Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

The latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act may have gone screaming off the rails this week, but that doesn't mean it's lost its potency as device to part nervous Democrats from their cash.

In an email blast to supporters this week, the head of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's re-election campaign says there's still a chance that homegrown Republicans could still move to cutback on healthcare coverage for Pennsylvanians.

And, by gosh, Wolf is the only thing standing between that and "President Trump's allies in Harrisburg who would rubber stamp everything in that the extremists in D.C. want."

"If Senate Republicans get away with passing a bill like Graham-Cassidy in the future, our state will lose millions in Medicaid funding and 1,066,000 Pennsylvanians will lose their health coverage by 2027, Wolf's campaign manager, Jeffrey Sheridan, wrote in the email. "People with pre-existing conditions and seniors will lose protections -- and insurance companies will be allowed to discriminate against specific conditions and charge more, if they don't deny them coverage outright."

The email even takes a pop at former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, who passed on the Medicaid expansion authorized under Obamacare, in favor of an ultimately abandoned public-private hybrid. The debate over that decision was a critical issue in the 2014 gubernatorial campaign that put Wolf into office.

"We've had leaders who've played politics with Pennsylvanians' lives before. Tom's predecessor even refused to expand Medicaid, keeping hundreds of thousands of people from getting the healthcare they needed," Sheridan wrote. "That's not how leadership works -- and we can't afford to go back there with another Republican governor if they successfully revive the ACA repeal."

Clicking on a link brings recipients to Wolf's campaign homepage, where they can chip in as little as $5 for the glorious cause.

But the fear of a zombiefied Obamacare repeal isn't the only thing that's going bump in the night as we head into the Halloween season.

Wolf is also using the new close friendship between Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Wagner and former Trump White House consigliere Steve Bannon as a tool to mobilize Democrats.

As we noted earlier this week, Wagner and Bannon got cozy during a conservative conclave in St. Louis last weekend.

Speaking now: @gatewaypundit, on the mainstream media. Steve Bannon has been ushered into the room. pic.twitter.com/3ZDr6CZQ20 — Gabe Fleisher (@WakeUp2Politics) September 24, 2017

And, as we noted earlier this week, there's even video evidence of

Bannon

singing

Wagner's

praises (it starts at the 51:04 mark):

Watch Paul live at Eagle Forum's Put America First Rally with Breitbart's Steve Bannon. Help Paul implement President Trump's America First Agenda here >>> https://secure.anedot.com/volunteers-for-nehlen/contribute Posted by Paul Nehlen on Sunday, September 24, 2017

Wolf's campaign, of course, pounced:

Send a message that PA won't tolerate candidates for governor who pal around with racists like Bannon -- donate: https://t.co/tygwbTwgDK pic.twitter.com/QPzRYvwnqk — Tom Wolf (@WolfForPA) September 28, 2017

Wagner's campaign hit back in a statement (via PoliticsPA):

"I think the PA Dems should spend less time worrying about who is supporting Scott and more time worrying about what a failed governor Tom Wolf is. Pennsylvania state government is falling apart all around Gov. Wolf. And all he and his cronies in the Democrat (sic) Party want to talk about are national issues," campaign manager Jason High said.

The rest of the day's news starts now.



PennLive's Charlie Thompson has a budget update. Things may actually be happening. But don't get your hopes up.

Meet a Westmoreland County mom who says a county drug court saved her life (via The Tribune-Review).

Pittsburgh has at least 20 contenders in the race to lure Amazon HQ2 to the city, The Post-Gazette reports.

Parents in the posh Lower Merion schools in Montgomery County are outraged over plans for a 'mega-school,' PhillyMag reports.

Philly's parking costs are among the highest in the world, BillyPenn reports, citing a new study by a German firm.

The Incline looks at what the driverless cars of the future mean for current Pittsburgh workers.

Today is National Coffee Day (or Friday, as we like to call it hereabouts). It's the topic of your #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:

The people challenging the fairness of Pennsylvania's school funding formula will finally have their day in court, NewsWorks/WHYY-FM reports.

This is what Pa. law says about showing respect to the American flag, National Anthem (via WITF-FM).

Easton's Crayola has been hit by the Toys 'R Us bankruptcy, The Morning Call reports.

Speaking of Scott Wagner, Pa. Dems have launched a new web video saying the York County Republican is too conservative for Pennsylvania (via PoliticsPA).

So much for draining the swamp, HHS Secretary Tom Price splashed out $500k on private planes, Politico reports.

There's another Trump loyalty contest - this time in Indiana's U.S. Senate primary, Roll Call reports.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).

Rep. Rob Matzie holds his annual golf outing at The Club at Shadow Lakes in lovely Aliquippa, Pa. today. Admission runs $150 to $3,000.

Sen. Rich Alloway holds a "Sporting Clays Shoot-Out" at Central Penn Sporting Clays in Wellsville, Pa. today. Admission there $250 to $1,000 (for the latter amount, we assume, they put the clay on the ground, and you can simply blast it there).

WolfWatch

Gov. Tom Wolf has no public schedule today.

You Say It's Your Birthday Dept.

In which we send both serious and literal best wishes to our pal Salena Zito of The Atlantic and to Advance Digital Capo di tutti Capi David Newhouse. Congrats and enjoy the day.

Heavy Rotation

This one's for our

PennLive

colleague

David Wenner

.

Friday's Gratuitous Hockey Link.

As insane as it sounds, we're days away from the start of the 2017-18 NHL campaign and ex-Pens great Jaromir Jagr still doesn't have a contract for the new season. But injuries at forward mean that St. Louis is taking an interest in Jagr, who played last season for the Florida Panthers.

And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.