Pa.’s political elite are heading to New York City this weekend. Here’s what we’re watching for.

Pennsylvania’s political elite are descending on New York City for their annual weekend getaway full of exclusive parties.

Both Republicans and Democrats from the state’s political class will schmooze their way around Midtown Manhattan for the annual Pennsylvania Society weekend, where they will enjoy elaborate dinners and fancy parties — and maybe even a little political business, too.

And after the 2024 red wave election, Republicans have a lot to celebrate, while Democrats need to regroup.

This year’s weekend of swank parties will unfold in the shadow of the recent shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the Hilton Midtown — the same place legislators and policymakers will close out the weekend with a charity dinner on Saturday night.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, a first-term Democrat with an unusually high popularity rating, is scheduled to attend the 126th Pennsylvania Society dinner — an event his predecessor, Gov. Tom Wolf, often avoided.

Here are three things to watch for this weekend.

Now that Pennsylvania Republicans have unseated longtime U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, won control of all three statewide row offices, picked up two U.S. House seats, and maintain a strong majority in the state Senate, they’re first going to celebrate their successes. Then they’re going to be strategizing and thinking about potential candidates for the next big election: the 2026 midterm, when Shapiro will be up for reelection.

The governor’s popularity was relatively unshaken by his first few scandals in his office, and only grew during his time in the national spotlight when he was under consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, and he remains the most popular politician in the state. His success in 2026 will likely determine whether he pursues his long-rumored presidential ambitions.

» READ MORE: Welcome to the 2028 presidential election cycle, where Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro is a front-runner

For Republicans, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who just broke Shapiro’s record for the most votes ever received in a statewide row office election, is seen as a top choice to run against him. She is term-limited in her current position as the state’s top fiscal administrator, and was elected last month to a second four-year term.

But who else will Republicans size up as possible foils to Shapiro? And will any of 2022’s unsuccessful candidates throw their hats in the ring again? Those questions will surely be on the minds of the folks who gather this weekend to schmooze, talk politics and plan for future elections.

Pennsylvania’s Democrats have no choice but to rethink how they communicate with voters after stinging losses last month.

The Philadelphia Democratic Party started a nasty feud with Harris’ campaign after her loss that culminated in a senior Harris campaign adviser calling for city party Chairman Bob Brady to resign. (Brady and his allies have said he’s not going anywhere, and said he is not responsible for a nationwide rightward shift.) And poor performances up and down the ballot statewide — excluding the Pennsylvania state House, where Democrats retained a narrow majority — mean there will likely need to be shake-ups in state party leadership.

We’ll be watching to see if Democrats are focused on strategizing how they should move forward after bleeding working-class voters across racial and ethnic lines in the November election — or if they spend the weekend recuperating.

This weekend could provide a preview for the Democrats’ state committee meeting next month, where top leaders will meet to discuss the future of the party.

Republicans will certainly boast about their many big wins throughout the weekend. But none was more critical — and more impressive — than the GOP Sen.-elect Dave McCormick’s unseating of Casey.

That means this weekend may mark one of the last Pennsylvania Society gatherings featuring the presence of a member of the Casey family political dynasty. Casey’s Senate career spanned four presidencies, from George W. Bush through Joe Biden, a fellow Scranton native. His father, Bob Casey Sr., also had a long political career, during which he served as a state senator, auditor general, and eventually Pennsylvania’s governor.

» READ MORE: Bob Casey talks loss to Dave McCormick in one of his first interviews since conceding the race

We’ll look for how McCormick celebrates his win with his party, and watch to see how Casey marks his potential last hoorah.