HARRISBURG, Pa. — On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will engage in a political contest across Pennsylvania, each addressing their respective audiences at opposite corners of the state. Harris will gather supporters in Erie, located in the northwest, while Trump will speak to his followers in the southeastern suburbs of Philadelphia.
Both figures have been actively campaigning in this critical swing state, which hosts the largest number of electoral votes in the country. This marks Harris’ tenth visit to Pennsylvania during the current campaign, and just last week Trump made stops in both Scranton and Reading to galvanize support.
As mail-in voting progresses, topics such as the state’s energy sector and natural gas fracking are anticipated focal points of discussion. With informal polling indicating that approximately 7 million residents may participate in the presidential election, candidates are vying for the undecided voters who remain on the fence.
In the 2016 election, Trump managed to secure Pennsylvania by a slim margin, winning by over 40,000 votes against Hillary Clinton. Conversely, Joe Biden, a native of Scranton, surpassed Trump by about 80,000 votes in the 2020 election.
Harris will host a rally in Erie—a city with approximately 94,000 residents that leans Democratic but is bordered by areas with a notable Republican presence. Items such as the county’s mixed electoral history make Erie County a significant region to monitor, often serving as an indicator of broader statewide voting trends. Trump previously visited this area on September 29.
Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to lead a town hall event at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds in Oaks, aiming to energize his supporter base ahead of the election.
Those 19 electoral votes in Pennsylvania make it a prime target for presidential candidates, further emphasized by the state’s history of being a battleground in critical elections. Despite Democrats clinching the last three gubernatorial races and both of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seats being occupied by Democrats, the legislature remains closely contested, revealing a landscape where both parties have recently succeeded in statewide races.
