Pennsylvania

Exclusive poll: Harris, Trump tied in Pennsylvania as election day approaches

Published

12 months ago

November 1, 2024

Exclusive poll: Harris, Trump tied in Pennsylvania as election day approaches

With days before Tuesday’s Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck-and-neck in Pennsylvania, one of several key swing states that could determine the winner, a new exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk poll shows.

Harris and Trump are tied with 49% of the vote each, according to a statewide poll of 500 likely voters conducted from Oct. 27 to 30 with a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

A poll of 300 likely voters in Erie County, which could indicate which way the state trends, was also tied 48% to 48%. Northampton County, another Pennsylvania bellwether, leaned slightly towards Trump, with 50% saying they supported him, to Harris’ 48%. The results of the county polls are within the margin of error of 5.65 percentage points.

Together, David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said, the county and statewide data show Pennsylvania is “truly a toss up.”

“We have all the results within the margin of error … it’s basically a statistical tie,” Paleologos said.

Pennsylvania holds 19 electoral votes – the most out of the swing states. Both candidates have campaigned in the state this week. Trump held a rally in Allentown on Tuesday, while Harris visited Harrisburg on Wednesday.

Biden won Pennsylvania by a razor-thin margin of one percentage point in 2020. He flipped both Erie and Northampton County, which Trump had won in 2016.

The state is part of the “blue wall,” a group of states that voted blue in recent federal elections, until Trump won three of them – Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin – in 2016.

Undecided and third-party voters

Most voters in Pennsylvania have already decided who to support, but with the race as tight as it is, the small percentage of undecideds could sway the results of the election in the state – and the country.

So could third-party candidates. In Pennsylvania, there are two options outside of Trump and Harris on the ballot – Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver. They each notched 1% or less support in the USA TODAY/Suffolk poll.

But if the election in Pennsylvania is as close as polls suggest it could be, a candidate with .5% could tip the scale for Harris or Trump, Paleologos said.

Jason Danner, 38, is among the few still undecided voters left in Pennsylvania.

While Danner said he believes that Trump was a good president, he has concerns that Trump uses “divisive” and “undemocratic” rhetoric and “seems to not respect the Constitution.” On the other hand, he’s worried that Harris would continue the policies of Biden.

A registered Democrat, when Danner ultimately gets into the voting booth, he said he’s “most likely” going to vote for Harris. But he’ll just do so begrudgingly.

“I voted my whole life,” he said. “This is almost the first election where I’m like, I don’t even want to vote because I’ve become so apathetic to our political climate.”

Sean Doyle said he plans to vote, but will leave the presidential box blank. After casting a vote for Biden last election cycle, Doyle said he can’t accept that Harris wasn’t chosen in a primary process.

“We needed an honest primary, and that was taken from us,” he said. “I can’t abide voting for the candidate whose party thinks it’s OK to snub the voters like that.”

A veteran who served for 12 years, Doyle said his politics most align with the Libertarian Party, but feels that casting a third-party vote would be a waste of his ballot. In 2020, he decided at the last minute against supporting Trump after he “remembered all the things that he said negatively about veterans.”

While he favors Democrats’ economic policy, he feels increasingly “disillusioned” with the party.

“I’ve been seeing less and less and less when it comes to anything that actually helps me,” he said.

The gender gap

Nationally, Harris is leading decisively among women and Trump has garnered a similar edge with men.

And in Pennsylvania, that gender gap is “very pronounced,” Paleologos said.

Trump is up by 20 points among men in Pennsylvania, 57% to 37%, while Harris has an 18% hold on women over Trump, 57% to 39%. That’s compared to Trump’s 16-point advantage among men nationally and Harris 17-point advantage among women.

“Where the rubber hits the road is in the married couple’s household,” Paleologos said. “It’s the married women and married men who are struggling with this election because they’re talking about it under their roof.”

Kathleen Keshgegian, 42, said women’s rights are central to why she already cast her ballot for Harris. “I have two daughters, and that’s my big issue,” she said.

“I have terminated a pregnancy, and if I didn’t have that option, I think my life would be totally different, and most likely not a good way,” said Keshgegian, a stay-at-home mom of three kids, aged 11, 8, and 6, who lives in Oreland, a Philadelphia suburb.

Although Keshgegian voted in 2020 for President Biden because she felt he was the best choice, she “would prefer someone younger, more in tune with a change in the government, as opposed to the same old white men,” she said. She feels more connected to Harris, who she finds more relatable and compassionate and less divisive.

