The Pennsylvania county Republican Party chair, who has voted for the eventual presidential winner for the past four cycles, says both voter enthusiasm and the make-up of the area prove why it's key this year for both candidates. He said that.
“In 2016, Erie voted for Trump, and in 2020, Erie voted for Biden. And clearly, Pennsylvania went in the same direction in '16 and '20, and so did the nation,” Erie County Republican Party said. Commissioner Tom Eddy said Thursday. Interview.
“I think of Erie as this little 'Little Pennsylvania,'” he said.
“Pennsylvania is a fairly large state, and if you look down into the southeast and southwest, you'll see places like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, which are pretty industrialized. And if you go to the center of the state, it's pretty agricultural. If you look, you'll see that Ellie, this little stamp in the northwest corner.
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A boat passes near the Bicentennial Tower in Erie, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, September 6, 2023. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Eddy pointed out that the southern half of Erie is primarily agricultural and heavily Republican, while the northern half of Erie, which includes Pennsylvania's only waterfront, is heavily Democratic, with purple suburbs in between.
“We have some major industries in this city, plastics and tool and mold, which are pretty big, but we also have a pretty large immigrant population, and we have a very ethnic, diverse, racially diverse population. So everything you see in the entire state is right here in this little corner.”
Eddy said he tells candidates who visit his area that if their message can resonate there, it will resonate throughout the state primarily because of that.
“Ellie is unique in that she can pick a winner.”
The county has elected former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, former Vice President Al Gore, and has voted for eventual presidents in elections dating back to the 1960s.
Eddy said the county supported former President Donald Trump in 2016 even though Democrats had a 10,000-vote advantage in registered votes. So it's often independent voters who make the difference for Republican candidates.
In this regard, Eddy said yard signs for other front-runners, such as state Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), are popping up from the door of his office a few blocks from downtown. Ta.
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Laughlin's seat is one of at least three that Democrats hope to flip this November, according to the Pennsylvania Independent.
Democrats are counting on this development to give the party full control of state government for the first time in decades, said Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), the state party chairman. That's what it means. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis would be the tie-breaking vote in the 25-25 Senate, giving Democrats full control of the Senate if they win four seats.
In a recent interview, Street said 40,000 volunteers have registered with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party since Vice President Kamala Harris became the party's nominee.
“The vice president, in some ways, set the world on fire,” he said.
But Mr. Eddy remained confident that Mr. Ely would help return Mr. Trump to the White House and at least preserve the state's divided government — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is seeking re-election. Currently, the Republican Senate majority is 4 seats, and the Senate majority is 1 seat. Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.
“Every week, Dan (Laughlin) brings in yard signs and they're gone within two days,” he says.
The same goes for Trump vs. Vance and other races, he added.
He also credited a group of independent volunteers, including a local man named Pat, who reportedly knocked on 2,500 doors in the county.
Eddy added that another strategy he and other Republicans are employing this fall is voting by mail and early voting.
Eddy said he regularly visits the courthouse to obtain additional registration forms and sees lines of people waiting to vote early, which is a challenge for him and others in the area. It was a first for many.
Eddy said he handed out such forms at Republican rallies during the 2020 cycle, but many attendees didn't want it because the practice was criticized by the right, and now Republicans and President Trump are He added that he is open to early voting and is listening to people's opinions. Candidate advice.
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Vice President Kamala Harris poses during the “Unite for America” livestream rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on September 19, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
In Erie, in addition to getting people to vote early, it was important to target people with low voter turnout. These voters, who are less likely to vote for any reason, are the primary electors who use absentee and early voting.
“You have this right, and it was given to us by generations before us, who sacrificed so much to ensure that we had this right to control our government, and not the other way around. No,” Eddy said.
“If we don't take advantage of it, we're going to be like a lot of other third world countries… So we have this unique right to be able to choose the people who represent us. You should go.’ That’s not necessarily who I like, but that’s the point. ”
Fox News Digital reached out to local Democratic parties, including Laughlin, the Erie County Democratic Party, and the campaign of state Rep. Ryan Bizarro, who represents Erie.
Sam Talarico, chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party, called the county's enthusiasm “insane” in comments to NPR.
“The day before[Biden]left office, we had 60 people on our volunteer list. And now we have 310 people on our volunteer list,” he told the show.
Talarico added that younger voters seem to be more energized now that Harris is the candidate.
