Harris and Walz to Campaign Across Pennsylvania by Bus Before DNC
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz are heading to southwestern Pennsylvania on Sunday for a bus campaign in the hopes of harnessing the enthusiasm surrounding Harris’s candidacy and carrying it into their party’s nominating convention in Chicago this week.
The duo, accompanied by their spouses, Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, will be engaging with voters in the Pittsburgh area as they hop on and off the bus throughout the day. Harris and Emhoff are slated to deliver speeches at an event in the borough of Rochester, located in Beaver County, a region that favored Donald Trump in 2020 but ultimately voted for Democrat Joe Biden in the general election.
Southwestern Pennsylvania holds crucial significance as part of a key battleground state that has historically attracted the attention of presidential candidates. With both Harris and Trump vying for support in Pennsylvania, polls, including those by the New York Times/Siena College and Fox News, show the two in a tight race across the state.
Trump recently held a rally in Wilkes-Barre, emphasizing his efforts to secure Pennsylvania, following previous rallies in Harrisburg and Butler earlier this year. The upcoming bus tour will mark Harris’s eighth visit to Pennsylvania in 2024 and her second trip this month.
Analysts believe that the Pittsburgh area, particularly Allegheny County, which is home to a mix of urban, suburban, and rural residents, represents a pivotal region with voters yet to decide on their preferred candidate. In the 2020 election, Biden won Allegheny County with a significant margin, while Trump took neighboring Beaver County, highlighting the importance of engaging with voters in these areas.
Given the significance of southwestern Pennsylvania in the election outcome, both candidates are actively seeking support in the region. Biden’s previous success in flipping the state in 2020 by rallying blue-collar labor unions demonstrates the area’s political importance.
On the other hand, Trump’s focus on appealing to white, working-class voters through protectionist trade policies and energy production initiatives resonates with the blue-collar communities in southwestern Pennsylvania. Notably, Pennsylvania has emerged as the nation’s second-largest natural gas producer, benefitting counties like Washington, where the natural gas industry has thrived.
As Harris embarks on her bus tour through Pennsylvania, political experts anticipate that she will leverage her campaign’s momentum to connect with voters in the region and garner local media coverage. The strategic move aims to sustain the enthusiasm surrounding her candidacy and shift the focus away from her opponent.
Bus tours have become a signature component of political campaigns, offering candidates the opportunity to engage with voters in intimate settings and receive substantial media coverage. Past campaigns, including President Obama’s “Betting on America” bus tour and Biden’s “No Malarkey” tour, have utilized this strategy to connect with voters on a personal level.
With the Democratic National Convention set to kick off this week, Harris and Walz’s bus campaign in southwestern Pennsylvania highlights the critical role of battleground states like Pennsylvania in shaping the outcome of the presidential race.
