Pennsylvania
How Trump won big in Pennsylvania
As a result, Harris fell short and ended with nearly a 2% gap between her and Trump in Pennsylvania.
Trump performed better in Pennsylvania this election than in 2020 among younger voters, white men, Black men and Latin Americans. Black women voted a few points higher for Harris and, interestingly enough, a larger share of older voters also voted for Harris than in 2020.
Results from individual voting precincts help to map some of this out. For example, Harris received fewer votes in many precincts in neighborhoods like Kingessing and North Philly while Trump won more. That’s also the case in Berks County, which has a large Puerto Rican population, particularly in Hispanic-majority Reading.
The blame and infighting has already begun among Democrats but the reality is that there weren’t enough additional doors to knock in Philly to cover Harris’ deficit. The Harris campaign regularly touted their state campaign structure and ground game, regularly boasting about their 50 satellite offices. The campaign hired hundreds of staffers and recruited thousands of local volunteers. For months, they held daily events — often several in the same day — with prominent surrogates, including Republicans for Harris, and were in regular contact with local reporters to spread their message.
Harris herself appeared in Philadelphia some 15 times to motivate her base and made several visits to other parts of the state.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign’s apparatus was much slower to launch and appeared to lack a consistent ground game. Part of that was likely a simple lack of resources. The Harris campaign was flush with cash, having inherited the Biden campaign’s account and managed to raise more than $200 million after she was elevated to the top of the ticket.
In the end, Harris raised and spent more $1 billion, 2.5 times that of the Trump campaign. Outside PAC spending helped reduce that gap but, ultimately, that imbalance meant few staff on the ground.
“They just didn’t have the resources,” Dr. Tim Blessing, a professor at Alvernia University in Reading, said of the Trump campaign. “And frankly — and I’m trying to be tactful about this — I don’t know that the Trump campaign was overly gifted with skilled volunteers.”
Pettigrew says that there is evidence that the Harris campaign’s efforts did make an impact. The shift toward Trump was much higher in non-swing states — even as high as 6% in deep blue California — than in swing states where they spent all their resources.
“That is suggestive that the ground game was kind of effective and that had it not been as effective then we may have seen an even more pronounced shift in the favor of Trump,” he said. “So maybe they did all that they possibly could, and they just were fighting such an uphill battle.”
The Pennsylvania Beef Council recently launched the inaugural Pennsylvania Beef Trail with menu tastings at two highlighted trail stops in Berks County.
Held in May to celebrate Beef Month, the event brought together Pennsylvania Beef Council leadership, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, local restaurant partners, beef producers and community members to celebrate Pennsylvania beef, local food businesses and the culinary creativity found across the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Beef Trail highlights restaurants across the state serving standout beef dishes nominated by consumers. Hosted on the Pennsylvania Beef Council website, the trail features an interactive map designed to help Pennsylvanians discover delicious beef dishes by region and plan their own beef-inspired dining experiences.
“The PA Beef Trail is a celebration of everything that makes Pennsylvania beef special: the farmers who raise it, the restaurants that prepare it and the consumers who love it,” Nichole Hockenberry, executive director of the Pennsylvania Beef Council, said in the release.
“Launching the trail during May, which is Beef Month, gave us the perfect opportunity to showcase the connection between agriculture, local businesses, and the meals that bring people together.”
The celebration featured two stops on the trail: Saucony Creek Brewing Company in Kutztown and Deitsch Eck Restaurant in Lenhartsville.
Attendees sampled a variety of featured beef dishes, including pit beef sliders, sausage sandwiches, smoked chuck roast tacos, and Golden Arches flatbread from Saucony Creek Brewing Company, as well as beef pot pie, shepherd’s pie, and The Luther from Deitsch Eck Restaurant.
The launch event also underscored the role of beef in Pennsylvania’s agricultural identity and local economy. By highlighting restaurants that serve creative, consumer-loved beef dishes, the trail encourages residents and visitors to support local businesses while recognizing the farmers and producers behind every plate.
“Pennsylvania beef has a story that stretches from pasture to plate,” Kylie Lusk, director of consumer affairs for the Pennsylvania Beef Council, said in the release. “The PA Beef Trail gives consumers a fun, interactive way to explore that story while discovering restaurants and dishes they may not have tried before. We’re excited to see people use the trail throughout the year to support local restaurants and celebrate beef across the Commonwealth.”
The inaugural PA Beef Trail features 73 stops across Pennsylvania, showcasing a wide variety of dishes, from burgers and brisket to short rib, oxtail ragu and other creative beef-forward menu items. Organized by region, the trail makes it easy for consumers to find nearby stops or plan a road trip around Pennsylvania’s beef destinations.
The Pennsylvania Beef Council encourages consumers to explore the trail, visit participating restaurants, and share their experiences on social media.
To view the interactive map and explore the full PA Beef Trail, visit www.pabeef.org/pa-beef-trail.
President Trump is visiting the Lehigh Valley next week.
Mr. Trump will speak at Mack Trucks in Macungie, Pennsylvania, Tuesday at 2 p.m. Macungie is roughly 10 miles from Allentown.
Mack Trucks is a 1.7 million square-foot facility in Macungie that assembles heavy-duty trucks for North American and export markets, according to its website.
“Mack Trucks are a symbol of America’s manufacturing strength,” Rep. Dan Meuser said in a Facebook post about Mr. Trump’s upcoming visit to Pennsylvania. “Their Lehigh Valley operations are a pillar of the local economy, employing Pennsylvania workers and driving the nation’s trucking industry.”
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Mr. Trump visited Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, multiple times. He’s also visitied during his second term.
In December 2025, Mr. Trump said in a speech in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, that he was “crushing” inflation and called affordability concerns a “Democratic hoax.”
One week later, Vice President JD Vance aimed to calm the affordability concerns at a Uline facility in Alburtis, about 13 miles southwest of Allentown.
Tickets are available for Mr. Trump’s visit to Macungie next week on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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