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Voters in pivotal Pennsylvania county weigh in on Trump, Harris and the issues: ‘This area really counts’

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Voters in pivotal Pennsylvania county weigh in on Trump, Harris and the issues: ‘This area really counts’


BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Since the sinking of the Titanic more than 100 years ago, one Pennsylvania county has voted for the ultimate winner of a US presidential election all but three times.

The political pulse of Northampton County has predicted 25 of the last 28 elections — dating back to Woodrow Wilson’s victory in 1912, when he bested Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

Northampton’s only misses were Richard Nixon in 1968 and George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004.

Like 2016, Trump looks to win the Keystone state after losing it to Biden in 2020. AP

Located on the Keystone State’s eastern edge and approximately equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, Northampton County and neighboring Lehigh County make up the Greater Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania’s third-largest metropolitan area. “The Valley” is home to three cities on the post-industrial upswing — Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton — and dotted with rural and suburban municipalities.

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Speaking to The Post just two months ahead of the showdown between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, voters from The Valley spilled their thoughts on the race they’re county will once again help decide this November.

Denise Marshall, 72, Nazareth

A lifetime Northampton County resident who spent 35 years teaching middle school, Denise has lived in her home in Nazareth Borough (pop. 6,000) for the last 13 years. She now works part-time for Weight Watchers and enjoys spending time with her grandson.

Denise Marshall, a lifelong Republican, describes herself as a “strong conservative.” Provided

Denise says she’s been a Republican since first registering to vote and describes herself as a strong conservative, her views based on the need to enact what she calls “slow, logical change” and support for a strong national defense.

“Republicans are pro making sure others know we’re a strong nation, that we have power, and we’re not afraid to use that power when needed,” she told The Post, noting that foreign leaders were “skeptical” of challenging America during Trump’s term.

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Denise believes Trump’s handling of economic issues and ability to follow through on promises are his greatest strengths, while speaking carelessly and sounding “cringey” at times is a potential drawback.

“I think [Trump] needs to be a little more careful, to concentrate more on what he and his administration can do to help Americans, rather than what the opposition will do to hurt us,” Denise said.

While she does not find Harris to be trustworthy, Denise is impressed with her campaign ads and believes that the veep being nearly two decades younger than Trump could be an ace in the hole.

“Age definitely works in her favor in terms of the next four years,” she told The Post. “I think she’s appealing to younger voters, women voters for sure.”

George Ziegler, 60, Bethlehem

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Also an educator, George has spent 25 years in the public school system, including time as a high school English teacher. The father of two adult sons, he now works as a literacy coach.

George Ziegler, a hard Democrat voter, says the Trump administration showed little urgency in addressing gun violence. Provided

As a self-described strong liberal who has voted consistently for Democrats, George says he’s most focused on gun safety and public school funding — issues he says Harris will better address than Trump.

“Kamala Harris has consistently supported increased investment in public education, advocating for higher teacher pay and better resources for schools,” George told The Post.

“On gun safety, she has pushed for stronger gun control measures, including universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons, which I believe are critical steps to reducing gun violence in schools and communities,” he added.

George believes the Trump administration’s education policies unjustly favored private schools, and that he did not act meaningfully on the gun issue.

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“[Trump’s] administration… showed little urgency in addressing gun violence, focusing more on arming teachers than on implementing common-sense gun safety laws that could prevent tragedies,” he said.

As a Northampton County voter, George says he feels a “strong responsibility” because of the “significant weight” his ballot will carry nationally.

“There’s a sense of added importance knowing that my vote could help determine the outcome in a state that often swings the entire election,” George concluded.

Eric Zwick, 72, Lower Macungie Township

Eric is a real estate investor who has lived in Pennsylvania for 28 years since moving from New Jersey. He’s consistently voted for Democrats up through the Bill Clinton era, but told The Post that since the turn of the century, he’s become dissatisfied with the Democrats. Unhappy with what he calls “the party of the welfare state,” Eric has since become a Republican.

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Eric Zwick, a New Jersey native now in Pennsylvania, calls the Democratic party “the party of the welfare state.” Provided

“Kamala’s position is [to] bring in more people, or get the people on welfare to support the Democratic Party,” Eric said of Harris’ record on illegal immigration.

Eric says the record inflation seen during the Biden-Harris years has forced him to increase the cost of living for his tenants.

“I feel guilty when I raise their rents [by] $50 a month,” he told The Post. “I’m looking for a more stable economic policy, and I think we had that with Trump.”

Though he describes himself as conservative, Eric believes some Republicans “are just way over the top” on issues like abortion.

“The states that have Republicans become ‘no abortion at all costs,’” Eric said of the post-Roe GOP. “No abortions for rape, no abortions for incest, and I totally disagree with that.”

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While he will be voting in blue-leaning Lehigh County, Eric still feels the pressure to get his vote right. 

“I feel that, now more than ever, every single vote in this area really counts,” he said.

