With less than six weeks before Election Day, it’s no secret that the presidential election will be determined by just a handful of battleground states. This week, two of those places near and dear to my heart played a prominent role: my home state of Georgia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Former President Donald Trump was in the beautiful city of Savannah on Tuesday, and Vice President Kamala Harris made her economic pitch in the hard working city of Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
This week, I traveled 700 miles north to make my first campaign appearance on behalf of the Harris campaign in the Keystone State. It was a homecoming of sorts, having spent a few years there growing up in Westmoreland County (just outside of Pittsburgh). Additionally, I had the pleasure of playing minor league baseball in many illustrious baseball towns like Harrisburg, Williamsport and Reading, to name just a few.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
The purpose was simple: convince a sizable swath of the 147,000 Pennsylvania Republicans who cast a primary vote for former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to get off the couch in November and pull the lever for Harris. In a nation of more than 300 million people, 147,000 might sound like a drop in the bucket, but when you consider Trump won Pennsylvania by just 44,292 votes in 2016, it literally could make all the difference.
With its 20 electoral votes, Pennsylvania continues to be a huge part of the winning calculus for both sides. The Real Clear Politics average shows Harris up by less than a point.
Among the 100 people or so people at the event in Lancaster, three commonalities emerged.
First, most Republicans in attendance are tired of making excuses for Trump. For example, with all the challenges at home and abroad, many were shaking their heads in disbelief at the amount of time spent over the past two weeks doubling down on a debunked internet rumor about pets being eaten in Ohio. Of course, there were much larger issues on their minds as well, but, after eight long years, the Trump shtick is getting old once you stray beyond the disillusioned faithful.
Second, the Harris campaign is making it easier for reluctant Republicans to get on board. Not only is the tone welcoming and the arms open (they were handing out replicas of the “doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing” coaster from my speech at the Democratic National Convention), but they are also intentionally building a broader tent rather than applying a litmus test that appeals to only core supporters.
As someone who is undeniably right of center, I don’t agree with Harris on most policies, but that doesn’t matter in this election. In a race between her and Trump, it’s a no-brainer. Harris operates with a steadier hand, and, unlike the morally bankrupt Trump, she understands the difference between good and evil.
Finally, there is a positive growing recognition that voting for Harris in 2024 doesn’t require burning one’s GOP registration card. It’s a means to an end, a metaphorical circuit breaker and a path to a future beyond Trump.
With the balance of power in the Senate now trending Republican, there is also a realization that a Harris administration would face an immediate check and balance in the upper chamber. Her policy agenda would have little chance of moving forward if it strays more than a stone’s throw from the middle.
To that end, I wasn’t the only Georgia Republican in Pennsylvania this week. My trip coincided with Gov. Brian Kemp, who was campaigning with Dave McCormick, the GOP Senate candidate, in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Notably, Kemp was out of town for Trump’s visit to Savannah, the first high-profile visit for the former president since his summer meltdown when he insulted the uber popular Kemp during a prime-time rally. Though the two have awkwardly made amends since, the whole fiasco left deep wounds among Georgia Republicans. If Georgia doesn’t swing red in November, Trump’s childish behavior toward Kemp will be a major factor.
One thing is for sure: Neither Georgia nor Pennsylvania has seen their last of the candidates or surrogates. When the dust settles, the Peach State and the Keystone State will determine the outcome of this election. And if my trip to Pennsylvania this week is any indicator, the momentum is swinging Kamala Harris’ way.
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