Hi John, Welcome to the latest New Pennsylvania Project newsletter! The 2025 Pennsylvania municipal primary is over!
One hour after polls closed Tuesday, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said that “it’s been a relatively calm and successful primary election day,” in the Keystone State.
You can find the primary election highlights here.
Ten days after the conclusion of Pennsylvania’s municipal primary, one thing has become shockingly clear: Elections are being decided by fewer and fewer citizens.
Even in areas with contested primary elections, several counties still saw low turnout. Lehigh (16.32%) and Northampton (17.75%) Counties had contested primary races for their County Executive positions, as well as contests for mayor of Allentown and Bethlehem.
Philadelphia (16.41%) had a well-publicized contest on the Democratic side for District Attorney.
Voting needs to be more accessible for all Pennsylvanians. Voting access begins with early voting. "The lack of true early in-person voting affects all Pennsylvanians–rural, urban, and suburban voters alike. Parents juggling work and childcare, seniors who need extra time and assistance, and working people who can’t afford to take time off on Election Day all face barriers that make voting unnecessarily difficult."
"This is not a partisan problem, it is a systemic issue that suppresses participation across party lines." |
In Case You Missed It:
Episode 4 of Slingshot The Podcast Has Dropped |
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Don't miss episode 4 of Slingshot the Podcast: “WTF Are They Doing?”
Slingshot The Podcast — where the misunderstood voice becomes the culture’s power is hosted by our Founding CEO, Kadida Kenner, and Charles Gregory, from We Talk Weekly.
Every day feels like a new headline designed to distract us—and this week, Slingshot The Podcast is cutting through the noise.
From floating illegal ideas like sending U.S. citizens to foreign prisons, to reintroducing child labor, to defunding the Department of Education and college DEI programs, hosts Kadida Kenner and Charles Gregory break down the chaos with clarity and urgency.
This isn’t conspiracy. This is the long game—strategized, intentional, and already in motion. In this episode: - Why talk of imprisoning U.S. citizens abroad violates the Constitution
- The dangerous rise of child labor and the targeting of immigrant workers
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How gutting public education and DEI policies is about power—not policy
- A clear breakdown of how to protect your rights and freedoms before it’s too late
- The “3-person hack” to pressure your elected officials into action
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement.
Listen to us on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Player.FM and Gaana. Plus, watch us on YouTube
Connect with us:
Instagram: @slingshotthepodcast
Facebook: SlingshotThePodcast
Youtube: @SlingshotThePodcast
TikTok: @slingshotpodcast
Email: [email protected] |
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| Candidates and Community Cookout |
Saturday, May 31, 2025
11AM - 2PM
Win-Char Community Center
1550 Clarkton St, Pittsburgh, PA 15204
Rain or shine join us for a post-primary community and candidate cookout! Come kick off the summer with good food and real talk! Enjoy free food, music, and community connections.
Let’s bring the block together, stay connected, and enjoy the beloved community together. Everyone is welcome and bring the kids | Free food while it lasts! |
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| The Primary Is Over...
Now What? |
Saturday, May 31, 2025
4 - 5PM
Win-Char Community Center
1550 Clarkton St, Pittsburgh, PA 15204 The Primary election isn’t the end — it’s just the beginning. Join us for a community listening session on what happens after the primary: - How are you feeling post-primary
- What do primary election results mean for our neighborhoods?
- How do we stay engaged through November?
Whether you voted or not, this space is for you. Come build your voter plan so we can build political power in our communities. Free food and activities for the kids! Open to the community — all are welcome! |
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From @newpennsylvania
We're continuing #AAPIHeritageMonth by highlighting another #SCOTUS case involving the contributions of Asian Americans throughout history. #CourtsMatter
Get to know United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923), a landmark court case that shed light on the intersection of racial injustice and nationalism in the U.S.
Bhagat Singh Thind, an Indian Sikh and World War I veteran, applied for U.S. citizenship under the Naturalization Act of 1906. This Act limited eligibility to "free white persons" and people of African descent.
Thind argued that as an Indian of Aryan descent, he qualified as “Caucasian” based on the scientific classifications of the time.
The Supreme Court rejected this argument. Instead the Court ruled that the term "white person" referred to “the common understanding of the average white American.”
Therefore, despite his service to the country, Thind was deemed ineligible for citizenship. The decision not only denied his request for citizenship, but also led to the withdrawal of citizenship of other Indian Americans who had previously been granted U.S. citizenship.
The ruling shed light on how race is socially constructed, not scientific. The Supreme Court ruling reinforced that race in U.S. law was subjective and exclusionary, often aligning with white supremacy.