Keshgegian said Trump may be able to bring down prices, and she understands people may vote for him for that reason. But she can’t abide by what she sees as his other characteristics. “He’s rude, he’s sexist. I’m pretty sure he’s a criminal,” she said.

“I’d rather have less money in my pocket than have someone with his ideals.”

That calculus weighs differently for others.

Luanne McDonald, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said she has “mixed emotions” about the election and views both Trump and Harris as “terrible” candidates. A self-described independent, McDonald doesn’t agree with Trump’s stances on abortion or women’s rights, but believes Harris is “weak and wishy-washy.”

She voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 and plans to again on Nov. 5. When it comes to the issues that matter most to her – the economy and law and order – McDonald said she feels Trump will do a better job.

“I could buy a Babka at my Whole Foods when he was president, I can’t afford it now,” McDonald, a former nurse, said, referring to a traditional Jewish sweet bread. “I’ve never felt poor until now.”

Unsurprisingly, more than 70% of people who viewed current economic conditions as poor said they supported Trump. Harris outperformed Trump with those who believed the economy was in fair, good or excellent shape.

Eric Huhn, 62, plans to vote Republican, from Trump all the way to the bottom of the ticket.

The owner of a house painting and wallpaper business in Chalfont, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, Huhn said economic issues are his top priority. “Being self-employed, nothing affects me more than what the government does to the economy,” he said.

He believes the Republican platform can deliver.

Cheaper energy “will help bring down cost of goods, less regulation will also help encourage growth to business,” he said. “I like Republicans for their more conservative viewpoints about spending and limited government.”

Trevor Borchelt, from Berks County, Pa., describes himself as a Reagan-era Republican, who believes in fiscal conservatism and moral responsibility. But he said the party has lost sight of those ideals under Trump and plans to vote for Harris on Election Day, citing “democracy” as his biggest concern.

“I don’t disagree with some of Trump’s policies,” Borchelt, 44, said, noting the former president’s tax and pro-manufacturing policies. “But if you don’t pass the bar of accepting the results of an election, [you] don’t get to be involved in a democratic election.”

Trump is facing multiple criminal trials for efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and has refused to say that he would accept the outcome of the 2024 race.

Borchelt has never cast a ballot for Trump – in 2016 he voted for Libertarian Party candidate Barry Johnson and in 2020 he supported Biden. This year, he said, he hopes that Trump will lose, and politics will return to “honest debates about real issues, instead of all the name calling and the violence and ugliness.”

“I’m kind of fed up,” he said.

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Pennsylvania

Families in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, brace for SNAP benefits to pause as food pantries step up

Published

12 hours ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

Families in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, brace for SNAP benefits to pause as food pantries step up

Families across Delaware County are bracing for financial strain as a pause in SNAP benefits looms amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. Food pantries are preparing for a surge in demand as residents struggle to put food on the table.

Momilani Miller, a school bus driver and single mother of three from Darby Township, said she typically receives about $500 a month in SNAP benefits. But with federal payments halted, she said November will be difficult.

Resources for SNAP recipients in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware as benefits deadline nears

“It’s a big strain because that’s one thing that I didn’t really have to deal with,” Miller said. “I could pay this bill or pay that bill, but now it’s going to come down to: Will I pay this bill or buy groceries for my family?”

She’s not alone. Thousands of Delaware County residents rely on SNAP to cover their grocery bills. Zahira Bowman, a 17-year-old from Sharon Hill, said her mom’s holiday table will look different this year.

“I think we’re still going to have Thanksgiving, but like, she’s probably going to look for cheaper stuff, like on a budget,” Bowman said. “My mom pays the mortgage and has a car, so she doesn’t have a lot of money to spare.”

Food pantries are feeling the pressure. At Mount Zion C.M.E. Church in Sharon Hill, pantry director Clarisse Smith said shelves are thinning as the need rises.

“We have four volunteers,” Smith said. “We lost eight of our volunteers. They went out and had to get other jobs because their jobs with the government were taken away, so they’re not able to volunteer anymore. So hopefully we’ll get some of the church members to come out and help us out, but it’s really hard.”

Delaware declares state of emergency to allow state funding for SNAP recipients on weekly basis

Smith said her pantry usually feeds around 70 families a week. Now, she’s preparing to serve up to 100.

“I’m not going to stop,” she said. “The government shutdown isn’t going to stop me from feeding anybody.”

For Miller, this week marked the first time she’s had to visit a food pantry, something she never thought she’d have to do.

