DePasquale jumps out to fundraising lead in PA-10 over Perry | Friday Morning Coffee

Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

Reminding us that some things, like death, taxes and stories about campaign finance reports, are unavoidable, we’re going to take a quick dive into the closely watched battle for central Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District.

And that’s where you’ll find Democrat Eugene DePasquale notching a more than $180,000, Quarter 2 fund-raising lead over incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the all-York County title bout.

DePasquale, the two-term Pennsylvania auditor general who’s term-limited out of office this year, reported total receipts of $650,260 for the three-month period that ended June 30, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Perry, a former state House member who’s running in a redrawn seat that’s been rated one of the most competitive in the country, raised $469,711 during the same time-period, records showed.

“In November we look forward to sending Eugene to Congress to hold Washington and its politicians accountable and Scott Perry into retirement,” DePasquale’s spokesperson, Kunal Atit, said in a statement.

In an email to the Capital-Star, Perry spokesperson Matthew Beynon said that “unlike Eugene DePasquale, who spent the past three months cozying up to Nancy Pelosi’s liberal supporters – Scott Perry was – and is – focused on combating the global pandemic and doing what his constituents need him to do.”

DePasquale finished the reporting period with a little more than $985,000 in his campaign accounts, compared to Perry’s $991,000. Adjusted for debt, however, that total dropped to $903,000.

NEW AD: With tens of thousands of older Americans dead thanks to his disastrous coronavirus response, Trump is throwing America to the wolves. pic.twitter.com/L9o8o20Ayz

— DNC War Room (@DNCWarRoom) July 16, 2020

Watch This Spot Dept.
A new ad from the Democratic National Committee, set to start airing in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market this morning, takes the Trump administration to task over its management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new spot, “Wolves,” accuses the White House of throwing the nation to … the wolves.

“America’s seniors raised us. They fought for our country, and they worked to build us a better future. But when experts warned that coronavirus would hit older Pennsylvanians hard, Trump refused to listen. He didn’t care — in fact, he pushed to open our country without the necessary safety measures, jeopardizing their health, because he thought it would help his reelection,” DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement.

Our Stuff.
Criminal justice reform advocates aren’t thrilled with a probation reform bill that’s headed for the state House. Elizabeth Hardison explains why. And Education Secretary Pedro Rivera has endorsed a hybrid model of online and in-person education for Pennsylvania school students, Hardison also reports.

Even though it’s won unanimous support in the state House and Senate, Gov. Tom Wolf says he won’t sign a bill requiring the state to process open records requests during a state of emergency, Stephen Caruso reports.

From Capital-Star Washington Reporter Allison Winter: U.S. border officials didn’t follow guidelines on migrant children’s health care, government investigators have found.

In Philadelphia, protesters have pledged to defy an order to vacate, and will continue picketing outside the home of the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s CEO’s, our partners at the Philadelphia Tribune report.

On our Commentary Page this morning, opinion regular Lloyd Sheaffer, a retired teacher, explains why he thinks a return to in-person classes is dangerous for teachers and students alike. And a cyber-charter school advocate explains why the online institutions are a vital part of surviving the pandemic.

En la Estrella-Capital: La propuesta judicial de redistribución de distritos autoriza al comité del Senado en votación de línea de partido, por Elizabeth Hardison. Y Shapiro se une a sus compañeros Fiscales Generales en una demanda en contra de la regla de Trump sobre los estudiantes extranjeros, por John L. Micek.

Elsewhere.
Suburban Philly bar owners say they’re ‘scapegoats’ and they’re fighting back over new Wolf administration COVID-19 restrictions rolled out earlier this week, the Inquirer reports.
Mergers could be on the horizon for Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities, its chancellor has said. The Post-Gazette has the details.
Dauphin County Coroner Graham Hetrick says masks should be a choice, PennLive reports. Don’t be like Graham Hetrick (paywall).
A newly released cell phone video shows a police officer striking a restrained Poconos resort guest in the head while they’re already in custody, the Morning Call reports. Memo to police officers, always assume that someone is running video now.

Here’s your #Pennsylvania Instagram of the Day:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

And then there was a comet in the sky. #cometoverastable #cometneowise #comet #tiogacountypa #pasuncatcher #lindastager #visitpottertioga #wellsboropa #ruralamerica #just_pennsylvania #pa_explorations #exploringpa #panature #visitpa #pennsylvaniaisbeautiful #uncoveringpa #pa_wilds #paspots #igs_america #pennsylvania_wild #patravelhappy #pop_features #pacollective #onlyinpennsylvania #unforgettablePA #wellsboropa #natureinspired.us #pennsylvaniawilds #scenicpennsylvania #pawildsmade #pawildsartisan

A post shared by Linda Stager–PA SUNCATCHER (@lindastager) on Jul 16, 2020 at 7:42am PDT

Philadelphia city officials have backed down off from evicting a homeless encampment, WHYY-FM reports.
More than a dozen local bands held a charity concert in the parking lot of the Mohegan Sun arena in Wilkes-Barre to raise money for the arts, the Citizens-Voice reports. 
Even as state prisons ease COVID-19 restrictions, county jails are still in lockdown, the Pa Post reports.
Faith leaders in Erie gathered to discuss racial justice issues, GoErie reports.
GOP attorney general hopeful Heather Heidelbaugh is taking flak from the Philly FOP for a new ad that features the names and photos of fallen Philadelphia police officers, PoliticsPA reports.
With state budget shortfalls nationwide running as high as $555 billion over the next two years, some state governments are saying yes to tax hikes, Stateline.org reports. 
If Democrats end up flipping the Senate this fall, they could end up holding onto it for a while, NYMag’s Intelligencer offers.

You Say It’s Your Birthday Dept.
Best wishes go out this morning to Jill Helsel Gingrich at La Torre Communications; David DeKok, of Reuters, and Craig Larimer, of the Morning Call, all of whom celebrate today. Congratulations and enjoy the day, folks.

Heavy Rotation.
Here’s an old favorite from The Vaccines, it’s ‘All My Friends Are Falling in Love.’

Friday’s Gratuitous Hockey Link.
Here’s a look, via CBS Sports, of the start times for all the games in the Stanley Cup qualifying rounds now set to start Aug. 1.

And now you’re up to date.