President-elect Trump’s victory represents shift in Pennsylvania politics

PITTSBURGH — In Allegheny County Vice President Kamala Harris defeated former President Donald Trump by a nearly 20% margin, but as the votes were tallied on Tuesday evening across Pennsylvania it became clear that the former president had pulled off a victory.

Channel 11 News is breaking down how Trump was able to flip Pennsylvania from blue to red in just four years.

Political observers explain reasons voters picked Trump over Harris

“Last night we saw Donald Trump have a really great comeback across America, but also throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said Dr. Dana Brown, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics.

In 2020, President Joe Biden was able to defeat Trump in Pennsylvania by a small margin of 1.7%, or just 80,000 votes. The Harris campaign hoped to widen that margin in both urban and suburban areas, but exit polls show the campaign fell short.

“Donald Trump overperformed in the rural and some suburban areas, and the Harris campaign was unable to battle that back,” Brown explained.

For example, in 2020 Biden won Erie County, this year Trump secured the vote flipping it red, likewise in Lackawanna County where Biden’s hometown of Scranton is located, he won in 2020. While Harris also defeated Trump this year the margin was much smaller.

2020

ERIE:

BIDEN: 49.6%

TRUMP 48.6%

LACKAWANA:

BIDEN: < 53%

TRUMP 45.3%

2024

ERIE:

HARRIS: 48.8%

TRUMP: 50.2%

LACKAWANA:

HARRIS: 51%

TRUMP: 48%

Experts also said that even though the Trump campaign never clearly stated a full economic plan, many voters, especially in Pennsylvania, perceived that he could better address inflation.

“If you compare PA to the nation, we are a little bit whiter a little bit older which might be a little bit more ripped for a Donald Trump message on the economy,” said Brown. She added, “When you take a look at the exit polls it does show that the economy was the most salient issue, and the voters who stated that then ended up voting for Donald Trump.”

Trump also made gains in all target groups from 2020 to 2024.

Amongst suburban white women, young voters, and independents, and particularly amongst Latino men Trump was able to pick up voters.

“You see that story coming out of Hazelton Pennsylvania there is a strong Latino population there and Donald Trump and the campaign made inroads there and across the commonwealth and nation,” said Brown.

According to exit polls and results from the Associated Press Harris won 54 percent of the female vote, but the gender gap was not as wide as experts had initially anticipated. She also underperformed with young people, while Trump was able to somehow flip low earners.

Among voters who make $50,000 are less Trump won by a 49-48 margin.

“He improved his performance amongst all those demographics, Black men there was an improved performance, Latino men, white women held on for him,” said Brown.

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