Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, made an energetic visit to western Pennsylvania on Sunday, the day before the Democratic National Convention kicked off.
Less than 24 hours later, former President Trump held a rally at an indoor arena in Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania, where he proclaimed, “I love Pennsylvania.”
Pennsylvania has been and will continue to be a popular campaign destination, with its 19 electoral votes making it the biggest of the seven battleground states that could decide the outcome of the presidential election.
“We’re winning by a landslide in Pennsylvania,” Trump declared Saturday.
Trump’s running mate Vance aims to flip Democratic states to Republicans
Former President Trump pumps his fist after speaking during a campaign rally at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on August 17, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
But an average of all the polls conducted in Pennsylvania since Harris replaced President Biden as the top 2024 Democratic candidate four weeks ago shows them all tied.
And both campaigns are placing a lot of emphasis on the Keystone State.
After selecting Walz as her running mate, Harris made Philadelphia her first stop in her first battleground state election.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz kick off a bus tour of western Pennsylvania at Pittsburgh International Airport on August 18, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, are scheduled to return to Pennsylvania on Monday for separate events focused on the economy.
Harris and Trump in fierce battle for blue wall states
Pennsylvania, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, make up the Democrats’ “Blue Wall” states, where the party reliably won presidential elections for 25 years until Trump narrowly won all three states in 2016, taking the White House.
But four years later in 2020, Biden narrowly won all three districts, defeating Trump to win the presidency.
Both campaigns have invested heavily in Pennsylvania, spending billions on advertising and public relations. (Getty Images)
Harris and Waltz arrived in Pittsburgh on Sunday with their wives, Vice President Doug Emhoff and First Lady Gwen Waltz. The bus tour will depart from Pittsburgh airport and include stops in Allegheny and Beaver counties, which are considered swing states, according to the Harris campaign.
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Both campaigns have invested heavily in Pennsylvania, spending billions on advertising and public relations.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris (left), Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (right), and his wife Gwen Walz arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport on Sunday, August 18, 2024. (Photo by The Associated Press/Julia Nickinson) (AP Photo/Julia Nickinson)
But the Harris campaign boasts that its grassroots outreach and get-out-the-vote infrastructure, with 36 partner offices in partnership with the DNC and state parties, far eclipses the Trump-Vance campaign’s presence in Pennsylvania.
Not only will Pennsylvania be home to a slew of stops from candidates between now and November, but it will also feature the first and likely only debate between Harris and Trump on Sept. 10 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
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