🗳️ The ones to watch | Morning Newsletter
And how to say “Passyunk,” correctly.
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The Morning Newsletter
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Pennsylvania’s primary election day will be a beautiful one — sunny with temps in the high 60s.
Polling sites are open today from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who requested and haven’t yet returned mail ballots should deliver them in person to ensure they’re received in time to be counted.
You can pop over to Inquirer.com throughout the day to see the latest on what’s happening at the polls. In the meantime, scroll for a full rundown on the biggest races of this election, and on the most important political storylines we’re watching.
Plus, what’s the right way to say “Passyunk”? We rounded up the most common pronunciations for an explainer on how the uniquely Philadelphian word came to be.
— Julie Zeglen (@juliezeglen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Happy primary election day, Philly.
The 2024 primaries determine who will be on the ballot in the fall representing the major U.S. parties. Because Pennsylvania has a closed primary, voters can vote only for candidates in the parties for which they’re registered (i.e. Democrats can vote only for Democrats, Republicans can vote only for Republicans, and independent voters will have to wait for November).
The presidential race is set, with a repeat matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump all but certain in November. That means in purple Pennsylvania, the primary races with the highest stakes are for several key state and congressional races.
U.S. Senate: This fall’s race is already determined, too, but it’s an interesting one. Pennsylvania Democrats’ pick is incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, who has spent nearly 18 years in office. Republicans have Dave McCormick, the former hedge fund CEO who narrowly lost the 2022 primary.
U.S. House of Representatives: The state has a number of competitive congressional races. On the Republican side, that includes U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick vs. anti-abortion activist Mark Houck in Bucks County, as well as three candidates vying to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild in the Lehigh Valley. For Democrats, there’s U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans vs. former Philly Register of Wills Tracey Gordon in the city’s 3rd District, U.S. Rep Summer Lee vs. Bhavini Patel in Pittsburgh, and six candidates competing to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in Dauphin County.
Attorney general: State AGs have played an increasingly important role in national politics in recent years. Pennsylvania has five Democrats and two Republicans running.
Also of interest: Keep an eye on the races for state auditor general, West Philly’s 10th District state House seat, and the Far Northeast’s 172nd District state House seat.
And a grab bag of explainers on election-related topics: what the single ballot question means, who The Inquirer’s editorial board is endorsing, which businesses and city services are affected today, how to become a poll worker, and how to recycle campaign lawn signs.
We’ll have a good sense of the results of most races later tonight. Now, off to the polls!
PASS-ee-unk? PASH-unk? PASS-yunk? PASH-ee-unk?
Ask five Philadelphians and they may all say something different.
The word that describes the modern South Philly avenue and neighborhood is also the Lenape word for “in the valley (ies).” The original pronunciation was likely something like “Pah-SIGH-unk,” per one expert.
But of course, language evolves. The Inquirer’s team identified five pronunciations of the word, all of which surely have strong defenders. Check out our interactive story to hear them all.
What you should know today
The Philadelphia Police Department has withdrawn the arrest warrant issued last week for State Rep. Kevin Boyle after officials learned Monday that there is no active Protection From Abuse order that he could have violated.
A Chester County judge rejected a legal motion from local Republicans that could have blocked some mail ballots from counting in Tuesday’s primary.
Leaders of Philly’s Office of Homeless Services “knowingly” overspent millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for several years and were unable to financially keep up with their own growth, according to the city’s inspector general.
New Jersey is proposing new rules to better protect patients from sexual misconduct in doctors’ offices, such as emphasizing patients’ right to an observer during sensitive examinations.
The Greyhound bus station may be moving from its current high-traffic, unsheltered location in Northern Liberties by Labor Day. The move would be the station’s third since June.
The former mayor of Wildwood faces new criminal charges for allegedly abusing his official position while serving as the shore town’s commissioner and for failing to pay state taxes.
A 12-year-old at Pennbrook Middle School was attacked by a fellow student with a metal Stanley mug and taken to the hospital last week. Staff were allegedly warned that an attack was coming.
Agents whose job it is to sell multimillion-dollar penthouses said that after a lackluster 2023, Philadelphia’s high-end luxury market in the first few months of 2024 has been strong.
Philly-made superstar pianist Yuja Wang returns for a Kimmel Center recital next week. Arts reporter Peter Dobrin explains why she has been an almost peerless musical personality.
🧠Trivia time
Energy prices have stabilized in Philadelphia, but routine rate adjustments are coming. How much should residents expect their utility bills — gas, water, and electric combined — to increase per month by the end of 2024?
A) $2
B) $12
C) $42
D) $102
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we're...
🥚 Thanking: The Philly Typewriter team for explaining this probably-not-an-Easter-egg found on The Tortured Poets Department.
📚 Celebrating: World Book Day at Philadelphia’s Mexican Cultural Center.
👩‍🦰 Hoping: Praying, begging for Abbott Elementary to fulfill this perfect casting dream.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
This annual sporting event will bring some of the world’s best track and field talent to the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field this week.
ANN PRESLEY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jen Ragen, who solved Monday’s anagram: The Starting Line. The local pop punk band got name-dropped on Berks County native Taylor Swift’s new album.
Photo of the day
An Earth Day festival in West Philly held space for a land acknowledgement and ceremonial performance by Indigenous community members. The photos are a sight to behold.
Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer, and happy voting.
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