🗳️ About last night | Morning Newsletter
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The Morning Newsletter
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It’ll be sunny but take your coat. Temperatures will only hit the high 50s today.
What a night.
The red wave in the midterm elections did not come to pass. Democrats prevailed in both big Pennsylvania races, with state Attorney General Josh Shapiro winning the contest for governor and John Fetterman narrowly taking the high-stakes Senate race.
The broader races for control of the House and Senate remained on a knife’s edge when we went to sleep. Our lead story focuses on Fetterman’s razor-thin win.
— Taylor Allen (@TayImanAllen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman won Pennsylvania’s critical open U.S. Senate seat, beating Republican opponent Mehmet Oz.
Reminder: Fetterman’s speech and auditory processing challenges after suffering a stroke days before the May primary were thrust into the national spotlight.
Fetterman worked his recovery into his pitch to voters, casting himself as an underdog.
Note: Oz didn’t make the race easy. He made up considerable ground, a reflection of Democratic headwinds and aggressive attacks on Fetterman as soft on crime.
Still, Oz struggled to fend off doubts about his commitment to Pennsylvania, as Fetterman argued that Oz, a successful doctor and celebrity daytime television host who long lived in New Jersey, couldn’t relate to everyday voters.
We’ve got more on how Fetterman won one of the most closely-watched races in the country.
Josh Shapiro won his race for governor against State Sen. Doug Mastriano. Shapiro pledged to fend off Republican “extremists” who he said threatened voting rights, gay marriage, and abortion access.
Mastriano, who ran a far-right campaign and was known for election denial and opposition to COVID restrictions did not concede.
Some background: Shapiro spent three decades working in government in various positions, including as a Montgomery County commissioner, a state representative, and currently as state Attorney General.
Shapiro said he would veto attempts to restrict abortion access, while Mastriano vowed to ban it without exceptions.
Expanding voter rights was a major platform of his campaign, including same-day registration, in-person early voting, and automatic registration when eligible voters get a driver’s license.
Shapiro also campaigned as a centrist with a moderate track record.
Note: This is the first time since 1950 that the same party has won three consecutive gubernatorial races in Pennsylvania.
State Rep. Austin Davis will become Pennsylvania’s first Black lieutenant governor.
Keep reading for more about how Shapiro won the governor’s mansion.
What you should know today
Pennsylvania’s Senate race was the most expensive in the country. Fetterman, Oz, and their allies spent a combined $312 million.
Philadelphia voted to approve ballot measures to create a permanent aviation department and expand the city’s workforce pipeline.
The Union’s first appearance in the Major League Soccer Cup final helped deliver the championship’s biggest U.S. TV viewership in 25 years.
A South Philly oil tank farm will be demolished to make way for a warehouse complex, causing an environmental group to warn about pollution along the Schuylkill.
Philadelphia City Council may require developers building multifamily housing around North Broad Street to provide units for lower-income residents in their projects.
Local coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
🧠Philly Trivia Time đź§
Who performed outside Philly’s City Hall to encourage people to vote yesterday?
A. Crystal Waters
B. Questlove
C. Jill Scott
D. Santigold
Find out if you know the answer.
What we’re...
🍺 Anticipating: The opening of Two Locals Brewing Co, the soon-to-be first Black-owned brewery in Philadelphia.
👀 Viewing: A peek inside a home built in the 1770s off Elfreth’s Alley, one of Philly’s most historic streets.
📚 Perusing: The Inquirer’s latest picks for the best new books to read in November. I have my eye on Now Is Not Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Hint: Philly’s oldest continuously running bar
CLING MILS’
Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shout-out goes to Patricia Sassoli, who correctly guessed Underdog Philadelphia as Tuesday’s answer.
Photo of the Day
That’s a wrap for your Wednesday. I’m starting my day with a hot apple cider in bed after a long election night 🍎. Thanks for starting yours with The Inquirer.