Welcome to my new podcast series...Red, White and Read: The Bipartisan Book Club, which I am hosting along with Democratic politico Brittany Crampsie. As I say in our press release:

"Veteran political consultants and frequent TV sparring partners Christopher Nicholas and Brittany Crampsie are breaking free from the tight constraints of that medium to launch a vibrant new podcast, Red, White and Read: The Bipartisan Book Club.

"The show offers an opinionated, balanced, and humorous deep dive into the books shaping our political and historical landscape. Hosted by Republican political consultant Christopher Nicholas of Eagle Consulting Group and Democratic consultant Brittany Crampsie of Brit Crampsie Communications, the podcast brings their weekly television chemistry from This Week in Pennsylvania into a compelling long-form audio format."

In each episode we will review a book on politics/history...this is two friends, from two different political spheres, talking and laughing about the political issues set before us, whilst we review a book...not always from my side of the aisle - or Brittany's. And you'll learn about the 1st rule of Red, White and Read...which we've adopted from the movie, Fight Club.

Today's teaser episode previews what the pod is about, which is sponsored by the good folks at PMA - the Pa. Manufacturers Assoc. Coming soon are episodes 1 and 2, where we review:

*The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, by Walter Issacson, which Brittany rightly and historically-accurately refers to as a "pamphlet." It is a small, but very precise overview, of the 2nd sentence in the Declaration (We hold these truths to be self-evident...)

*In Episode 2 we review Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign (specifically her 2016 race for president), by Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen. Brittany had a tougher time reading that one, tho I enjoyed the excuse to re-read it.

*Episode 3 features the book Bag Man, which was based on a podcast by Rachel Maddow. It explores the depths of corruption from ex-VP Spiro T. Agnew.

What should we review in Ep. 4? If you have a suggestion for that, or would like to help sponsor the new pod, please drop an email to mailto:PaPoliticalDigest@gmail.com

Thanks and enjoy!

• Chris (and Brittany)

On the latest edition of the PA Political Digest Podcast, I sat down with three sharp beat reporters - Fallon Roth of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Tom Shortell of the Lehigh Valley News, and Borys Krawczeniuk of Scranton's WVIA-TV - for a rapid-fire breakdown of the key developments across our four hottest congressional battlegrounds: PA-1, 7, 8 and 10.

This mid-summer sit-down with the reporters covering these races (I served in that role for the PA-10 match-up as I live there), All Roads Still Lead to PA, is part 3 of our coverage of those top races…and of course, PA is the only state which has 3 races seen as being true toss-ups (7,8,10); PA-1 is still listed as Lean GOP.

At the top of the show, in lightning-round style, we serve up what we see as the top 2 recent developments in each race.

The Bottom Line

In 2024, GOP candidates survived by staying close to, or slightly behind, the national ticket. In 2026, with presidential approval underwater and Shapiro actively stoking Democratic turnout, Republican incumbents cannot simply do that again. To hold the House majority, PA Republicans must outrun the top of the ticket across all four battlegrounds.

For sharp analysis of PA politics and campaigns writ large, subscribe to PA Political Digest newsletter.

Welcome to the PA Political Digest's pod on PA's 1st CD with Erin Covey, who leads the coverage of U.S. House races for the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.

Pa's 1st congressional district, a historically purple seat that encompasses all of Bucks County and a sliver of MontCo, features long-term Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick squaring off against Democratic Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie.

Fitzpatrick boasts a formidable local brand as an authentic moderate and a massive $7 million war chest, having secured his 2024 reelection by 13 points despite Kamala Harris narrowly winning the district. Conversely, Harvie brings strong regional name recognition but faces obstacles, including a past FBI investigation and a modest $550,000 cash on hand.

Republicans believe that even in the face of a big Democratic wave in PA this year, Fitzpatrick would survive.

We continue our examination of PA's 4 hot congressional races with Erin Covey of the Cook Political Report - this episode focuses on another of our 3 toss-up races: the PA-10 rematch in southcentral PA between GOP Cong. Scott Perry and Democrat Janelle Stelson. Perry won by 5,133 votes in their 2024 battle.

Here is an AI-assisted summary of our interview about the highly competitive rematch for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District between Perry and Stelson.

Race Rating: Initially rated "likely Republican," the race has shifted to a "toss-up" due to Perry's vulnerability and the exceptionally narrow margin of the 2024 race between the two candidates (Perry + 5,133 votes).

