‘Democracy is on the line’: Kamala Harris voters in Pennsylvania

With Pennsylvania emerging as the most critical battleground for the election, over 200 Massachusetts Democrats have spent the past month in Scranton to boost voter turnout for the Harris-Walz ticket.

Jesse Mermell, a former congressional candidate from Massachusetts who grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, is leading a team that recently organized over 150 Bay State volunteers to canvass neighborhoods and engage with voters in a last-minute push.

“This is the most important election of our lifetime,” Mermell told Newsweek, adding that she saw this outreach as an opportunity to “make a difference” in the region where she has roots.

“The future of every issue I care about, and so many people I care about, hangs in the balance. The future of our democracy is literally on the line tonight,” she said.

Scranton, a largely Democratic urban center in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, is a crucial area for the election. The surrounding counties have shown a conservative shift in recent elections, with President Joe Biden narrowly losing the district to former President Donald Trump by a 51-48 percent margin in 2020.

This year, the district remains highly contested, with Trump holding a slight lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in local polling—49 percent to 46 percent, according to a survey by Noble Predictive Insights. For Mermell, who has been involved in politics for more than 25 years, these tight margins underscore the potential impact of their grassroots efforts.

“In a very purple area of a swing state, you can’t assume Democrats will automatically vote Democrat. It’s not the same as in a deeply blue area like Brookline, Massachusetts,” she said.

Mermell, who served as communications director for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, highlighted the enthusiasm among local volunteers. She noted that canvassers from her team have knocked on thousands of doors, visiting over 6,500 homes in early October and reaching 29,000 this past weekend.

“People were having real conversations and convincing others of the importance of voting. In this divisive time, being able to have civil conversations on someone’s porch about important issues is powerful,” Mermell said.

In 2020, Joe Biden narrowly won Pennsylvania with 50.01 percent of the vote, reversing the Democrats’ 2016 loss when Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 48.18 percent to 47.46 percent. Polling experts say Pennsylvania could once again decide the next president. For Mermell and her team, these tight margins underscore the importance of their efforts.

“I see a path, but I also remember 2016, when we thought Clinton would win, and it all came crashing down,” she said. “But when it’s this close, that margin is exactly where volunteers make a difference.”