Less than two weeks before Election Day, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making their latest attempt to shore up voter support. The Harris and Trump campaigns are not abandoning their goal: focuses on Pennsylvania as the key to victory.
The Keystone State lives up to its name, as it will likely be crucial in determining statehood 2024 presidential election. Both campaigns have full agendas in Pennsylvania this week.
The vice president will do that hold a town hall tonight in Aston, Delaware County. Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, will make campaign stops in Philadelphia on Friday.
But first, Harris stopped at Famous 4th Street Deli in the city’s Queen Village neighborhood.
The deli has been a famous meeting place for politicians from Barack Obama and Al Gore to Ed Rendell and city party leaders.
Harris was joined by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and spoke to a packed house of supporters inside and took a few selfies. Harris also stressed that we are under the two-week mark – in the home leg – and that the impact of supporters and organizers would be felt in November.
But how many voters are still this close to the election?
“In terms of who is persuadable, I think about people who were those swing voters, right? Whether they were Obama for Trump, and then Trump for Biden, we’re watching those voters pretty closely,” Lauren Cristella, the president and CEO of Committee of Seventy, said. “And then there are a lot of people who have renounced their party membership. While the overall number of Republicans has increased, there is a certain segment of the Republican Party that has relinquished their Republican registration and is now unaffiliated or a third party.”
Current voter registration numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of State show fewer voters are registering as Democrats and the number of Republicans is increasing. But there has also been an increase in the number of registrations for other parties or as a non-affiliated party.
Cristella said even if 1% of people are still undecided, that could make a difference in a state like Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Trump will meet in State College on Saturday. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, will hold a town hall in Harrisburg on Saturday.
Both parties continue at breakneck speed Election Day.
Trump was in North Carolina for the second day in a row on Tuesday, where he claimed Harris is “totally unfit for office.” He did the same with the retired generals who served under his government.
“What a stupid group of people they were,” Trump said. “[Gen. James]Mattis, [Gen. Mark] Miley.”
An article published Tuesday by The Atlantic claims that Trump said in a private conversation while in office: “I need the kind of generals Hitler had. People who were completely loyal to him, who followed orders.”
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has denied this claim.
Walz responded Tuesday to Hitler’s alleged comments while punching in Wisconsin.
“As a 24-year veteran of our military,” Walz said, “this sickens me to death.”
Previously former President Barack Obama joined Walz on the road in Wisconsin. Before joining Walz in Wisconsin, Obama rallied for the Harris campaign in Detroit, Michigan rapper Eminem introduces him.
“What I can’t understand is why anyone would think Donald Trump is going to shake things up in a way that’s good for you,” Obama said.
Obama will be in Philadelphia on Monday for one rally and concert with rock star Bruce Springsteen from New Jersey.
Meanwhile, Harris swapped the campaign stage for sitdown interviews and told NBC News she would not compromise on abortion rights.
“I don’t think we should compromise when we’re talking about a fundamental freedom to make decisions about your own body,” Harris told NBC News.
Harris also said she and her team are ready if Trump prematurely declares victory on Election Day.
Trump will be in the area again next week as the former president will hold a roundtable in Drexel Hill, Delaware County.