Sheri Curtin, 59, Bethlehem

A clinical research consultant in the pharmaceutical industry, Sheri says her moderate views on the issues “wouldn’t make either party happy.”

Sheri Curtin from Bethlehem is against the Republican party’s stance on abortion. Provided

Sheri told The Post she’s concerned about ongoing problems with drugs and crime, as well as women’s reproductive rights.

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“You don’t give these drug addicts clean works and say ‘have at it,’ you get them into rehab programs,” Sheri said of Democrats’ “safe haven” approach to drug issues. “And if you have to do that through prison systems, then do it.”

Sheri also criticized Harris’ time as a liberal California prosecutor, telling The Post that “Kamala’s prosecution record doesn’t give me a lot of warm and fuzzy that she’s gonna be hard on these criminals that are destroying our society.”

But like the other voters, Sheri strongly rebuked the Republicans’ stance on abortion, calling Trump’s decision to appoint Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade “a gigantic bonehead move.”

“Coming from a medical background… a woman’s right to protect her life or spare an unjust and miserable existence for a child that will probably not survive is not fair,” Sheri said.

“You are forcing a condition on people, and it may not be one that they can comfortably live with,” she added.

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Asked about the influence she’ll have as a Northampton County voter, Sheri answered simply: “If you don’t vote, don’t bitch!”

M.T., 23, Bethlehem

An electrical engineer by trade, M.T. spoke with The Post anonymously because he is a government employee with a security clearance. For him, this election will come down to the economy, immigration and abortion. His Catholic faith and desire to have several children are a significant factor in shaping how he views these issues, and his ultimate decision at the ballot box this November.

“The cost of living is just too high for recent college graduates to get started and build and save for things like starting a family and having children,” M.T. told The Post, noting that many grads like himself are burdened with student debt. “We as a country need children and it should be something that [is] promoted more.”

M.T. objects to Harris’ strong pro-choice stance, calling her YouTube ads on the subject “morally disturbing.”

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“I think that you can’t kill innocent unborn children simply because you don’t know what their potential is,” he said. “They could be the next Albert Einstein or Tom Brady and have the potential to impact so many other people’s lives in a positive manner.”

However, M.T. is no fan of Trump because of his role in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Though he voted for Trump in 2020, he has vowed not to support him this year.

“If Trump were to lose this election, I don’t feel confident that the radical MAGA Republicans would accept Harris’ win, and they could escalate political polarization further to potentially dangerous levels,” he added.

Third party voters’ numbers have shrunk this cycle since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign last month, but M.T. remains among them.

“If Nikki Haley was on the ticket, that would be the easiest decision I’d ever make on the voting ballot,” M.T. told The Post, adding that he is strongly considering “throwing away” his vote to write her in. “But unfortunately, she is not.”

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Asked if anything would make him consider voting for the Democrats, M.T. said he’d need to see Harris replaced at the top of the ticket with a more moderate candidate like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.



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Pennsylvania

Casey, McCormick Senate Race in Pennsylvania still too close to call

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Casey, McCormick Senate Race in Pennsylvania still too close to call


Casey, McCormick Senate Race in Pennsylvania still too close to call – CBS Philadelphia

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One of Pennsylvania’s two U.S. Senate seats has yet to be decided on Wednesday

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Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Matt Cartwright concedes race to GOP challenger

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Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Matt Cartwright concedes race to GOP challenger


Rob Bresnahan, the Trump–backed House candidate for Pennsylvania, is expected to defeat incumbent Democrat Rep. Matt Cartwright, based on current vote numbers as of midday Tuesday. Cartwright had congratulated his opponent and conceded the race late on Election Day.

Cartwright was first sworn into Congress in 2013, where he represented Pennsylvania’s 17th District before the state redistricted in 2018 and Cartwright was elected to represent the 8th District. 

The 8th Congressional District is located in Pennsylvania’s northeastern region and includes cities such as Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, encompassing Wayne, Pike and Lackawanna counties as well as portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties. 

Cartwright’s re-election campaign was closely watched because he represents one of just nine districts across the country where Democrats worked to defend their seats after former President Trump won the districts in the 2020 presidential election. 

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PA DEM IN DISTRICT THAT VOTED FOR TRUMP SAYS HE’S A MODERATE, BUT VOTING RECORD TELLS ANOTHER STORY

Democrat Pennsylvania Rep. Matt Cartwright, left, and Republican Pennsylvania House candidate Rob Bresnahan (Getty Images/Rob for PA)

Cartwright’s district voted to re-elect Trump in 2020, carrying the district by 2.9 points over Biden, while Cartwright defeated his Republican congressional challenger by just over 7,000 votes of the 286,886 cast that year, New York Times data shows. 

Cartwright campaigned on a platform of strengthening the economy, protecting access to abortion, fixing “the broken asylum process” at the border and strengthening Social Security benefits.

Bresnahan is a fifth-generation native of Luzerne County and CEO of Kuharchik Construction who campaigned on securing the border, cutting taxes and trimming government spending, creating “family-sustaining jobs” in the Keystone State and supporting law enforcement. 

