MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) traveled to the Keystone State last week to boost two Republican House members in battleground districts who are trailing former President Donald Trump in the polls. He told the Post he was confident in “everything.” Star candidate. ”
Johnson's journey begins Thursday in the Lehigh Valley, where longtime state Rep. Ryan McKenzie is running against Rep. Susan Wilde, a third-term House Democrat with a history of controversy.
At a luncheon at a key Northampton County country club, Johnson described Congressman McKenzie as “one of my favorites,” while also appealing to traditionally liberal voters (Hispanics) who are skeptical of Kamala Harris. He explained why he believes voters (including black and Jewish voters) will turn to the Republican Party. This year's party.
“When they calculate the other side of this, [election]it will show that we have had a real, real, and I think lasting demographic shift in the electorate,” Johnson said.
The Republican challenger faces an uphill battle against Wilde, even though Mr Johnson has praised Mr McKenzie's “mainstream” approach to the office.
a muhlenberg college poll shows McKenzie leading the Democratic Party by a 6-point margin (51% to 45%) in the crucial 7th District. The same poll shows Trump trailing Harris by just 3 points (50% to 47%).
Johnson also stopped in Cumberland County on Friday for one of his key members, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry.
Six-term incumbent Perry, who was involved in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, faces an unusually tough challenge from Janelle Stelson, a longtime central Pennsylvania news anchor, in the state's 10th Congressional District. I am doing it.
Despite running as a Democrat in a red-heavy district, Susquehanna reports Stelson has a 9-point lead over Perry (48% to 39%). public opinion poll It was released on Wednesday. The same poll shows Trump trailing Harris in the district by just 5 percentage points (46% to 41%).
Asked how the party can improve its shady ground game while keeping House candidates competitive, Johnson said he believes in the “grassroots efforts” of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, and that the incumbent House members have He told the Post that his contributions will give him a chance of winning.
“I think they're all going to win because they're all great senators who've made a huge contribution,” Johnson said of McKenzie and Perry, whom he called “all-star candidates.”
The speaker went on to point out the liberal track record in the Senate, contrasting it with Harris' “pure fantasy” campaign.
“Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party are currently running a campaign about pure fantasy. It's more fantasy than fact,” Johnson said of Veep.
“They're trying to make us believe she's someone we all know she's not.”
