The Hill reports Democrat Mark Critz could decide in a few weeks whether to run again against Keith Rothfus for his old 12th District congressional seat. The timing would coincide with the new federal fundraising period starting in July.

Republican mapmakers designed the district for a GOP pickup in November, and the addition of it being a presidential year in this case hurt the Democrat, as Barack Obama is unpopular outside of Pittsburgh. Mitt Romney beat Obama in every county in the district, even in Allegheny's northern suburbs -- but in 2014 Obama won't be on the ballot.

The National Republican Congressional Committee blasted the report by trying to tie the Johnstown man (and former Jack Murtha aide) to the unpopular inside-the-beltway crowd:

"It didn't take long for Mark Critz to get sick of Western Pennsylvania and start longing for the Washington D.C. good life. National Democrats are counting on Critz to get back to Washington to help them put Nancy Pelosi back in the Speaker's chair and double down on President Obama's misguided, job-killing agenda." – NRCC Ian Prior

New Kensington Dem Erin McClelland -- director of an addiction recovery center based on alternative medicine -- has already announced a run.

Good morning.

1. Bill Peduto made his first trip to Harrisburg as mayor-apparent, lobbying (as he did in the primary) to keep the city under state oversight, which is one of the reasons the police and fire unions opposed him. One of those traveling with him was attorney Kevin Acklin, a former independent mayoral candidate with deep family ties to firefighters, who may serve as Peduto's chief of staff.

2. The city's acting police chief stopped a commander with ties to indicted former chief Nate Harper from copying some off-limits personnel records. Meanwhile, another commander caught up back taxes.

3. Private police details were at issue in the Harper matter and the way they're handled in the Wild West of the South Side will be fundamentally changed this weekend. So be on your best behavior while drinking and playing mini-golf.

4. Congrats to Pirate first-rounder Gerrit Cole on his win last night, even though the team naturally screwed it up by understaffing (and then apologizing for) new security procedures.

5. Another sign of Pittsburgh's growth: the rise of private karaoke rooms enjoyed by Asian students in the city.

State Treasurer Rob McCord has established a campaign committee, "McCord for Governor,'' a move that brings him one step closer to a formal bid for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Tom Corbett.

Mr. McCord, of Montgomery County, is in his second term as treasurer, and his gubernatorial candidacy has been widely anticipated.  A handshaking stop at the Allegheny County endorsement meeting this March was just one example of the low key foundation he has been building for a run at the state's top job.

Mr. Corbett's weak polling numbers have already helped attract a crowded early field of Democratic contenders, including U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, Katie McGinty and John Hanger, two former secretaries of the state Department of Environmental Protection in the Rendell administration; Tom Wolf, another Rendell cabinet member as revenue secretary, and Max Myers, a conservative clergyman.

 "This new committee is a reflection of the fact that, over the last few months, Rob has heard from voters and community leaders from around the state that they want a change in Harrisburg and he's putting the pieces in place to deliver that change,'' Mark Nevins, a spokesman for Mr. McCord, said in a news release. "The fact is, we can't keep electing professional, career politicians and expect things to be different. As a business leader, not a career politician, Rob is uniquely qualified to deliver real results."

Mr. McCord, a former congressional staffer, went on to a lucrative career as an entrepreneur and technology investor.

From our partner paper, The Inquirer, an interesting post on the possible coming dominance of charter schools in Philadelphia:

Could all of Philadelphia's school-aged kids soon be destined for charters?

As the district struggles with a serious cash deficit, a top Democratic senator said Monday there has been talk in Capitol halls of turning all of Philadelphia's schools into privately-run charters.

Sen. Vincent Hughes says he heard from "high-placed sources" over the weekend of "charterizing Philadelphia's school district in its entirety," a plan he likened to "a holy war."

"That's untenable, unacceptable," Hughes told reporters during a press availability. "That abrogates contracts, that changes the entire dynamic of what would happen in a school environment. And it takes the school discussion to a whole other level."

He would not give details on just who those high-placed sources are, or whether they are even in the Corbett administration.

"They don't get too much higher," Hughes would only say.

Read the rest here.