Candidate Strengths & Vulnerabilities: Stelson, a former TV news anchor with strong non-partisan name recognition, has out-raised Perry. However, her campaign previously faced criticism because she did not reside within the district, though she has since moved to Cumberland County. Meanwhile, Democrats attack Perry's conservative voting record on federal spending bills as a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

Strategic Outlook: Analysts view the upcoming race as a continuation of their '24 "slugfest," though it's unclear how much new information voters will learn about the two this year. As one of three toss-up districts in Pennsylvania, this race could ultimately determine control of the House.

PA 7 can be characterized as a quintessential 50-50 swing seat in the Lehigh Valley, the district features freshman Republican Representative Ryan Mackenzie defending his seat against Democratic nominee Bob Brooks. That's why we sat down with Erin Covey, who leads coverage of the U.S. House for the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter to chat about this race.

Here's the take-away from our 12-minute talk:

A Contentious Primary: Brooks, head of the PA Professional Fire Fighters Association, secured an easier-than-expected primary victory. He unified the progressive and centrist wings of his party despite late Republican meddling but benefited from unusual, coordinated financial backing from the DCCC in a primary.

General Election Vulnerabilities: Mackenzie remains a seasoned local legislator who keeps a low profile and Brooks faces potential scrutiny over past personal controversies and shifting policy stances.

The Big Picture: Located in the expensive Philadelphia media market, this "toss-up" race is viewed as a crucial bellwether. Because it sits on the East Coast, early results here on election night could signal which party will ultimately control the House.

Enjoy.

The latest podcast from PA Political Digest, hosted by GOP political consultant Christopher Nicholas, features a chat with Erin Covey of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter about one of PA's 4 hot congressional races - this one, PA-8, up in NEPA.

The seat features a tight matchup between freshman Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan and Democratic challenger, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti. While the Northeast Pennsylvania district has historically trended Republican on paper, Covey notes that a favorable national political environment for Democrats, driven locally by Governor Josh Shapiro's popularity, has made the race intensely competitive. Additionally, Bresnahan faces heavy Democratic criticism over his frequent stock trading. Nicholas wonders what the prevailing anti-Scranton sentiment in the region will mean for Mayor Cognetti. Ultimately, both candidates are expected to remain equally well-resourced.

Join the latest PPD pod where we chat with Muhlenberg College Prof. and pollster, Chris Borick, about his new poll on healthcare in Pennsylvania.

• While more people still favor legalizing recreational marijuana in PA, its support has dropped considerable in the past 5 years, from 58% in favor to just 47% now according to a new poll via Muhlenberg College's Institute for Public Opinion…and the number of folks who are ambivalent about it has also jumped considerably.

As pollster Chris Borick, who conducted the poll, remarked:

"If I was a Republican legislator and I'm looking at this [legalizing recreational marijuana], I'm certainly not diving in headfirst. It's not the slam dunk that some folks would tell you, that's for certain."

PA residents do not like the direction of healthcare here in the state but yet hold their own Primary Care Physician (PCP) in very high regard. And a majority don't trust either HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. or chatbots.

We also chat about the big-time Democratic primary in PA's 7th Cong. District in the Lehigh Valley.

Thanks to TruthonWeed.com for sponsoring this podcast. Enjoy...

PA's changing demographic kaleidoscope

Welcome to our latest PPD pod, with Univ. of Pittsburgh's Chris Briem, part of their Center for Social and Urban Research, and an expert on the state's demographics.

Can we still say that the Central PA - Lehigh Valley - Philly 'burbs region is the state's only true growth area, while the rest is either flat lining - or worse?

Is it just easier to posit that East Coast PA is growing while mid-west PA is not?

As Briem recounts, during the de-industrialization of western PA in the early 80's, tens of thousands of people left the region, taking with them their kids and their future grandchildren. It's never quite recovered.

Did you know that Beaver County's unemployment rate topped 28% then, higher than it was in the Depression?

What's up with the region outside Pittsburgh, what Nicholas refers to as Greater Non-Urban SW PA (GnuSWPA!

That's coming, even though both Philly and Pgh's populations have rebounded somewhat…and did the state's 3 western TV markets - Erie, Johnstown-Altoona and Pittsburgh - all lose voters in the past 3 years?

Will the state be forced to move a state senate seat from western PA to the eastern part of the state in 2030's state reapportionment?

Can we redefine success without job growth?

Did you know that the Steel City is now home to more jobs than ever before?

Listen as Nicholas quizzes Briem on the state's top municipalities - Briem does pretty good but, like everyone else, cannot figure out the state's #6 largest town.

Enjoy our pod and learn more about PA's politics and demographics - that's always the goal of PA Political Digest!

Briem's new book, Beyond Steel: Pittsburgh and the Economics of Transformation, debuted earlier this year and is available wherever you buy your reading material.