In yet another bit of huge news for former President Donald Trump as he battles Vice President Kamala Harris in the last month leading up to the November election, he has gotten yet more good news from Pennsylvania. There, not only has he flipped a historically blue county red in terms of voter registration, but it also looks like a historically blue-leaning demographic will vote for him.
That demographic was reported upon by The Philadelphia Inquirer, which reported on Wednesday, October 2, that working-class voters in Philadelphia, voters that historically lean very much to the left, are looking like they will vote red in this election. The Inquirer found as much by examining trends amongst the city’s poorer wards and districts, finding that they’re shifting red after years of being solidly blue.
In fact, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the change is significant and is shaping up to be a huge problem for Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as the city holds a whopping 20% of Pennsylvania’s Democratic voters but is losing the most Democratic voters out of any city in Pennsylvania in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
The Philadelphia Inquirer cited an example of a 27-year-old working-class voter named Gabriel Lopez. Mr. Lopez registered as a Democrat for the 2016 election and voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. However, he has since changed his registration to Republican and says he will vote for Trump.
Speaking to the outlet, Mr. Lopez noted how much better things were under Trump, saying, “Democrats keep saying [former President Trump] is going to bring down the economy, but he was already president for four years, and taxes were lower.” He continued, “We’re tired of the same politics. We got a different type of guy, and the people actually love him.” And, commenting on his decision and the decision of those like him to lean red this time, the outlet reported:
Lopez embodies one of Democrats’ biggest problems in Pennsylvania: working-class voters in Philadelphia, a once reliable voting bloc for the party, have drifted right in recent years. And they’ve been disproportionately affected by rising prices over the last several years, an issue many blame Democrats for.
Another former Democrat voter who was reported on by The Philadelphia Inquirer was a retired semi-truck driver Jim Kohn. A registered Democrat, Mr. Kohn noted that prices are his main issue, as they have risen so much in recent years after being reasonably cheap under Trump. He said, “When Trump was president, everything was cheaper. Now, everything is so sky-high.”
There are still, of course, Democrats in the city who are still all in for Harris and the Democrats. One, Álvarez Febo, a Democrat, told the outlet, “Many of us have people in our families who have gone to jail, or gone to schools that have failed us. We’re not trustful of the government. Then you have someone like Trump, who is a liar, and for some people, it’s like, ‘you know something? He’s an honest representation of what we feel.’” He added, “They’re saying Kamala is going to save our democracy. That means very little for people who can’t keep the lights on.”
Watch independent voters like those who could tip the scales in Pennsylvania speak to Dr. Phil about the election here:
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