VALLEY FORGE – Democrats executing on plans to pull more votes for Kamala Harris in rural areas, and to galvanize groups that Joe Biden might not have reached in quite the same way, also continue to work on blue collar Building Trades members, building on a classic turnout model in this gritty battleground state. Against that backdrop, the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee on Saturday night honored the Southeast Philadelphia leadership of the pipe trades, and the president of the Pennsylvania ALF-CIO at a big convention center party committee event.
It looks like the very bulldozed heart of America here, where the ghosts of Continental soldiers tread in the same wilderness-conquered mist that envelopes a massive golf course and casino. The vision of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kubla Khan competes with the pig iron environs of Issac Potts. Hustlers’ highways intersect with the National Patriots Bell Tower. If the GOP put up a bone-spur-riddled presidential candidate who called dead American soldiers “suckers and losers,” the Democrats on this evening populate the Stardust Casino, which fashions the phantasmagorias of a Trump-like world for supposedly “everyday folk.”
They came to King of Prussia to defeat a Republican nominee who wants to be the King of Prussia under the guise of the American presidency.
But they know winning Pennsylvania for the Harris-Walz ticket entails an unprecedented level of
commitment as Harris seeks this state’s 19 critical electoral votes. Remember, Harris’ predecessor, sitting President Biden, a native son of the Keystone State, won here by just a hair over a single percentage point: 3,458,229 to 3,377,674, or 50.01% to 48.84%.
Statistically tied with Trump in Pa, how does Harris win a state barely carried by a guy from Scranton?
Pennsylvania Democratic State Party Chairman Sharif Street has some ideas. More than ideas at this point. He’s in battle mode. Earlier in the evening, the chairman spoke at a rally for women supporters of Harris-Walz in another corner of the hotel and casino. Later, he powwowed with party faithful fundraisers in the convention center and presided at a ceremony anchored by the guest presence of Maya Harris (pictured, top), sister of the Democratic nominee for President.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz brought a level of enthusiasm that’s helpful,” Street told InsiderNJ.
“Some of what we’ve historically done is certainly still there. We’ve got a tremendous amount of energy in traditionally Democratic areas like Philadelphia and Montgomery County and Alleghany County, but they [Harris-Walz] have made a real effort to reach out to rural areas. We have Obama Trump voters. These are people who voted for Barack Obama twice and then Trump in 2016 [Trump beat Hillary Clinton in Pa. that year – barely – 48.18% to 47.46%]. We’ve got some of those people back because of the efforts of Harris and Walz. They’re also going to bring back young people. Each election is unique but they are bringing back some of the Obama-like magic. It’s special. Harris and Walz do it in such a upbeat and joyous way while Donald Trump [campaigning in Butler on this day with Elon Musk] is so viscerally negative and hateful. They contrast themselves but not in a way that divides us. Donald Trump makes us feel bad about our country, ourselves, and our neighbors. They are bringing back positivity to politics.”
But what about the labor piece, in particular male-dominated Building Trades labor? The Biden-Harris Administration has poured $400 billion into infrastructure projects, giving the Building Trades ten years’ worth of jobs here in Pennsylvania, a point Jimmy Williams, General President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, made at a labor rally earlier in the day. But while Harris enjoys a 15-percentage point lead over Trump nationally on economic issues, an NPR-PBS News-Marist survey shows the gender gap widening in this presidential contest. According to that poll, “nearly 6 in 10 men, 57 percent, supported Trump, while 41 percent backed the vice president. Harris led the ex-president with women, amassing 58 percent support to Trump’s 40 percent.”
Street hears the word on the street, and he knows they’re going to need a heavy labor street presence and street smarts to settle in their favor the colliding Trump-Harris roadshows.
“Tonight we’re [the Democratic party] honoring Pa. AFL-CIO President Angela Ferrito, and all three Southeast Philadelphia pipe trades leaders Jimmy Snell [Steamfitters #420, Secretary-Treasurer], Wayne Miller [Sprinkler Fitters #692], and George Pegram [Plumbers #690], who are really critical in helping to secure a hydrogen hub,” said the chairman. “That is a way we’re creating strong union jobs while shrinking our carbon footprint. Donald Trump always casts it as in order to shrink the carbon footprint we have to sacrifice jobs and burn the planet. The reality is we can do both and our tradesmen understand that.”
Mike Veon, a campaign adviser and political consultant to Democrats and Labor, broke down Harris’ Pennsylvania path to victory.
