A key swing county in Pennsylvania located just a few miles southwest of President Biden's birthplace is tipping in favor of Republicans in voter registration numbers, county party district officials confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Luzerne County, home to Democratic stronghold Wilkes-Barre and surrounded by working-class cities such as Hazleton and Pittston, is currently bright red, with at least 83 more Republicans on the list than Democrats as of Thursday. many.
“I want to thank the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party Platform. It's the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party Platform that inspired people to leave the party and become the Republican Party,” Luzerne County Republican Party District 119 Chairman TJ Fitzgerald said Thursday.
“They get most of the credit, and rightfully so. [GOP] It's the grassroots and the people themselves. ”
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Fitzgerald, who represents the Nanticoke, Sugar Notch and Plymouth areas within the county party organization, said the Luzerne County Republican Party, early voting action leader Scott Pressler and Trump Force had new registrants filed with the clerk's office. He said it was a joint effort by the organization. office.
A Pennsylvania welcome sign will welcome drivers on Route 222 from Maryland to Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania in 2022. (Charlie Crates)
Fitzgerald claimed there are also thousands of voter registration forms that Wilkes-Barre County officials have yet to process. Citing information from recent meetings he attended, he said trends suggest about two-thirds of the vote could go to Republicans.
Fitzgerald also leads a separate grassroots group, Luzerne County Republicans, and added that the group's work is likely to make a difference in key races this fall. He cited races between Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey Jr. and David McCormick, and Pennsylvania Reps. Matt Cartwright and Rob Bresnahan.
“Many state legislators have endorsed Donald Trump, and I think they will be on board as well,” he added.
Luzerne is home to former Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pennsylvania), but neighboring Lackawanna County is best known for Democrats Joe Biden and Casey and their late father.
Luzerne County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Shubila reacted to the news and said his focus is on actually getting voters to the polls.
“There's something about this. [the Republicans] “We've been talking about it for a while,” he said. [voters] Whether you returned your mail-in ballot or whether you can vote early…so that's not my main focus.
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Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris listens to former President Trump's speech during the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on September 10, 2024. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“I really don't think it's going to be a game changer either way. … What if they don't go?”
Shuvira said Luzerne has long been a “purple county” and Pennsylvania prefers “split voting.”
“Is this what I wanted to see? No. … But at the end of the day, we're working hard to make sure voters get to the polls.
“The enrollment numbers may not necessarily be in our direction this time, but we feel like we can overcome that enrollment number at some point,” he said. “Again, we are going to work with Luzerne County to make this election a great one.”
The county recently welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris to Wilkes University, which Shubila said was a “fun” event that drew a large number of supporters.
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The former Central Scranton Expressway (now the Presidential Biden Expressway) branches off from Interstate 81 just north of the Lackawanna-Luzerne county line. (Charles Crates)
“We were able to see a lot of people participate for the first time, or for the first time in a very long time,” he said, adding that some of those supporters hadn't been as active since 2008, when Barack Obama entered politics. He added that some people may not be participating.
In this regard, Luzerne County voted for the Illinois Democratic Party before supporting Trump in his last two presidential bids, even though Luzerne County had a Democratic majority in voter registration at the time.
Before that, the last Republican to win in a working-class county was George H.W. Bush, who ran against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in 1988.