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PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION RESULTS: REP. MATT CARTWRIGHT WINS RE-ELECTION AGAINST TRUMP-ENDORSED CHALLENGER

Rob Bresnahan giving thumbs up

Rob Bresnahan, Republican nominee for Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, takes the stage during former President Trump’s campaign rally, Oct. 9, 2024, in Scranton. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Bresnahan earned Trump’s endorsement for the seat in April. 

“A successful Businessman, Rob has worked hard to Create Jobs and Grow the Economy, unlike his opponent, Matt Cartwright, who is completely beholden to Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Left. As your next Congressman, Rob will fight hard to Secure the Border, Cut Wasteful Spending, Strengthen our Military, Support our Veterans, Protect our always under siege Second Amendment, and Hold Joe Biden and his Thugs Accountable for their Unconstitutional Lawfare, Corruption, and ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Rob Bresnahan has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

ONE OF NATION’S MOST VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS COZIES UP TO BIDEN FOR PENNSYLVANIA RALLY

Matt Cartwright close-up

Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., speaks during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on April 9, 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Cartwright has previously come under fire for portraying himself as a “moderate” Democrat, with Fox News Digital reporting this year that his voting record paints another story. Voting records show Cartwright overwhelmingly voted in line with Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when she served as House speaker and that he continued his membership in the left-wing Congressional Progressive Caucus.

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DEM REP CARTWRIGHT DOWNPLAYS VIRGINIA GOVERNOR RACE’S SIGNIFICANCE: WILL BE ‘DIM MEMORY’ BY MIDTERMS

“Every election year Matt Cartwright proclaims ‘I work for you’ to the working-class voters of the 8th District. How could that be true as a member of the radical Progressive Caucus? It’s not. Matt Cartwright represents the radical left, and they own his vote,” Bresnahan told Fox News Digital in March. 

Cartwright’s campaign has defended him as “the most bipartisan Democrat in the House, having introduced more bipartisan bills than any other Democrat since coming to Congress.”

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All political eyes have been on Pennsylvania in recent months as the state emerged once again as a key battleground for the presidential race. Trump narrowly won the state in his successful 2016 election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while President Biden declared victory in the Keystone State in the 2020 election.

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Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.    



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Why AP called Pennsylvania for Trump

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Why AP called Pennsylvania for Trump


WASHINGTON (AP) — If it wasn’t a red wave in the nation’s most consequential battleground, there was at least a red swell.

Donald Trump reclaimed Pennsylvania by improving his margins across the state, shaving Democratic President Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Philadelphia, expanding his own dominance in rural parts of the state, and — at the time The Associated Press called the race at 2:24 a.m. ET — flipping key suburban counties to the GOP column.

Trump led the state by some 175,000 votes at the time the AP called the race. Even if Vice President Kamala Harris were to carry the outstanding votes — which included ballots from counties she was losing — by 20 points over Trump, she still would not be able to close the gap.

Trump’s victory showed up across the state. In populous suburban Philadelphia’s Bucks County and neighboring Northampton County, Trump was leading — two places seen as bellwethers that Biden won four years ago. Trump did several points better in the populous Philadelphia suburbs of Chester and Delaware. He was winning in Erie in the northwest corner of the state, which Biden took narrowly four years ago.

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Even in the Democratic stronghold of Philadelphia, Trump was doing 3 percentage points better than he did four years ago.

CANDIDATES: President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green).

WINNER: Trump

POLL CLOSING TIME: 8 p.m. ET

ABOUT THE RACE: The biggest contested prize this year, Pennsylvania saw dozens of visits by Harris and Trump — more than any state.

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The state was where Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler over the summer. He has appeared at rallies and events across the state and donned an apron at a McDonald’s in suburban Philadelphia in an effort to connect with voters.

Harris appeared at the site where George Washington crossed the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War to highlight her support from some Republicans disillusioned by Trump. She held a get-out-the-vote rally in Philadelphia — a major source of Democratic support — in the race’s waning days.

Trump carried the state by a single point in 2016, while Biden defeated him by 1 point in 2020.

Pennsylvania struggled with a relatively new early voting option, which permitted voters to request mail ballots that could be cast before Election Day.

Unlike early voting in other states that have polling places, Pennsylvania counties saw lines of people seeking to get early mail ballots in part after Trump and billionaire Elon Musk encouraged Republicans to embrace mail-in voting. In 2020, Trump said baselessly that mail ballots were rife with fraud.

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WHY AP CALLED THE RACE: Trump performed better in traditionally Democratic Philadelphia than Biden did four years ago and improved his margins in key populous suburban counties. The race was called when it became clear that even if Harris won the outstanding votes by a wider margin than she had been, she couldn’t close the gap.

___

Learn more about how and why the AP declares winners in U.S. elections at Explaining Election 2024, a series from The Associated Press aimed at helping make sense of the American democracy. The AP receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.





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