Voters in Pennsylvania’s capital city say they prefer Harris over Trump
Harrisburg, Pa.- The winner of Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes could very well decide whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump is the next occupant of the Oval Office.
Pennsylvania, along with Michigan (15) and Wisconsin (10), make up what Democrats often call “the blue wall,” as the winner of the three swing states has triumphed in every presidential election since 2008. Moreover, the states have voted as a block in every election since 1992.
Election Day polls show Harris and Trump tied in Pennsylvania, with each garnering about 48% support from likely voters.
Harris has a razor-thin lead of about 1% in both Michigan and Wisconsin.
The contest is equally close in the other four battleground states: North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.
And while there is no question that all of the battleground states are critical, pundits tend to agree that the most likely path to the White House for both candidates runs through the Keystone State.
Baltimore Post-Examiner spoke with voters at a polling station on Tuesday morning located just two blocks from the state capitol building.
Harrisburg is the county seat of Dauphin County, which is home to about 286,000 people.
Democrats have a slight advantage in voter registration in the county and a substantial advantage in the city itself.
Most of the those who spoke with the Post-Examiner said they support Harris.
“Government should not be regulating women’s bodies,” said Nikki Evans, 44, who works for a local non-profit organization.
Evans’ apparent reference to the abortion issue and her professed support for Harris was preceded by an admission that she had spent four years in state and county jails after having been convicted on drug-related charges.
Evans said she is proud to have had the opportunity to turn her life around and that after having paid her debt to society she is now excited to vote in her first presidential election.
Evans said Harris’ strong support for women’s rights is what is most important to her.
Pat Ford, a 75-year-old retiree, echoed somewhat similar sentiments in explaining her vote for Harris.
“Body parts, finances, and Social Security.”
Ford said she remembers a time in America when women really had to struggle to just to gain access to the same opportunities as men.
Ford emphasized that she does not want to turn back the clock on women’s rights-as many Democrats have said Trump might do.
“Even after all this time, men are still making decisions about women.”
Michael Ballsbaugh, a 47-year-old fitness instructor, said he voted for Harris so as to continue to hold Trump legally accountable.
“Trump will take away his own prosecutions.”
Ballsbaugh said he voted Democratic to “protect democracy,” and that it would be a “calamity” for both “the country and the world” if Trump were to return to the White House.
Jeremy Eye, a 34-year-old IT worker, put it more bluntly.
“Donald Trump and Scott Perry (a Harrisburg-area Republican congressman) are insurrectionists. They encouraged the January 6th insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.”
Eric Williams, 40-year-0ld Army veteran who now works as a state analyst, said Trump’s reported comments about military members makes the Republican unfit for office.
“He called us losers and suckers.”
Williams said “character” is the most important issue to consider when deciding who to vote for.
Williams elaborated on that point, saying that the late-Arizona Republican Sen. John S. McCain is one of his “heroes.”
But not everyone said they support Harris.
Benjamin Martin, a 25-year-old Amazon employee and Philadelphia native, said he is voting for Trump because of inflationary pain.
“I can’t deal with the economic strife we’ve been having…food, groceries, gas prices.”
Martin said another reason he is voting for Trump is because he opposes abortion.
“I am not an abortion fan.”
Martin said he was adopted as child and does not think it is fair that someone can just arbitrarily terminate a pregnancy.
Mel Gooch, a 65-year-old who works for the city’s parking authority, said she voted for Trump because she believes his policy positions are better for the country than are Harris.’
Gooch cited immigration policy as example.
“The situation on the border sucks right now. It needs to be closed.”
In addition to the presidential race, Pennsylvania also has a hotly contested Senate race this year between incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Republican businessman David McCormick.
A recent poll showed the candidates tied, with each receiving the support of 47% of likely voters.
The race could help decide whether Democrats maintain their narrow majority in the upper chamber.
Bryan is an award-winning political journalist who has extensive experience covering Congress and Maryland state government.
His work includes coverage of the election of Donald Trump, the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions-as well as that of the Maryland General Assembly, Gov. Larry Hogan, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bryan has broken stories involving athletic and sexual assault scandals with the Baltimore Post-Examiner.
His original UMBC investigation gained international attention, was featured in People Magazine and he was interviewed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” and local radio stations. Bryan broke subsequent stories documenting UMBC’s omission of a sexual assault on their daily crime log and a federal investigation related to the university’s handling of an alleged sexual assault.