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Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA

Capitol Reporter

Email: scaruso@spotlightpa.org
Twitter: @StephenJ_Caruso
Telephone: (267) 846-9034
Signal: (267) 846-9034

Focus: Governor’s office, legislature
Pennsylvania’s governor and 253-member General Assembly drive decision making in Harrisburg. Their often closed-door dealings dictate how billions in taxpayer dollars are spent each year. They also make public policy decisions on issues from energy and criminal justice to naming an official state amphibian. Caruso analyzes what gets done and why, and holds lawmakers accountable for what lingers on Harrisburg’s agenda.

A New York native, Caruso attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he learned how to report at his student newspaper, The Pitt News. After graduating, he moved to Harrisburg in March 2018, where he has covered state government and politics, in particular the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Latest by Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA


Pa. election 2024: What the latest fundraising reports tell us about the attorney general race

The five Democrats running to be Pennsylvania’s attorney general raised almost $1.2 million ahead of the April 23 primary, while the GOP establishment continued its support for one candidate.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA and Kate Huangpu/Spotlight PA

Pa. election 2024: A guide to vetting primary legislative candidates

The entire Pennsylvania House and half of the state Senate will be on the ballot in 2024. Learn more about how to research the candidates.

By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA

Why Pa.’s efforts to regulate social media companies have failed so far

Bills that would ban TikTok and regulate kids’ social media accounts have been debated in Pennsylvania, but lawmakers haven’t found a consensus.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA

‘Dark money’ groups would be forced to disclose how they spend on Pa.’s elections under advancing bill

Two bills would make small changes to the state’s notoriously lax campaign finance laws, which put no limit on the amount of money donors can give candidates and political committees.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA

Pa. election 2024: How much the Democratic and Republican attorney general candidates have raised

The Republican attorney general candidate who received his party’s nod has a small fundraising advantage over his opponent, while Democratic donors have yet to coalesce around one of the five candidates.

By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA, Kate Huangpu/Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer/Spotlight PA

Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to spend $80M to attack Pennsylvania’s housing crisis. Here’s how.

Gov. Shapiro’s proposed budget would put state money behind a popular home repair program, anti-homelessness initiatives, and public legal defense against evictions.

By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA and Charlotte Keith/Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania is flush with surplus cash, but it still faces a looming budget problem

Pennsylvania persistently spends more than it makes in revenue, but lawmakers have struggled for years to agree on lasting solutions.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA and Kate Huangpu/Spotlight PA

What to know about Shapiro’s pitch to legalize marijuana, its chances in the Pa. legislature, and more

Unlike his predecessor, Gov. Josh Shapiro has the benefit of a Democratic-led state House and a state Senate where attitudes appear to be shifting.

By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA and Kate Huangpu/Spotlight PA

Shapiro wants to tax skill games. He must first navigate Pa.’s wealthy, warring gambling interests.

Because skill games aren’t explicitly legal in Pennsylvania, the question of whether the games should be allowed to operate has led to State Police seizures and sparked years of litigation over their status.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA and Katie Meyer/Spotlight PA

Josh Shapiro accepted $1,650 in ‘event tickets’ from powerful Pa. lobbyist

The tickets were reported as an in-kind contribution by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s campaign committee, rather than a gift.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA
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