HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AARP Pennsylvania understands that with the November election just weeks away, all eyes are on the critical battleground Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In a poll AARP Pennsylvania released on October 1, older women voters are split on their support of the presidential candidates, with both Vice President Harris and former President Trump earning 48 percent of the vote. The poll also found Senator Bob Casey leading challenger Dave McCormick 48%-45% among 50+ women. Amongst all overs, Vice President Harris and Senator Bob Casey lead in their respective Pennsylvania races by narrow margins.

The priorities and concerns of Pennsylvania women voters 50 and older will likely influence the outcome of the 2024 election and could be the difference in this election. Women 50+ account for- almost one-third (29%) of likely voters overall and more than half (53%) of likely voters 50-plus in the state.

“Our poll is clear, the influence of women voters 50-plus is poised to be ‘the difference’ in the state’s political landscape, and their voices will be central to shaping policies and priorities at all levels of government,” said AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh. “For candidates and political parties, understanding and addressing the needs and values of this demographic will be crucial for winning elections and governing effectively.”

Among the 50-and-older voting bloc of women, AARP’s poll found:

• 94% of women are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports making sure workers get the Social Security they paid into and earned through a lifetime of hard work
• 79% are more likely to vote for a U.S. Senate candidate who is dedicated to providing support for family caregivers who are helping their loved ones live independently in their homes
• 75% are more likely to support a candidate for senate who supports providing paid leave so unpaid family caregivers can care for loved ones without losing their job or salary.
• 89% of women voters 50 and older are worried about the issue of fraud through robo-calls, phishing emails, or other scams.

Women living in Pennsylvania and suburban communities played a pivotal role in deciding state and national election results in 2020 and 2022. They will again in 2024. 

AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & Impact Research (D) to conduct a survey of voters in Pennsylvania. AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & Impact Research (D) to conduct a survey of voters in Pennsylvania. The firms interviewed 1,398 likely voters, which includes a statewide representative sample of 600 likely voters, an oversample of 470 likely voters ages 50 and older, and an additional oversample of 328 Black likely voters ages 50 and older. The survey was done between September 17-24, 2024. The interviews were conducted via live interviewer on landline (24%) and cellphone (35%), as well as SMS-to-web (41%). The sample was randomly drawn from the Pennsylvania voter list. The margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level for the 600 statewide sample is ±4.0%; for the 800 total sample of voters 50+ is ±3.5%; for the 400 total sample of Black voters 50+ is ±4.9%. 

View the full survey results at aarp.org/PApolling and find all of our state battleground polls at aarp.org/voterpolls24. Read AARP’s coverage of the poll here.

For more information on how, when and where to vote in Pennsylvania, visit aarp.org/PAVotes.

About AARP 
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation’s largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media. 

Contact: 
Randy LoBasso
[email protected]
267-964-8001

SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is making a rare jump into the 2024 political battleground fray since taking a step back after ending his reelection bid.

He’ll campaign on Tuesday in Pennsylvania for a close ally and visit Wisconsin to spotlight a signature legislative achievement.

But as Biden makes a quick swing through the key states, two Democratic senators locked in competitive reelection battles are taking markedly different approaches to the outgoing president, whose approval ratings in a significant swath of the country remain in the pits.

Biden will be fully embraced by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey when he participates in an evening campaign fundraiser in Philadelphia for the senior Pennsylvania senator. But in Milwaukee, where Biden is spotlighting his administration’s efforts to replace the nation’s toxic lead pipes, incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin will be conspicuously absent.

“Democrats in tight races, for the most part, are calculating that the risk of embracing Biden far exceeds any reward that his efforts would bring to their campaign,” said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania. “There just aren’t many places where he can be of much help to Democrats in competitive races.”

Biden has spent scant time on the campaign trail since ending his reelection effort in July. That makes his stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — two tightly contested states that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump see crucial — all the more notable.

Casey’s and Baldwin’s races are also seen as must-wins for Democrats who are trying to maintain their razor-tight control of the Senate.

Biden, after dropping out, pledged to campaign hard for Harris and Democrats. But as the campaign season has played out, he’s largely stayed on the sidelines as he’s remained a flawed surrogate for Harris and down-ballot Democrats.

Casey, who faces a stiff challenge from Republican David McCormick as he seeks a fourth Senate term, has a long-running relationship with Biden.

