The only reason Democrats abandoned their RGGI push is that Senate Republicans fought against this tax hike for six years. And ultimately, Democrats caved.<\/p>\n
Were there a blue trifecta, RGGI would be in effect in Pennsylvania, and consumers\u2019 electric bills would be dramatically higher.<\/p>\n
Second, a reduction or complete elimination of school choice. Pennsylvania has dramatically expanded our popular school choice tax credit scholarship programs in recent years, serving over 100,000 students despite opposition from Democrat lawmakers and hostility from Democrat governors.<\/p>\n
Yet, Democrat state House members want educational opportunity to disappear in Pennsylvania. Democrat state Rep. Tarah Probst said as much this spring, admitting<\/a> she and most other Democrats want Pennsylvania\u2019s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program to \u201cgo away.\u201d<\/p>\n Gov. Shapiro has given lip service to school choice, but he vetoed a new school choice program in 2023 after campaigning in support for it. And he refuses to commit to opting Pennsylvania into the new federal tax credit scholarship program, which would benefit Pennsylvania children at no cost to taxpayers and zero impact on public education spending.<\/p>\n Without our Senate championing educational opportunity\u2014in other words, with a Democrat trifecta\u2014tens of thousands of Pennsylvania families would face at best a severe reduction in school choice and at worst a complete elimination of education alternatives.<\/p>\n Beyond bad policy proposals, a Democrat trifecta would deliver much deeper systemic destruction.<\/p>\n Consider that state-level election laws shape how ballots are cast, counted, accepted or rejected. Should late mail-in ballots be counted? Should ballots lacking required voter information be counted? These decisions influence not only state races, but federal races for U.S. House, Senate, and the presidency. A Democrat trifecta could easily eliminate any safeguards currently in place and weaken confidence in our elections.<\/p>\n Then there is the rapidly approaching congressional redistricting that will occur after the 2030 census. Absent a Republican firewall, a Democrat trifecta could easily gerrymander Pennsylvania\u2019s congressional map fully in favor of Democrats. In fact, a Democrat trifecta might not even wait for the census and instead gerrymander maps immediately. This could tip the balance of power in the U.S. House for years to come for purely partisan advantage.<\/p>\n The prize of a trifecta is why Democrats across the country are pouring tens of millions of dollars into Pennsylvania\u2019s state legislative races. Whereas state House and Senate races once topped out at perhaps a few hundred thousand dollars at most, spending in competitive legislative seats across the commonwealth now regularly soars into the millions of dollars\u2014per seat.<\/p>\n Mid-term elections don\u2019t typically garner as much voter engagement as presidential contests. But voters in Pennsylvania should take note of what\u2019s truly at stake this November. It\u2019s not simply a few House and Senate seats. It\u2019s the future of our commonwealth\u2014and our country.<\/p>\n Matthew J. Brouillette is president and CEO of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs<\/a> and the author of You GOTTA win Pennsylvania! A call to entrepreneurs to save America.<\/a><\/p>\n Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.<\/p>\n Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.
\n<\/p>\n Click for subscription offers.<\/a><\/p>\n Matthew J. Brouillette is president and CEO of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs<\/a> and the author of You GOTTA win Pennsylvania! A call to entrepreneurs to save America.<\/a><\/p>\n
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