Pennsylvania Republican leaders said they were optimistic about the Keystone State's chances of turning it into a deciding state for former President Donald Trump, but Democratic leaders suggested otherwise, saying the party has no chance of winning. He revealed how he is walking the path.
State Sen. Chris Dash, R-Brookville, who said he represents seven of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, asked about one big blue swath in his district: Center County, home to Penn State University. It was done.
Mr. Dash's district covers all or part of Jefferson, Elk, Cameron, Center, Clinton, McKean, and Potter counties in the lush forests of northwestern Pennsylvania.
Republican activist Scott Pressler has targeted Center County as part of a statewide Republican voter registration drive, and Dash said he's “actually getting very excited” about the prospect of flipping Center County.
Dash noted that neighboring Clinton County, home to Lock Haven, was solidly Democratic until the Trump administration. “They just outnumbered Republicans 3 to 1.”
Crossing Pennsylvania to register to vote, Scott Pressler says he's moving the needle to turn key counties red
Pennsylvania State Senator Chris Dash.
“This is a massive shift happening in rural Pennsylvania…and part of it is that my working-class, middle-aged, elderly voters are worried about their jobs, about inflation, about what's going on with this madness. “You're seeing what's happening,” he said.
“Now that men are being called women, things like that. They're finally getting tired of it.”
Dash said he was heckled by young Democrats while speaking to a largely Gen Z crowd at a recent trade show in his district. Instead of getting involved, he told the crowd that the reason this man was upset was because he was one of the many people who couldn't afford to own a home, a car, or other pillars of the “American Dream.” spoke.
“I get applause from the kids, too,” he said.
In some of Dash's red counties, Democrats like Sen. John Fetterman fared better than in most districts last time, while Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz still won outright in the area. I got it.
Regarding this, Mr. Dash was asked if this is an anomaly or if the region really tends to lean Democratic.
“The fact that we have such restrictions on doing business in the North and in western Pennsylvania: There is no state in the United States without a Steelers bar. “I want it to become a commodity,” he said.
Further east, near the New Jersey border, the Lehigh Valley was once home to a booming steel industry immortalized by Billy Joel's 1981 hit “Allentown.”
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Pennsylvania State Senator Jarrett Coleman.
Since then, the area has gone through several years of change, with factories and some shopping streets closing. It has slowly regained its status as a warehouse hub due to its proximity to New York and Philadelphia.
State Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-Parkland) represents the western half of the valley centered on Lehigh County, a seat currently held by Republican Rep. Susan Wilde (D-Pa.) It has come close to reversing the situation on a razor's edge many times.
For many years, the seat was held by anti-Trump moderate Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pennsylvania), and before that, then-Rep. Charlie Dent. Pat Toomey, and before him there were moderate Democrats.
Coleman said he expects a good year for Lehigh County Republicans, noting that neighboring Bucks County, which he also represents, has turned into a Republican majority thanks to the work of people like Pressler. pointed out.
Economics is a big issue in the district, he noted when Fox News Digital discussed the district's industrial history.
“I think it's because I believe the Republican Party has done a better job of connecting with the public on table issues,” Coleman said.
“One of the things that's been talked about a lot lately is home ownership,” he says.
He noted that Vice President Kamala Harris has proposed support for homebuyers, as well as a variable tax on unrealized gains.
“So, on the one hand, she helps you buy a house, but of course it’s just to help with the down payment (using tax money)…Then, as the house gets bigger, the government collects taxes from you. in value. ”
“That's not the solution. This is another example of the government creating a problem and then immediately stepping in and trying to say they saved the day.”
Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, added in a statement that Republicans are “on the offensive in Pennsylvania.”
“The Keystone State is a deep Republican well with flipped seats and ground zero for growing the House majority,” he said, adding that several vulnerable Democrats running for re-election are facing border, He added that he has not been honest about his track record on inflation and crime.
Coleman believes Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will “work out well” for Harris, but he has never seen such enthusiasm for a Republican ticket in areas like the Lehigh Valley and key areas of the midstate. He said no.
“Can the local vote come back and make up for the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh vote — and are there enough people in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who are awake? But I think it's a question of whether that's going to be the case everywhere else.'' Enough motivation. ”
One man who believes otherwise is Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street.
Mr. Street, a state senator and son of popular former Philadelphia Mayor John Street, suggested that Democrats are unparalleled in the ground game.
Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street.
“Over 40,000 volunteers have signed up since Kamala became a presidential candidate. Vice President Harris has been an inspiration to people. ) and opened more than 50 offices,'' Street said.
“People are very excited to support Vice President Harris. So, yeah, we're seeing a lot of energy and a lot of engagement, and the Vice President has kind of set the world on fire. “I was kidding,” he said jokingly.
Asked about the candidate's seeming focus on key areas in the state in recent weeks, Street said Harris is active across the commonwealth.
When asked about both candidates' frequent visits to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Street said there is a close call there between Rep. Matt Cartwright (Pennsylvania) and Republican Rob Bresnahan. He pointed out that important parliamentary elections were being held.
“This is also Senator Casey's home territory,” he added.
Asked about claims that Republicans are making inroads in Center, Bucks, Luzerne and the Lehigh Valley, Street said he hasn't seen any evidence of that.
He noted that Democrats added Paul Takac as a second state representative in Center County, Pennsylvania, and Northampton County is now Democratic-controlled, as is Lehigh County, a blue county.
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But Street said the change may not be because there are more Democrats in these areas, but because the Republican Party is moving away from longtime moderates.
He contrasted Trump-type politicians with past Republicans who performed well across the state, such as Sen. Arlen Specter and Gov. Tom Ridge.
Pennsylvanians on both sides of the aisle also primarily supported a moderate Democratic governor. Ed Rendell and Robert Casey, the father of a sitting U.S. senator, he said.
“Republicans and Democrats across the state have never been this far apart, and Democrats are still pretty much the same as they always have been,” Street said.
Fox News Digital also requested an interview with the Harris campaign.
