Texas Weekly Online

Menu
Menu
Facebook Twitter Youtube

Author:

Trends are good in the swing county GOP chair calls ‘Little Pennsylvania’: It’ll ‘be a repeat of ‘16’

Trends are good in the swing county GOP chair calls ‘Little Pennsylvania’: It’ll ‘be a repeat of ‘16’

The Republican chairman of a Pennsylvania county that has voted for the ultimate presidential victor in the past four cycles says it is both the enthusiasm of the electorate and the makeup of the area that proves why it is key for both candidates this year. “In 2016, Erie voted for Trump and in 2020, Erie voted for Biden. And obviously, Pennsylvania went the same direction in ‘16 and ‘20, and the nation did too,” Erie County Republican Party Chair Tom Eddy said in a Thursday interview. “I look at Erie as being just kind of like this small ‘Little Pennsylvania’,” he said. “Pennsylvania is a pretty big state and if you look down in the southeastern and the southwest corners, they are pretty industrialized: Pittsburgh; Philadelphia. And then, if you go to the middle of the state: pretty agricultural. And if you look at that Erie, it’s this little stamp up in this northwest corner.” PA TOWN ROILED BY TALK OF MIGRANT HOUSING IN CIVIL-WAR-ERA ORPHANAGE BUILDING Eddy noted Erie’s southern half is predominantly agricultural and leans heavily Republican, while the city of Erie in the north, including Pennsylvania’s only beachfront, is heavily Democratic, with purple suburbs in between. “The city has some major industry. It’s pretty big in plastic industries and tool-and-die, but it also has a pretty large immigrant population: very ethnic, diverse, racially diverse. I mean, everything you see around the entire state is here in this little corner.” Eddy said he tells candidates who visit his area that if their message can resonate there, it will resonate statewide largely for that reason. “Erie is unique … in the fact it is able to pick the winners.” Other than choosing former Secretary of State John Kerry, former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis and former Vice President Al Gore, the county has voted for the eventual president in races going back to the 1960s. Eddy said the county went for former President Donald Trump in 2016 despite a 10,000-vote registration advantage for Democrats. Therefore, it is the independent voters who often make the difference for GOP candidates. In that regard, Eddy said yard signs for other topline candidates, like state Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, have been flying out the door of his office, a few blocks outside the city proper. PENNSYLVANIA LEADERS IN BOTH PARTIES TALK GROUND GAME AS GOP SEEKS TO UNDO MASSIVE GAINS Laughlin’s seat is one of at least three that Democrats hope to flip this November, according to the Pennsylvania Independent. Democrats are hoping for such a turn of events, which would give the party its first full operational control of state government in decades, according to state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, the state party chair. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis would be the tie-breaking vote in a 25-25 Senate, and winning four seats would give Democrats full control of the upper chamber. In a recent interview, Street said Pennsylvania Democrats have seen 40,000 volunteers sign up since Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s nominee. “The vice president has sort of set the world on fire,” he said. However, Eddy remained confident Erie would help return Trump to the White House and maintain at least a divided state government — with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro not up for re-election, and a current four-seat GOP Senate majority and a one-seat Democratic House majority. “Every week, Dan [Laughlin] brings in yard signs, and within two days they’re gone,” he said. The same holds true for Trump-Vance and other races, he added. He also credited his group of independent volunteers, including a local named Pat who has reportedly knocked on 2,500 doors in the county. Eddy added that another strategy he and other Republicans are embracing this fall is mail-in and early voting. On his regular visits to the courthouse to obtain more registration applications and the like, Eddy said he has seen lines of people waiting to vote early, something new to him and many others in the area. When he would hand out such forms at GOP rallies during the 2020 cycle, many attendees did not want them because the practice was criticized on the right, Eddy said, adding that now, the party and Trump embrace early voting, and people are listening to the nominee’s advice. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Along with getting people to vote early, targeting low-propensity voters has been important in Erie. These voters, who are not likely to go to the polls for one reason or another, are the prime electors to utilize an absentee or early ballot. “You have this right that has been given to us from people generations before who did a lot of sacrificing to ensure that we have this right to control our government and not the other way around,” Eddy said.  “If we don’t take advantage of that, we’re going to wind up like a lot of other third-world countries … So we’ve got this unique right to be able to pick the people to represent us. You should go out and vote for that person. It may not always be who I like. But as long as it’s who you want. That’s the important thing.” Fox News Digital reached out to Laughlin, the Erie County Democratic Party as well as local Democrats, including the campaign of state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, who represents Erie.  In comments to NPR, Erie County Democratic Chairman Sam Talarico said enthusiasm on his side has been “crazy” as well. “[W]e had 60 people on our volunteer list the day before [Biden] dropped out. And right now, we have 310 people on our volunteer list,” he told the outlet. Talarico added that it appears to be younger voters who are more energized now that Harris is the nominee.

