Nicholas Peiffer isn’t sure he will vote in November.
Along with his mother, Peiffer, 21, owns a small skateboard shop in downtown Chambersburg, just across the street from the Franklin County Courthouse.
“I know things aren’t great right now, but I’ve never been very political. Since I turned 18, my parents really want me to register to vote,” Peiffer said as he strummed away on his guitar on a late Wednesday afternoon just three months before the November election.
His parents, registered Republicans, are strong supporters of former President Donald Trump.
“I’m leaning towards Trump, if I am going to vote. I definitely wasn’t going to vote for Biden and I haven’t heard anything good about (Vice President) Kamala (Harris). When Trump was in office, I was able to afford items at the grocery store.”
Potential voters such as Peiffer could likely sway the presidential race, not just in Pennsylvania, but across the nation.
Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is seen by the campaigns and political experts as a key battleground. Voters in communities along the state’s historic 200-mile stretch of the Lincoln Highway that traverses southern rural communities could be a deciding factor.
Communities that make up Pennsylvania’s heartland pushed Trump to a 40,000-vote victory in Pennsylvania in 2016.
Four years later, Trump again saw strong support there but won by slightly slimmer margins in traditionally Republican counties. This paved the way for President Joe Biden and the Democrats to win Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes.
What was just a month ago a Trump-Biden rematch is now a very different race between Trump and Harris.
For potential voters who live along the Lincoln Highway from Lancaster through historic Gettysburg, Chambersburg and Everett, a small borough about 90 miles east of Pittsburgh in ruby red Bedford County, the new dynamics of the presidential race might change minds.
Or, as in Peiffer’s case, they could be the difference needed to persuade them to cast a ballot this fall.
Lancaster County is home to more than 352,000 voters, with nearly 51% registered Republicans.
Trump won the county in 2016 with more than 57% of the vote. He received about 23,000 more votes four years later, but his margin of victory in the county decreased as Biden outperformed Hilary Clinton there by more than 25,000 votes.
Matthew Grant of Lancaster said he’s no Trump fan but can’t be persuaded to support the new Democratic ticket. He said he won’t vote in November.
“They’re all crooks. I don’t vote because it doesn’t get any better. I liked (former President Barack) Obama, but Trump’s policies are OK. If he would just shut his mouth, it would be better,” Grant said.
Grant’s girlfriend said she’s all in on Trump, despite his public persona, which she called troubling.
“I just know that when he was president, the economy was better. There were more jobs,” said Jennifer Stefanick.
Sharon Rice, 62, also said she’s not sure she’ll vote in November with neither Trump nor Biden as a viable option. The new Democratic ticket has her reconsidering.
“I can’t stand Trump,” Rice said. “If I vote for anybody, it will be for Harris.”
Sergio Borrero, 23, of Lancaster said he will continue to back a third option, independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“He represents issues I feel are important,” Borrero said. “I know the argument is it’s a wasted vote, but people should vote on principles, not because one candidate is bad. I vote my principles of what is important to me.”
In Adams County, where Trump won 66% of the vote in both 2016 and 2020, voters said their views remain unchanged.
Nicki Showers, 51, and Deb Claybaugh, 67, both of Gettysburg, said they remain reluctantly behind Trump. They said they they are most concerned about border security, and the change from Biden to Harris will have no impact on their vote in November.
”I did vote for Trump when he first ran and again in 2020. I have been highly disappointed with his verbiage, what comes out of his mouth, but I’m not willing to vote for Harris,” Claybaugh said.
Tee Renee, 27, of Gettysburg said she hasn’t voted in the past two elections, but the change to Harris as the Democratic candidate may impact her decision in November.
“I didn’t vote for Trump, but, if Biden was staying in office, I would have voted for Trump,” Renee said. “I don’t know much about Kamala, but I know my mother likes her, so maybe.”
In Chambersburg, the Franklin County seat, voters backed Trump with more than 71% of the vote in 2016 and by a similar margin four years later.
It’s a county with a heavy Republican voter registration edge, but also one where about 14% of voters are registered as independent or third-party voters.
Still, there are pockets of Democratic support energized by the change from Biden to Harris.
Tommy Hoy, a 43-year-old bar manager and musician, said he is dismayed by the heavy support Trump has received from his friends and neighbors. He backed Biden in 2020 and said he’s excited by the Harris campaign.
“I am all for her,” Hoy said. “Trump is a terrible human being. I am all for someone who is not intent on being a dictator.”
Tyler Mickley, 36, isn’t sure he will vote and was not overly supportive of Biden. But he said the change to Harris might be enough to get him to vote Democrat in November.
In Everett, a small town of about 1,700 in Bedford County, support for Trump remains high. Trump secured more than 80% of the vote there in both 2016 and 2020, one of the widest margins of victory for him in Pennsylvania during the past two elections.
“Democrats have lost their minds,” said the owner of the Juniata Hotel bar in Everett’s downtown business district. He declined to give his name, citing the divisive political rhetoric he said could result in retribution from government entities with opposing ideologies.
Dr. Herb Simmons, 75, a child psychologist and former Democrat who switched party affiliations six years ago, said Trump, whom he described as a “buffoon,” is the only viable option for his vote.
“Although I believe he is dishonest, he has us pointing in the right direction. (Ohio Sen. J.D.) Vance is a great complement to Trump, and (Harris) is an idiot,” Simmons said.
He suggested Democrats erred in not selecting Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as Harris’ running mate.
“It would have affected some fence sitters in Pennsylvania, but it wouldn’t change my vote,” Simmons said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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Publish date : 2024-08-10 22:00:00
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