“It’s going to be helpful,” Miller said. “My kids will eat it. It will get us by until the government can make a decision on what they’re doing.”

As the shutdown continues, families like Miller’s are relying on faith, neighbors and community resources to get through.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania college students hold day of action over affordability

Published

1 day ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

Pennsylvania college students hold day of action over affordability

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — The ongoing federal government shutdown and state budget stalemate aren’t good for anyone, but one generation says it’s suffering more than most.

That’s on top of ongoing affordability issues for what’s known as “Generation Z.”

“Day of Action” events took place Wednesday at six different Pennsylvania campuses as part of Project 26 Pennsylvania, including two in the Midstate.

Tombstones visualized various facets of life and the economy at Penn State Harrisburg.

“A government that listens to us and works for us,” said Aimee Van Cleave, interim executive director of Project 26 Pennsylvania. “So many things that were attainable for other folks are now essentially dead to Gen Z.”

“Rest in peace to your job security, rest in peace to your homes that you plan to buy, because being a homeowner as a Gen Z-er is not going to be easy in any way, shape or form,” said Danae Martin, a Penn State Harrisburg junior.

It’s a way to get the attention of Penn State Harrisburg students rushing to-and-from class.

Martin’s platypus costume is another way.

“People see this and they’re like, ‘What’s that over there?’ and they come,” Martin said. “Then you get that more serious conversation when they come.”

Conversations about topics like what’s sometimes called the “Pink Tax.”

“The pink tax is the idea that there are goods and services that are just more expensive for women than they are for men,” Van Cleave said.

All part of broader affordability issues.

“About how they’re going to be able to find a job when they graduate, how they are going to able to pay for housing and even just basic necessities like groceries and gas and utility bills,” Van Cleave said.

“There’s a lot of people that are frustrated and this event allows people to vent out those frustrations but in a more conductive and progressive and peaceful way,” said Rashide Barro, a junior, helping students write postcards to elected leaders.

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Along with Penn State Harrisburg, similar demonstrations took place at Dickinson College, Temple University, Lehigh University and the University of Pittsburgh.

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Pennsylvania

As Pennsylvania health care adopts AI, how should the technology be regulated?

Published

2 days ago

October 29, 2025

Press Room

As Pennsylvania health care adopts AI, how should the technology be regulated?

State efforts in regulating AI and ensuring its safety

As an emergency physician in Allegheny County, Venkat shares in the excitement around AI and its potential, especially to relieve health care workers with time-consuming tasks like patient charting, medical documentation and assessing staffing needs.

But it also requires great scrutiny, he said. Could this evolving technology one day supersede humans’ roles in clinical decision making? Could it deny health insurance coverage for lifesaving treatments without any human intervention? Or leave the door open to new cybersecurity risks for sensitive patient information?

Pennsylvania has existing laws on health care ethics, patient privacy and data collection, transparency and informed consent, as well as consumer protections for health insurance, but they don’t specifically speak to AI.

“Right now, it is the Wild West when it comes to artificial intelligence, as to whether in the deployment of artificial intelligence, those laws are being followed,” he said.

The proposed bill would create a rule book for how health providers and companies could apply AI in clinical settings, the health insurance sector and in data collection, “without creating an onerous burden that would prevent them from continuing to innovate and apply artificial intelligence where it may be appropriate,” Venkat said.

Patients should be told when AI is involved in their care, he said, and a human should be responsible for any final decisions on treatment and health insurance coverage.

The bill also calls for AI tools and software that prevent bias and discrimination in health care settings, not reinforce or add to it.

Without legislation at the federal level to build on, Venkat said it’s up to individual states to address AI sooner rather than later.

“I think we have no choice but to move forward in this regard,” he said.

Independent, nonregulatory groups like the Patient Safety Authority are just beginning to monitor and assess AI in Pennsylvania health care systems and its impact on patients.

The authority looks for new and emerging issues that affect patient safety. Hospitals, nursing homes and health offices are required to report misdiagnoses, fall injuries, medication errors and other kinds of adverse events.

The number of safety reports that specifically mention the involvement of AI is small right now, Jones said, but she expects it will grow — not necessarily because the technology is becoming unsafe, but rather in the hopes that health care workers will become more aware of how and when AI is contributing to care.

But so far, early data show that AI is having more positive effects on patient care rather than negative.

“We don’t want to only focus on the negative. We want to see where it is performing well for patient safety, as well,” Jones said. “In those cases where there was an event that actually did occur, but the AI came along and somehow helped to identify it sooner, we want to know that.”

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