Casey grew up on the same street as Biden in Scranton. Their families have known each other for decades, and he’s campaigned with Biden countless times, including earlier this year. Biden — a Delaware resident but a Pennsylvania native — has long claimed Pennsylvania as his own.

Still, Biden faces considerable skepticism and his popularity has sagged amid pessimism about rising costs and doubts about whether at 81 he remains up to the job.

About 4 in 10 voters had a favorable view of Biden and about 6 in 10 had an unfavorable view, according to a Monmouth University poll published in late September.

Baldwin will spend Tuesday on the other side of Wisconsin from Biden, attending campaign events and getting an award, according to her campaign and Senate office.

“Senator Baldwin had a previously scheduled event at a family farm in Eau Claire to receive the American Farm Bureau Federation’s ‘Friend of Farm Bureau’ award recognizing her leadership fighting for America’s hardworking farmers, growers, and producers,” said Eli Rosen, Baldwin’s communications director, in response to a query about why she was skipping the president’s visit.

Biden’s favorability in Wisconsin has hovered around 40% for the past year and did not increase after he dropped out of the presidential race this summer, according to a recent Marquette University Law School poll.

Baldwin, who is seeking her third term, is facing a stiff challenge from Republican Eric Hovde, the CEO of a Wisconsin real estate development company.

She has skipped four of Biden’s five appearances in the state this year, including two in her hometown of Madison, before he dropped out of the race.

However, Baldwin has appeared with Harris, including speaking to a crowd of more than 10,000 people last month in Madison.

“Baldwin may be able to skip a Biden event, but she cannot avoid the verdict of working families in Wisconsin when they head to the polls,” said Wisconsin GOP chairman Brian Schimming.

Biden’s visit to Wisconsin, which has some 340,000 lead pipes, comes as the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued a final rule requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years.

Biden’s 2021 infrastructure law provides $15 billion to find and replace the toxic pipes, a legacy the Biden White House says will have an impact on generations to come. Lead can lower IQ and create behavioral problems in children, and the administration believes the legislation will go a long way in removing some 9.2 million lead pipes carrying water to U.S. homes.

White House officials played down Baldwin’s expected absence from the event, while noting that Wisconsin’s other senator, Republican Ron Johnson, voted against the infrastructure law.

“Senator Baldwin is an amazing partner (to) this administration in leading the charge in the bipartisan infrastructure law,” White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian said of Baldwin’s absence from the president’s visit.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, whose district includes Wisconsin’s deeply Democratic capital city of Madison, said Biden’s policies are popular in the battleground state even if polls show he is not.

“I don’t think that polling on Biden is based on what he’s done in office,” Pocan said. “The problem with some of the polls is overly simplistic. He looks old and people don’t want that in the White House, but he’s not running anymore.”

Pocan, who is not in a competitive race, also defended Baldwin not appearing with Biden.

“If you’re in a competitive race, you have your calendar,” Pocan said. “You have a strategy based on where you’re trying to get votes and you don’t change it when you have a surrogate come.”

___

Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed to this report.

When voters were asked about support for specific environmental protections, 90% supported expanding setbacks from schools and hospitals, while 92% wanted increased air monitoring at fracking sites and 94% wanted greater disclosure of fracking chemicals.

“[Residents] are forced to do a calculus,” said Sean O’Leary, a senior researcher at the institute. “There are some bad things going on. But we believe that it’s important for jobs. And so how do we deal with that? And the answer is that they will, on the one hand, acknowledge that they think fracking is an economic contributor, while at the same time still being unhappy about the damage that it’s doing in their communities.”

O’Leary said the poll shows voters in both parties overwhelmingly back environmental protections.

“Support for taking mitigating measures like regulation and enforcement is strong among all populations that we surveyed,” O’Leary said, “from Democrats and environmentalists on the left to hardcore Republicans on the right.”

O’Leary said the perception of economic benefits is overblown and points to his research at the ORVI that shows otherwise.

“First of all, the natural gas industry is among the major economic sectors in the U.S. economy,” he said. “It is the least jobs intensive, only about $0.08 out of every dollar that the industry earns or that’s invested in the industry goes to support labor jobs. And so there aren’t very many jobs to begin with.”

Pennsylvania currently has about 17,000 direct jobs in the industry, although an industry report has put that number at 123,000.