“We understand Kamala Harris is not going to do as well as Joe Biden in Northeastern Pennsylvania – in Scranton, in Lackawanna County and those other counties, there’s no question about that,” said Veon. “Joe Biden had votes from older white men that are probably not available to her. However, in the center of the state, there is great evidence that she can exceed Joe Biden’s margins, in places like Lancaster. She will do a couple points better there, and in places like Dauphin County. We’re seeing that in our door knocking data and in our phone banking data.”
Trump’s Supreme Court picks, which scrapped Roe v. Wade certainly especially newly galvanizes women voters in this election for Harris, who seek reproductive freedom protections.
“It [Harris campaign energy] starts with women and even with some of the younger voters,” Veon said. “It’s a different coalition that what Biden had – a slightly different coalition. We’ve been encouraged by smaller counties where Joe Biden got 20%, for example. Activist Democrats in those areas understand their mission is to do one or two percent more what he received in 2020. That’s doable. You can’t win in rural parts, but you can do one or two percent better. Joe Biden won the state by one percent. There are about 9,000 precincts in the state.” They add ten votes per precinct, and they bypass Biden’s margin from last time. “Any Democrat anywhere can add votes to their precinct totals,” said Veon. “We have them laser focused on that doable mission.”
Take rural Westmoreland County, for example, which borders Alleghany in the west, a part of the state still reeling from 20th Century deindustrialization. Trump won Westmoreland in 2020, 130K to 72K.
“We’re seeing extraordinary enthusiasm,” said Westmoreland Democratic Committee Chair Michele Milan-McFall, a newly elected member of the Democratic National Committee. “We were seeing 150% more volunteers, even before Joe Biden passed the torch to Kamala Harris. This is not just volunteers but people making contributions. We’re seeing Republicans coming in on a regular basis.” If Northeast Philly Dems are tearing their hair out over Fox News-rattled members, Milan-McFall sees significant breakaways by Trump-reviling Republicans in her home county.
Honored by Democrats Saturday night as the history-making first female president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Angela Ferrito, said it finally comes down to voter turnout, that old indomitable campaigns and elections subjugator. “We’ve really ramped up our entire program across the state,” Ferrito told InsiderNJ. “What does that mean? It means knocking on doors, conversations in the workplace, and an aggressive mail campaign. We’re across the entire state operating out of central labor councils, with more work happening in targeted areas. Obviously, the top of the ballot is most important. We’re doing our work every day to get out to members so they can hear about the issues that impact them and how policy impacts those issues – and politicians have the ultimate say on those policies. We want voting members to remember that we are all in this together and everything we do for this movement we do through the lens of a better tomorrow. We need to protect what we have as union members so more of our friends and family can prosper and exercise their rights to become union.”
In the tangle of highways where the craps tables dead end on the Daughters of the American Revolution-funded bell tower in the shadow of the Stardust Casino, confluences beyond the cynical drive believers on the battleground state march to Nov. 5th, 2024.
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In a move that could potentially shift the political landscape in Pennsylvania, Democrats in Harrisburg are forming a new coalition aimed at advancing progressive policies and challenging the current Republican-controlled legislature. The coalition, which includes a diverse group of lawmakers, activists, and community leaders, is seen as a response to the growing frustration among Democrats over the lack of progress on key issues such as healthcare, education, and environmental protection.
The formation of the coalition comes at a critical time for Pennsylvania Democrats, who have been struggling to gain traction in the state legislature. Despite winning the governorship in 2018, Democrats have been unable to pass significant legislation due to the Republican majority in both the House and Senate. This has led to growing calls for a more unified and strategic approach to advancing progressive policies in the state.
One of the key goals of the new coalition is to build a strong grassroots movement that can mobilize voters and pressure lawmakers to support progressive policies. By working together, Democrats hope to create a more cohesive and effective strategy for advancing their agenda in Harrisburg.
In addition to mobilizing voters, the coalition also aims to build alliances with other progressive organizations and advocacy groups in Pennsylvania. By working together, Democrats believe they can amplify their voices and increase their influence in the state legislature.
The formation of the coalition has already sparked excitement among Democrats in Pennsylvania, who see it as a promising step towards building a more progressive and inclusive political movement in the state. With the 2022 midterm elections on the horizon, Democrats are hopeful that the coalition will help them gain momentum and make significant gains in the state legislature.
Overall, the formation of the new coalition in Harrisburg represents a significant development in Pennsylvania politics. By coming together and working towards a common goal, Democrats are hoping to create a more powerful and effective force for change in the state. Only time will tell if the coalition will be successful in advancing its agenda, but one thing is clear: Pennsylvania Democrats are ready to fight for a more progressive future.
