All eyes remain on Pennsylvania, as the state that will likely determine the next president. With its 19 electoral votes, winning Pennsylvania gives either candidate upwards of a 90% chance of securing the White House.
Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senator John Fetterman’s recent interview with The New York Times paints a promising picture for the Trump campaign, indicating a growing enthusiasm that could tip the scales in favor of the former president.
The Democrat emphasized that while he didn’t understand his constituents’ excitement for Trump, he had no choice but to recognize that it was real. “There’s a difference between not understanding, but also acknowledging that it exists. And anybody who spends time driving around, and you can see the intensity. It’s astonishing.”
He continued, recounting an event he did in a firmly Republican stronghold.
“I was doing an event in Indiana County. Very, very red. And there was a superstore of Trump stuff, and it was a hundred feet long. [There were] dozens of T-shirts and hats and bumper stickers and all kinds of, I mean, it’s like, Where does this all come from? It’s the kind of thing that has taken on its own life. And it’s like something very special exists there. And that doesn’t mean that I admire it. It’s just — it’s real.”
While the race remains tight in Pennsylvania, Harris’s unclear energy policy could be giving Trump an advantage. The state is one of the largest natural gas producers in the country, and the fracking industry is a vital source of jobs and economic stability for many residents. However, Vice President Kamala Harris’s has flip flopped on the issue, offering little explanation for her change in position. This comes after Joe Biden banned new fracking leases on federal lands, in direct contradiction to a promise he made on the campaign trail, leaving many voters feeling betrayed — especially in Pennsylvania — further undermining her credibility on the issue as a member of the administration. This inconsistency could prove detrimental to her prospects in a state where energy production is not just a policy matter, but a matter of survival for many families. Her mixed messages could alienate crucial working-class supporters who rely on the fracking industry for their livelihoods.
Fetterman remains publicly optimistic that Harris will win, saying “It’s visceral. And that’s why the people that are left that haven’t made up their decision are going, you know, what do I want for the next four years? And I do believe enough people will choose Harris. But it’s going to be much, much closer than anyone would want.”
Early voting in Pennsylvania also favored Trump.
Fox News reports:
Political eyes are locked on Pennsylvania as the state that will likely determine the outcome of the election. Trump and Harris have both repeatedly zigzagged the state campaigning in recent weeks, while voter registration for the state released this week shows sizable shifts benefiting the GOP in the final stretch of the election cycle.
