WASHINGTON – No doubt, if you are Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania is a must-win in 2024. It’s been that way for decades, but while Democrats have won every presidential contest in the state since Bill Clinton in 1992, Trump turned that conventional wisdom on its head in 2016, flipping the state red. 

And while Joe Biden wrestled the state back to blue in 2020, it happened at the same time Republicans made inroads elsewhere, ousting the Democratic treasurer and auditor general. In every case, the Philadelphia region often proves most crucial, with its giant voter base, and so-called “collar counties” with voters who can often be unpredictable come Election Day. 

In a recent segment on “The Final 5,” I talked with NOTUS reporter Evan McMorris-Santoro about how Philadelphia-area Democrats are handling the transition atop the ticket, and how support for President Biden is translating to support for Vice President Kamala Harris. McMorris-Santoro, who has been following the political pulse in Philadelphia, shared insights on how this change is being received, plus how Gov. Josh Shapiro has emerged as a potential running mate.

“It’s very confusing for them right now, because they had a whole plan before before Harris came in right that Scranton Joe goes to those suburban counties when he got on the ticket in 2020 the whole the whole pitch was, ‘Look, I can get Democrats. Also, I can get these, maybe Republican voters. These white suburban voters. They’re going to vote for me because I’m a white guy. There’s one of the things they talked about, and obviously in Pennsylvania. You know him being a native of Scranton,” said McMorris-Santoro.

Philadelphia, a Democratic stronghold, has long been a key area for Joe Biden due to his deep ties with the region’s political machine, led by his close friend and former Congressman Bob Brady. But McMorris-Santoro found that many Democrats, particularly those who had been struggling to rally enthusiasm for Biden among younger and black voters, were invigorated by the shift to Harris. This change was seen as a much-needed boost to the party’s base.

“We have seen such a shift in the way base Democrats talk about the ticket since Harris has sort of become the likely nominee, I mean, even among those those uncommitted voters, those voters who really really were angry about the war in Gaza, and trying to maybe even damage Biden’s candidacy because of it….we’ve seen shifts even among them towards Harris, so that that they feel like there’s something more they can trust with Harris. It’s a confusing situation, because she doesn’t sound that much different than Biden on this issue.”

However, there are concerns about how Harris will perform outside urban centers. Biden’s appeal to suburban voters, especially those in the surrounding counties of Philadelphia, was a significant factor in previous elections. These areas, which have seen Republican gains, are crucial for either party to clinch the Keystone State.

One potential strategy to mitigate this concern is for Harris to choose Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her vice-presidential nominee. Shapiro, who like Harris, served as state attorney general, won his governorship by a wide margin and could help secure the suburban vote that Biden was able to attract. He also hails from the Democratic stronghold of Montgomery County, just outside of Philadelphia.  

“They say you get that you bring back all the things that Biden had, and you sort of can like sew Pennsylvania up very neatly. But it is a thing where, on the one hand, they’re extremely excited about this base activation, which is obviously a huge problem Democrats had,” says McMorris-Santoro.

Despite the excitement among base Democrats, there are challenges ahead. Some voters, particularly on the left flank of the party, are dissatisfied with how the White House has handled certain issues, including the situation in the Middle East. McMorris-Santoro noted that these voters are showing a shift in attitude towards Harris, who they perceive as a fresh start, despite her policies aligning closely with Biden’s.

Bob Brady, while expressing his disappointment over Biden’s departure, has rallied behind Harris, echoing Biden’s sentiment to “get past it.” This unification suggests a growing Democratic enthusiasm that had been missing earlier in the cycle.

With just under 100 days until election day, the transition from Biden to Harris has injected new energy into the Democratic campaign. As McMorris-Santoro observed, the next few weeks will be critical in determining how, or even if, this momentum translates into votes, especially in pivotal regions like Pennsylvania.

**For more details, check out Evan McMorris-Santoro’s full report on NOTUS.

Officials from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, disputed several portions of acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr.’s testimony before a Senate panel Tuesday. Rowe was quick to deflect blame to local law enforcement for allowing a man to attempt to assassinate former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13.

Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate appeared for a joint hearing with the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. It was the first time a member of the Secret Service appeared before Congress since the resignation of former chief Kimberly Cheatle earlier this month.

Rowe testified that agents were unaware there was a man on the roof of the AGR building at the rally until it was too late. He also admitted the responsibility for the security breakdown at the former president’s rally ultimately rests with the Secret Service.

But when he was asked why Trump was allowed to take the stage at 6:02 p.m. despite security knowing there was a suspicious person spotted with a rangefinder, Rowe said he never received communication that there was a suspicious person with a weapon or with bad intentions.

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: NEW TEXTS SHOW LOCAL POLICE SCRAMBLE TO ASSIST WITH COVERING RALLY

Rowe also used exhibits of the site and pointed to the roof that would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from, adding, “I will not, and I cannot understand why there was no better coverage or at least someone looking at that roofline when that’s where they were posted.”

The statement appeared to place blame on local snipers positioned inside the AGR building during the rally.

The commander of the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, Patrick Young, and the Beaver County District Attorney, Nathan Bible, spoke to Fox News Tuesday, disputing accusations against the local officers.

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The area surrounding the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pa., July 22, 2024. A bipartisan group of lawmakers visited the site of the attempted assassination of former President Trump that left one person dead and two injured at a campaign rally. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital )

Young said there were two snipers inside the AGR building. One was from the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, the other from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit.

At some point during the evening, one of the snipers saw Crooks and took pictures of him “solely off the fact that he looked suspicious,” Young said, adding there was no indication he was a threat.

Young also said his unit was told where to go by Butler County ESU, which he assumed had approval from the Secret Service.

POLICE UNION HEAD SAYS SECRET SERVICE TRYING TO POINT FINGERS FOR TRUMP SHOOTING; NO TROUBLE ‘ASSIGNING BLAME’

Former President Trump reacts as multiple shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pa., July 13.  (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

“They were in place by Butler County ESU, which I assume was with the approval of Secret Service. Their assignments that day (were) to be clearly defined and in no uncertain terms,” Young said. “Their areas included the entry control point, the area before and after the magneton monitor and then the area in front of the stage. Those are all within the interior and secure perimeter as defined by the Secret Service. That was their locations … and their priority.”

At about 5:34 p.m. that day, Young said, one of his officers saw Crooks with a rangefinder then checked into the “sniper text group” to get a picture out. He also said it was previously discussed by the Secret Service not to communicate through text, but he could not figure out any other way to share a picture via the radio.

Eventually, the Beaver County sniper saw Crooks pick up a backpack and disappear behind the edge of the building. The sniper then set out to the first floor to search for Crooks, interacted with the patrol and said the suspicious person was around back before returning to his post. At the same time, Young said, the Butler sniper remained at the window.

DISCORD REVEALS DETAILS OF WOULD-BE TRUMP SHOOTER’S ACCOUNT ON PLATFORM

Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Shortly after returning, shots were fired, and the Butler sniper heard the shots, Young explained.

But the window the two snipers were keeping watch from did not have a clear view of the roof Crooks was on without having to lean outside.

Bible defended the snipers, saying their job was to be on the outside of the perimeter looking into the crowd, not looking outside the area, which is where the roof was.

TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW GUNMAN EVADED SECURITY

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, questions U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate during a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Senate Judiciary hearing Tuesday examining the security failures leading to the assassination attempt on former President Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

“Our guys were in a covert sniper position, you know. They’re set back a couple feet from the window,” the DA said. “So, you know, in order to see on that roof, they would have had to hang out, hang outside, and in doing so, give up their position.”

Bible added that if the Secret Service told local officials to station snipers on the roof, they would have, “absolutely.”

Bible said the team of law enforcement from Beaver County that helped out was not happy with how federal officials portrayed things, but he and Young could not be prouder of the team.

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“It’s less about them getting credit … for the amazing job they did that day,” Bible said. “But they’re certainly not going to take unnecessary blame. So, I do feel like … they are a little bit upset about the way that some of the information has been disseminated. But certainly … they have a job to do, and you know if they’re asked to do it again, I’m sure that they will.”

Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report.