Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, a key district that was Democratic for decades until the Trump administration.
Former President Trump transformed the state's political landscape in 2016 when he ran as the Republican candidate and won in Luzerne and neighboring blue-collar, union-heavy counties such as Schuylkill, Columbia and Northumberland.
But many at Harris' Wilkes-Barre rally predicted that trend was coming to an end.
Jill Purdy, a resident of Northampton County who switched to Republican status in 2016 but voted for Biden in 2020, said Harris' strengths will be outlining her plan to revive the economy and meeting with foreign leaders.
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“What resonated with me was what Trump said at the end. [of the debate]”'I have a planning concept,'” said Purdy, the teacher. “So what is a planning concept? Nobody can get by on concepts alone. You have to have something in your back pocket.”
“So I wish she'd… put in a little bit more effort, and hopefully we'll hear more before the election. But she [her plan] It's working.”
Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Leadership Conference in Washington, September 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
In Northampton County, the smokestacks and coke plants of Bethlehem Steel once belched smoke around the clock, symbolizing steady, well-paying union jobs in the Lehigh Valley.
Today, its iron chimney serves as a backdrop for the casino and other smaller venues that occupy the remainder of the former site, and serves as a quiet reminder of the area's industrial past.
Similarly, in nearby Macungie, Mack Trucks, now owned by Volvo, still produces vehicles bearing the Bulldog logo in Macungie, although its former “world headquarters” nearby is now vacant after the company was acquired.
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Even in 1981, singer Billy Joel's song “Allentown” spoke of the area's decline in industrial power, a problem that continues to this day.
Since 2016, groups like the Trump Auto Workers have formed over concerns about the Biden administration's environmental policies and the offshoring of jobs, and Teamsters President Sean O'Brien became the first such union leader to speak at the Republican National Convention.
But for voters like Purdy, Harris remains her region's best hope, she said.
Anti-Trump protesters sit outside Harris' rally in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. (Charlie Kreitz)
“I have a lot of Trump supporters in my neighborhood,” she said, “but I'm a teacher, so I know a lot about unions, and I think unions are for the 'average worker,' so to speak. People who do regular jobs will support the practicality of what Harris is saying.”
In contrast, she argued that Trump's reassuring statements were “just words.”
“Most people [part] Many in the trade unions are beginning to truly understand that.”
Asked about President Trump's push back against energy workers and autoworkers like Mac on environmental regulations, Purdy said he was willing to concede on that point.
“I don't have enough information to know if I've heard anything about this… Personally, I think Kamala probably has a more logical path. [on the topic]” she said.
“[Harris] “I've definitely changed my mind a little bit about fracking and stuff like that. It's OK to change your mind for logical reasons. I'm concerned about the environment, but I don't know what other people really think.”
Purdy said that as a teacher union member, he is concerned that Trump will abolish the federal Department of Education.
The Cabinet Office was established by former President Carter, and the 1980 Republican platform included abolishing the new agency.
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Meanwhile, rally attendees Christian and Annette, who traveled to Wilkes-Barre from nearby Hanover Township, took issue with President Trump's response to the affordable housing crisis.
Fox News Digital asked about the difference in gas prices now compared to when his term ended and similar trends in the housing market.
“I don't believe anything Trump says,” Annette replied. “He lies.”
“reason [gas] “The reason it was a dollar cheaper in the first place is because no one was on the roads. Because of COVID-19,” Christian added, recalling empty Pennsylvania roads in 2020.
Annette said Harris “really wants to help us.”
“I think Harris is really a friend to the middle class,” she said. “Trump always wants to brag about how much money he has.”
Harris-Waltz supporters arrived in Wilkes-Barre in police-style vehicles bearing the campaign logo. (Charlie Kreitz)
Behind the venue on Franklin Street, Joe Granteed sat on a chair along the main northbound road and held a sign warning rally-goers and Wilkes University students not to buy any of the merchandise Harris was selling.
Granteed, who lives in neighboring Plains, said it took him a while to think up what to write on the large poster facing traffic.
“I think she's desperate,” he said of Harris. “She needs to pick up some of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania belongs to Trump.”
“Do not fall for her lies. She preys on your youth and inexperience. They promised unity and prosperity but we have fallen into chaos, strife and division,” Granteed's sign read.
Granteed also suggested that Trump was treated unfairly by the ABC News moderators during the “three-on-one” debate.
Meanwhile, on Main Street, Chris M. traveled all the way from Manchester, New Hampshire to hear Harris speak.
Chris said Trump was a political force until Harris came along.
“He beat about 16 other guys in 2016,” Chris says. “Nobody knew what to do with him until she came along.”
Former President Trump addressed the crowd during halftime of the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. (Jeff Blake/USA Today Sports)
While Chris said he “hates Trump,” he acknowledged that the Republican candidate was likely the one who came up with the “no tip tax” plan that both candidates announced at the same time last month amid continuing inflation.
“I heard the latest thing he said. [Friday] “As for taxes. I think that's a good idea,” he added.
“[But] “That's a weakness under the Biden-Harris administration, and yet Harris isn't afraid to address it, so I don't know,” he said, adding that inflation is not as bad as it was under former President George W. Bush in 2008.
Kelly Jones, of suburban Dallas, who was waiting in line to get into the McHale Center, said Harris “is really an advocate for middle-class policies and growing an economy that works for workers.”
“Contrast that with the takeover of our country by the rich, corporate greed and interests that aren't ours.”
Jones called Harris' housing plan “wonderful” and said it would help his daughters finally get out of the house.
“She presents herself as an ally of the working class and wants to take our money and give it back to us,” she said.
When asked about energy prices and the overall crisis of high gasoline prices, Jones said the president has “very little” to do with gasoline prices because they are supported by federal subsidies and “Republican tax cuts.”