Although this ruling upheld racial barriers, it also inspired public resistance and awareness moving forward.
Over time, reforms like the Luce-Celler Act of 1946 and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 dismantled race-based immigration restrictions. |
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Founding CEO Kadida Kenner was interviewed in this article from The Keystone about billionaire election spending in Pennsylvania.
"With Pennsylvania’s municipal primary elections in the rearview mirror, Democrats across the commonwealth are shifting their attention to the upcoming Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections this November." |
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Even with some wins at the Supreme Court, the Trump administration is facing more difficulties in lower court cases. The current administration has lost 96% of rulings in federal district courts so far this month. The data indicates that judges across the political spectrum are ruling against Trump at similar rates. He’s lost in 72% of rulings issued by Republican-appointed judges and 80% of rulings by Democratic-appointed judges.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the challenge to Michigan voter access measures. A group of Michigan Republican legislators sought to roll back a 2022 citizen initiative. The initiative and subsequent legislation provided Michigan voters with a nine-day early voting period and created a permanent mail voter list, among other pro-voter reforms.
A federal judge tossed Trump's executive order punishing the law firm WilmerHale. The ruling is the third time a federal judge has struck down one of President Donald Trump’s orders targeting a prominent law firm. Trump has taken aim at several law firms with ties to his perceived enemies, directing that they be blocked from government contracts and federal buildings.
A federal judge temporarily blocks effort to ban Harvard from enrolling foreign students. A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration’s effort to ban international students from Harvard University, an unprecedented tactic by the federal government as it tries to exert control over some of the nation’s most elite campuses.
The Department of Justice has seen a lot changes, particularly in its voting section. The section, which is part of the civil rights division, had an estimated 30 attorneys when Trump took office. Now, it's down to just three attorneys.
The voting section of the DOJ has reported that it is now increasing its focus on identifying and prosecuting alleged noncitizen voters in every state. The section also got a new mission statement, which shifts its focus from enforcing voting rights laws to targeting voter fraud.
This shift in focus is surprising, because instances of voter fraud are actually extremely rare — especially instances of noncitizens voting in federal elections.
Also under attack is the DOJ's longstanding commitment keeping its law enforcement separate from political beliefs. Trump’s original nominee for U.S. Attorney for D.C., Ed Martin, Jr., was too extreme to get through the Republican-controlled Senate. Now, Martin is at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as the pardon attorney.
This means he’ll advise Trump on who he should pardon. Former DOJ attorneys are concerned he will use his new power to target Trump’s political enemies and spread disinformation. His first pardon: A former Virginia sheriff who was convicted of federal bribery charges. “No MAGA left behind,” Martin wrote of the pardon.
Why it matters: This appointment and the statements by Martin deliberately weakens the DOJ’s longstanding commitment to keep its law enforcement efforts separate from political beliefs. DOJ staffers are concerned that Martin will use his new posts to spread disinformation, delegitimize future elections, and target leading Democrats and prosecutors who have pursued Trump.
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Did you know? Pennsylvania is the last state to elect poll workers. Local officials say they're short 1000s of candidates. Pennsylvania voters went to the polls last week to help carry on a centuries-old practice that no other state does: elections to choose their election workers.
There are over 9,000 voting precincts in the state, and each has three positions that need to be elected: a judge of election, and a majority and minority inspector. That means every four years, the state needs to elect more than 27,000 workers. Rarely are there enough candidates to compete in all those races.
If no candidate is elected in November, or the elected candidate resigns, county election directors are permitted to appoint someone to the position.
U.S. Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick Will Debate in June With a Fox News Moderator. “The debate is part of a series called The Senate Project, hosted by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, two organizations named for deceased senators known for their dealmaking during their long tenures.”
“While President Donald Trump yanks critical federal funding from universities and research institutions across the country, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to invest tens of millions of dollars each year in life sciences and innovation. During a visit Tuesday to a University of Pittsburgh research facility in Bloomfield, Shapiro spoke optimistically about the state’s $50 billion life sciences industry, which employs 100,000 people in Pennsylvania.”
“As SEPTA plans deep service cuts amid a dire financial shortfall, hundreds of thousands of transit riders in the Philadelphia area are preparing to switch from using public transportation to commuting by car. The impact on the region’s already congested roads would be significant. The transit agency’s planned cuts could add 70,000 hours a day to Philly's morning rush. See how much longer it will take to get to major employment centers.”
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Thank you for staying informed and engaged! |
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| The New Pennsylvania Project is a 501(c)(4). Contributions are not for charitable purposes and are not tax deductible. |
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