump Administration.
Those would be seats currently held by Republicans Scott Perry, in south central Pennsylvania’s 10th District, and Ryan McKenzie, in the Lehigh Valley’s 7th.
Perry, a York County Republican, will likely face the winner of what looks to be a contested Democratic primary between former television anchor Janelle Stelson and Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas.
Five Democrats have so far launched campaigns for the nomination to take on McKenzie, who unseated Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in 2024.
At least one other seat – the Scranton / Wilkes Barre seat held by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan – starts the year as potentially in play by both parties. Bresnahan faces likely Democratic opposition from Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter performs “Please Please Please” during the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
If Swift is the bard of a generation, Carpenter has become the personality of the moment.
Last year, in this very space, we asked if the Bucks County native could show staying power at the top of the proverbial pops.
Well, question answered.
In February, you’ll see Carpenter in the running for six Grammy awards associated with her 2025 album, “Man’s Best Friend.”
Carpenter will also help celebrate The Muppets 50th Anniversary in February, tour South America and headline Coachella this spring, and she has just signed to star and produce in a forthcoming “Alice in Wonderland” feature film.
So, in the immortal words of studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, “the kid stays in the picture.”
Milton and Catherine Hershey
Milton S. Hershey (standing
behind bench) with Catherine Hershey (sitting on bench). Formal
studio portrait taken in Nice, France in 1910. (File)Harrisburg Patriot-News
Film and chocolate fans will be pleased to know that 2026 is the expected release date for the feature film about the life of American chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey and his wife, Catherine “Kitty” Hershey.
Shooting on the mid-budget biopic took place at 17 locations across Pennsylvania last year, mostly in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The film tells the story of Hershey’s role in making chocolate a treat accessible to the masses and how the Hershey couple, themselves childless, then used their good fortune to help generations of orphaned children through their free school.
Leading roles are played by Finn Wittrock and Alexandra Daddario, the latter best known for her star turn in season one of the HBO cult favorite “White Lotus.”
At this writing, it was still not clear if the Hershey film will be a theatrical release or go direct to streaming, but stay tuned.
Curt Cignetti
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the championship trophy after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)AP
While Penn Staters look to Campbell to revive Penn State’s football fortunes, Pennsylvanians do have a dog in this month’s college football playoffs.
Cignetti, the coach who took Indiana University’s football program to the Big Ten Conference championship this year, has deep Pennsylvania roots.
After nearly three decades of grinding as an assistant coach, including three stops at Pitt and Temple, the Pittsburgh native took his first head coaching position at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2011. (Dad Frank Cignetti Sr., coached at IUP from 1986 through 2005.)
Success there led to major program turnaround gigs at Elon and James Madison University, before Cignetti was hired at perennial Big Ten bottom-feeder Indiana before the 2024 season.
He was widely seen as a potential successor to James Franklin at Penn State, but Cignetti took himself out of that hunt when Indiana gave him his second raise in two years the week after Franklin’s firing.
Now, he starts the new year with his Hoosiers having slain the Alabama Crimson Tide and seriously in the mix for a national title.