Pennsylvania
Harris leads Trump in Wisconsin and Michigan, tied in Pennsylvania, new CNN polls show
Harris uses Ellipse rally to highlight danger of second Trump term
Kamala Harris holds rally at the Ellipse, where former President Donald Trump held a “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, before the Capitol riot.
WASHINGTON ― Democratic nominee Kamala Harris leads Republican rival Donald Trump in Wisconsin and Michigan, and is tied with the former president in Pennsylvania, according to new CNN polls of the three so-called “blue wall” Rust Belt states that could decide next week’s election.
In Michigan, Harris leads Trump 48%-43% among the state’s likely voters, while Harris is ahead of the former president 51%-45% in Wisconsin, the polls released Wednesday found. Both leads are outside the surveys’ margins of errors. Harris and Trump are tied in Pennsylvania at 48% apiece, a third CNN poll found.
The polls were conducted Oct. 23 to 28. The Pennsylvania and Michigan polls have margins of errors of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points, and the Wisconsin poll has a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points.
In an election defined by a historically wide gender gap, the Wisconsin and Pennsylvania polls found Harris faring better among women voters and Trump among male voters. Harris leads Wisconsin’s likely women voters 59%-38%, and Trump leads Wisconsin’s likely male voters 53%-41, the poll found. In Pennsylvania, Harris leads women voters 49%-46%, while Trump leads male voters 50%-46%
But in Michigan, CNN found Harris and Trump tied with male voters at 44%, while Harris leads among female voters in the state 49%-41%.
In all three states, Harris polled better than Trump on the question of who is more honest and trustworthy: a 7-point advantage in Pennsylvania, a 16-point advantage in Michigan and a 17-point edge in Wisconsin.
Trump is seen as the better candidate to handle the economy, but by narrower margins than much of the race: a 3-point advantage in Wisconsin, a 4-point edge for Trump in Michigan and an 8-point edge in Pennsylvania.
Independent presidential candidate Robert. F. Kennedy, who dropped out of the race in August to endorse Trump, remains on the ballot in Wisconsin and Michigan. The CNN polls found he has support from 3% of likely voters in Michigan and 1% in Wisconsin.
A pair of polls from USA TODAY/Suffolk University this week found Trump in a stronger “blue wall” position than the CNN polls: leading Harris 48%-47% in Wisconsin and tied with Harris at 47% in Michigan.
What is the blue wall?
Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan − each carried by President Joe Biden in 2020 − have voted as a bloc in every presidential election since 1988, with one of the presidential candidates sweeping all three. Trump flipped the three “blue wall” states to the Republican column in 2016 en route to his defeat over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
If Harris carries all three “blue wall” states in the Nov. 5 election, then she would likely secure enough electoral votes to win the presidency even if she loses the four other battleground states − North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. That’s assuming Harris wins Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district, where she is polling ahead, and all other states she is heavily favored to win.
For Trump, a victory in any of the “blue wall” states − particularly Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes, the most of any battleground − would open a path for him to secure the necessary 270 electoral votes by pairing that win with victories in the Sun Belt states, where he is polling stronger.
Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly on Twitter, @joeygarrison.
A Chester County, Pennsylvania, man is back home with his family after spending more than eight months in ICE detention.
Supporters of Carlos Della Valle spent months rallying and writing letters to immigration officials, urging them to release him. Now the Downingtown resident is sharing what it feels like to finally be home and why uncertainty still hangs over his future.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Carlos Della Valle said about being home. “You know, it’s so many months and it just didn’t seem like it was going to happen.”
Supporters lined the street outside his Downingtown home on Wednesday, cheering as he returned from a detention center in Louisiana. The 49-year-old said it still feels surreal to be back in Chester County after 258 days in ICE custody.
Della Valle, whose wife and son are U.S. citizens, has lived in Chester County for nearly 30 years. He said he came to the United States from Guerrero, Mexico, at age 20 after fleeing cartel violence.
“I was afraid for my life,” he said.
At age 21, Della Valle said, he was detained and sent back to the Mexican border, but he was never formally deported.
During a trial in August 2025, a jury acquitted him of illegally re-entering the country. Despite the verdict, he was taken into ICE custody because he does not have legal status in the United States.
Carlos Della Valle was released from ICE custody last week but said he still worries about what comes next.
“They tried to deport me twice, so what’s to stop that from happening again?” he said.
Carlos Della Valle said he now has weekly check-ins with ICE and is working with an attorney to get a work permit so he can return to his job as a plant manager at a small adhesive company.
His wife, Angela Della Valle, said the family’s experience pushed her to become more involved in immigration reform efforts.
“The Dignity Act that’s been authored by Congresswoman Maria Salazar is a very, very powerful piece of legislation,” Angela Della Valle said. “It would allow Carlos to stay since he’s linked to a U.S. citizen wife. It would allow him to work.”
For now, Angela Della Valle said she’s focused on appreciating the moments they missed during his time in detention.
“It’s amazing being together again and even more powerful to be able to come back together home,” Angela Della Valle said.
Since returning home, Carlos Della Valle said he has been reconnecting with friends and recently attended a Phillies game with his family.
“We loved being there,” he said.
Central Presbyterian Church in Downingtown is hosting a “Welcome Home Carlos” open house Saturday night to celebrate Carlos Della Valle’s release.
When 32-year-old Beth Dudley, a mom of two, walked into a convenience store in Salem Township, Westmoreland County, last month, she was stressed out about her flat tire.
Now, after winning $1 million from a scratch-off ticket, not only is Dudley getting a new tire, but she’s thinking about getting an entirely new car.
The Pennsylvania Lottery celebrated Dudley on Friday ahead of Mother’s Day, presenting her with a commemorative $1 million check.
Luck didn’t seem to be on Dudley’s side when she visited the Crabtree Gas and Go on Roosevelt Way in April. But she said she decided to treat herself to a lottery ticket anyway.
“I thought, ‘What’s it going to hurt?’” Dudley said. “I play occasionally. Before I won, my brother said, ‘You’re going to get the tire changed and your whole world will turn around.’”
And turn around it did. Dudley scratched the ticket and learned that she had won $1 million.
“I thought, ‘Am I seeing this right?’ Then I just started to cry,” said Dudley.
She said she was crying so much that when she called her mom, her mom thought something was wrong. She called her husband next, and she said he didn’t quite believe her at first.
Now she plans on buying a new car and investing the rest of her winnings. One thing’s for sure: she’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day this year with a little more money in the bank.
“It’s great to see a hardworking mom who juggles so much have some luck come her way,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne said.
Former Somerset County 911 director Bradley Lavan has been sentenced to as long as 120 years behind bars for sex crimes he committed against five children.
Late last year, Bradley Lavan pleaded guilty late last year to dozens of charges stemming from a 2023 arrest where police alleged he sexually abused five young children.
Lavan was ordered Thursday to serve 60 to 120 years in state prison, a sentence that Somerset County District Attorney Tom Leiden called “appropriate,” citing the seriousness of the crimes he committed.
“Today, justice was served,” Leiden said, adding that “the sentence should assure that Mr. Lavan is never able to prey on innocent children again.”
At the time of his arrest, then District Attorney Molly Metzgar said that it was alleged that Lavan groomed children in ages from 3 to 6 years old and forced them into performing various sex acts on him while they were in his home.
Police at the time said that Lavan’s time as the 911 director in Somerset County ended before he was arrested and the charges and his work with the county weren’t connected.
“This successful prosecution and sentence are the result of the District Attorney’s Office’s commitment to seeking justice for victims and for protecting the children of Somerset County,” Leiden said. “We will continue to work tirelessly to make Somerset County a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”
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