Vice President Kamala Harris rallied a large crowd in Erie County, Pennsylvania, a bellwether that has historically mirrored the state’s outcomes in the last four presidential elections. Harris intensified her criticism of Donald Trump, calling him unstable and a threat to American democracy, using video clips to highlight his extreme positions. She emphasized that a second Trump term would be dangerous for the country, particularly citing his efforts to control dissent and restrict women’s rights.
Harris’s rally marks the beginning of a critical week of campaigning in Northern battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, all of which are key to her chances of winning the upcoming election. Erie County, located in northwestern Pennsylvania, is seen as a pivotal region in deciding the state’s outcome, having voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020. Harris told the crowd that Erie County’s voting patterns often predict national results, urging voters to participate in the election.
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Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who won Erie County by a wide margin in his 2022 Senate race, echoed Harris’s sentiments, saying the county plays a crucial role in deciding elections. Fetterman also acknowledged that Trump has a strong connection with rural Pennsylvania, making the race particularly challenging, but emphasized that Harris doesn’t need to win rural areas — just reduce her losses there.
Harris’s campaign strategy involves targeting Black voters, especially in key cities like Detroit, and reaching out to suburban voters, including supporters of Republican primary candidate Nikki Haley, who may be uncomfortable with Trump. Her campaign is also focusing on listening to rural voters to better understand their concerns. Despite challenges in rural America, Harris’s team is confident that they can win Pennsylvania by appealing to reachable voters and narrowing margins in traditionally red areas.
Harris’s campaign will also focus on key appearances in Michigan and Wisconsin, two other crucial battlegrounds in the upcoming election. Stops are planned in major cities like Detroit, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, and Green Bay, where the campaign will emphasize issues that resonate with urban and suburban voters. These areas are critical for Harris to secure enough votes to compensate for potential losses in more rural regions.
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Her campaign is also making efforts to galvanize Black voters, a key demographic in states like Michigan. Notably, Harris’s upcoming event in Detroit will feature radio host Charlamagne Tha God as part of a broader strategy to mobilize Black men, a group where turnout has been lower in recent elections. Former President Barack Obama recently expressed concern about declining enthusiasm among Black voters, particularly men, urging more active engagement during his own campaign events in Pennsylvania.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate, is simultaneously making appearances in Wisconsin and western Pennsylvania. His role in the campaign includes connecting with rural and swing voters, as well as targeting Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which awards one critical electoral vote that could influence the overall election result.
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign is seizing on polls that suggest a tightening race, particularly in key battlegrounds. They’ve questioned Harris’s momentum, claiming it was overstated and is now fading as Election Day approaches. Trump’s team remains confident in their appeal to rural voters and their ability to repeat the success of 2016.
Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg acknowledged that rural America remains a tough challenge for Harris. She noted the impact of the decline in local media and the rise of isolated information ecosystems, which have made it more difficult for Democrats to connect with rural voters. Harris’s team, however, believes that by campaigning everywhere and employing a listening approach, they can minimize losses in red areas and focus on maximizing support in suburban and urban regions.
Harris’s strategy also includes attracting moderate Republicans and independents who supported candidates like Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. Her team sees this group, particularly suburban voters uncomfortable with Trump, as a potential key to expanding her coalition. Top campaign advisor Paulette Aniskoff emphasized the importance of outreach to these voters, highlighting their discomfort with Trump’s behavior and the potential for them to swing toward Harris in the final weeks.
In rural areas and small towns, Harris’s field program is designed to engage voters by listening to their concerns instead of delivering top-down messaging. This approach, according to Aniskoff, keeps interactions personal and allows the campaign to gather valuable insights into what matters to voters in these regions. The goal is not necessarily to flip these areas blue but to reduce the margins of defeat enough to tip the state’s electoral votes in Harris’s favor.
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Fetterman reinforced this point, suggesting that while winning rural Pennsylvania outright might be impossible, Harris’s path to victory lies in limiting Trump’s advantage in these areas. He predicted that the race in Pennsylvania could be tight, possibly closer than Biden’s 2020 win, but expressed confidence that Harris would ultimately carry the state.
With only three weeks left until Election Day, the Harris campaign is leaving nothing to chance, ramping up its efforts across the Blue Wall states while preparing for a tough battle in the rural and suburban regions that could decide the 2024 presidential race.
