Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

During her years in the General Assembly, former state Sen. Patricia Vance had a habit of going her own way. Her retirement is proving to be little different.

In a letter to PennLive, the Camp Hill Republican says she's breaking with her party to endorse Democratic 10th Congressional District candidate George Scott in next Tuesday's general election. Vance's letter came in after our deadline for Election Day submissions. But it's newsworthy enough to run here in its own right.

Vance, a registered nurse who was active on healthcare issues during her time in the General Assembly, says Scott has the edge on that key issue over Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry. As a member of the House's GOP majority, Perry voted with Republicans to repeal - but not replace - the Affordable Care Act.

"Party allegiance cannot take precedence over peoples' healthcare needs. I was always fond of saying that courage in politics is a very rare commodity - now is the time to stand up for people's healthcare needs," she wrote.

The letter also makes mention of Perry's now notorious assertion that he didn't want to pay for maternal care because he and his family were done having children.

"Dropping the requirement that insurance policies cover maternal care is also very troublesome just because someone might not need it personally," she wrote.

Here's the full text of Vance's letter:

"Much thought has been given in making my decision about who should represent our community in the new 10th Congressional District.

"As a registered nurse long active in healthcare issues, it appears the voices of professionals really need to be heard, especially on the subject of pre-existing conditions. We need to realize that people with pre-existing conditions have them through no fault of their own and it is cruel to allow their health to be affected because they cannot get insurance.

"Dropping the requirement that insurance policies cover maternal care is also very troublesome just because someone might not need it personally.

"It is a benefit to our entire community that pregnant women and the child they are carrying have insurance that provides proper care. It was not too many years ago that many insurance companies refused to cover maternal care because pregnancy was considered a pre-existing condition.

"During my time in the Legislature, I served on the Health committees, and in the Senate was first chair of the Aging Committee and later as Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.

"I have paid intense attention to all issues involving insurance, aging and healthcare. Words do matter and so do votes cast by our elected officials.

"Party allegiance cannot take precedence over peoples' healthcare needs. I was always fond of saying that courage in politics is a very rare commodity - now is the time to stand up for people's healthcare needs.

"For that reason, I will be voting for George Scott to represent the new 10th Congressional District."

The rest of the day's news starts now.

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The Pa. Post explains how the debate over healthcare has shaped the midterms.

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In the final sprint, Republican Lou Barletta is sticking with President Donald Trump, WHYY-FM reports.

You'll never guess why Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the Lehigh Valley on Thursday. The Morning Call has the story.

Ex-Veep Joe Biden will campaign in northeastern Pa. on Sunday for Bob Casey and Matt Cartwright, PoliticsPA reminds us.

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Heavy Rotation.

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Friday's Gratuitous Hockey Link.

Winnipeg got past Florida 4-2 on Thursday night. The Jets' Patrik Laine notched a hat-trick in a game played on his home ice in Finland.

And now you're up to date.