William Hillman: With apologies to Tip O’Neill, in Pennsylvania’s 2025 election, all politics was national

Election

William Hillman: With apologies to Tip O’Neill, in Pennsylvania’s 2025 election, all politics was national William Hillman November 26, 2025 November 25, 2025

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Tip O’Neill famously said, “all politics is local.” Not this year. Not in Pennsylvania. In 2025, nearly every contest — from judge to township supervisor to school board member — became a stand-in for national politics. And Republicans paid the price.

Voters weren’t evaluating township budgets, school curricula, or the qualifications of local candidates. They were reacting to Washington. Social media, nonstop cable coverage, and the fight over President Donald Trump’s agenda drowned out decades of local service from Republican candidates