Harris campaign deploys Bill Clinton to key states 22 days from Election Day

Harris campaign deploys Bill Clinton to key states 22 days from Election Day

Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has deployed Bill Clinton to key states 22 days from Election Day.  The former president campaigned on behalf of Harris in Albany, Georgia, on Sunday, speaking to congregants at Mount Zion Baptist Church. The Harris campaign announced on Thursday that Clinton is scheduled to headline a bus tour this week through eastern North Carolina.  Both Harris and former President Trump have visited the Tar Heel state in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath.  Clinton’s bus tour comes after Harris on Sunday rallied at Eastern Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. “Uniting people and building, being repairers of the breach, as Isaiah says, those are the things that work,” Clinton said at Mount Zion Baptist Church on Sunday. “Blaming, dividing, demeaning — they get you a bunch of votes at election time, but they don’t work.” TRUMP CAMP RIPS HARRIS OVER UNEARTHED COMMENTS ON RENAMING COLUMBUS DAY: ‘STEREOTYPICAL LEFTIST’ “This whole election and the future of the country is turning out to be what people who were sort of on the fence about voting are going to do in the next three and a half weeks,” Clinton added, addressing the congregation. “It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” While the Black church was not quite full, a hefty crowd welcomed Clinton with a standing ovation, according to the Associated Press. Many attendees were older, but some younger people were dispersed throughout the pews. Albany was an early battleground in the fight for civil rights. The city garnered national attention as hundreds of protesters, including Martin Luther King Jr., were arrested and jailed in 1961 and 1962. Clinton, who was governor of Arkansas before he became president, also spoke at the Harris campaign’s Albany office, saying he asked the campaign to send him to rural areas, where he feels most at home. HARRIS UNVEILS AGENDA TO HELP BLACK MEN ‘GET AHEAD’ AS POLLS SHOW TRUMP GAINS The 42nd president’s visit to the two battleground states serves as a new attempt by the Harris-Walz campaign to appeal to rural voters, who have traditionally voted Republican in recent presidential elections. Trump’s campaign launched a three-day bus tour last week across North Carolina, with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and several former Trump administration officials campaigning on behalf of the Republican presidential nominee.  Democrats see Clinton as someone who can mobilize both rural voters and Black voters. But while Clinton was recognized for his popularity in southern Black communities, it remains to be seen whether he can still inspire Black voters as the population familiar with his presidency grows older, according to the AP. Georgia is one of seven states seen as pivotal in this year’s presidential race, and turnout among Black voters could hold the key for Democrats to winning the state’s 16 electoral votes. President Biden won Georgia in 2020 by 11,779 votes out of more than 5 million cast, according to the AP. That was the first time a Democrat carried the state since Clinton in 1992. Four years later, Clinton lost the state to Republican Bob Dole but won reelection. In 1992, Clinton and then-Sen. Al Gore rode a campaign bus through southwest Georgia to court rural voters. Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz revived the approach earlier in the campaign by visiting Savannah and Liberty County in the southeastern part of the state, but they did not travel west. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Trump and Harris poll in dead heat in NBC News survey as Election Day approaches

Trump and Harris poll in dead heat in NBC News survey as Election Day approaches

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are locked in an extremely tight contest for the White House, with voters virtually split evenly between the two candidates, an NBC News survey of registered voters indicates. When the poll, conducted Oct. 4-8, asked respondents who they would choose, Trump and Harris each earned 48% in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup. When third-party figures were included in the mix, the overall result was 47% support for Trump versus 46% for Harris.  TRUMP TAKES LEAD IN 6 OUT OF 7 BATTLEGROUND STATES IN RECENT POLLING Specifically, 42% indicated that they would definitely support the Republican presidential ticket, while another 42% said they would definitely pick the Democratic ticket. Additionally, 4% indicated that they would probably vote for the GOP ticket while 3% noted they would probably vote for the Democratic ticket. And 1% leaned toward the Democratic ticket while another 1% leaned toward the Republican ticket.  “As summer has turned to fall, any signs of momentum for Kamala Harris have stopped,” Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, who performed the survey with GOP pollster Bill McInturff, noted, according to NBC News. “The race is a dead heat.” The contest is very close even as Election Day, which is on Nov. 5, 2024, draws near. IF 2024 POLLING ERRORS MIRROR THOSE IN 2020 ELECTION, TRUMP ‘WINS IN A BLOWOUT’, WARNS CNN DATA GURU “The challenge for Kamala Harris: Can she meet the moment and fill in the blanks that voters have about her?” Horwitt noted, according to NBC News. “The challenge for Donald Trump: Can he make the case that the chaos and personal behavior that bothered so many about his first term will not get in the way of governing and representing America?” he said. “The next month will tell whether the candidates can meet these challenges.” The poll results also reflect a deep divide regarding people’s preferred outcome for the upcoming congressional elections, with 47% preferring a Republican-controlled Congress and 47% preferring a Democrat-controlled Congress. SAME POLL TAKEN ONE MONTH APART SHOWS WHICH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS MOMENTUM IN KEY STATES The survey notes that, “[t]he margin of error for 1,000 interviews among registered voters is ±3.10%.”

Union workers in crucial swing state reveal issues driving their support for VP Harris: ‘Very excited’

Union workers in crucial swing state reveal issues driving their support for VP Harris: ‘Very excited’

LAS VEGAS – Two members of the local Las Vegas culinary union, which endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, spoke to Fox News Digital about why they are supporting Harris and knocking on doors to get her elected in a battleground state where unions play a significant role in voter turnout.  Lino Paredes, a banquet steward at Wynn Las Vegas and a culinary union member for six years, told Fox News Digital shortly before he and several hundred other union members went out to knock on doors for Harris and other Democrats, that he had his first child right before COVID lockdowns began and believes she will put him in the best position to buy his first home. “I will be a first time home buyer, I want to keep my son in a house…I don’t want to be rent to rent, that’s one of the biggest issues right now here I would say in Nevada,” Paredes said, adding that he supports Harris’ proposed program to help with down payments for houses.  “And then with these prices, you know, price gouging from these corporations. They’re not helping us at all, so we’re asking, and we’re looking for someone that is willing to help…she’s a very talented woman, and so I think that she will lead this country.” HARRIS MAKES PITCH TO LATINO VOTERS AT UNIVISION TOWN HALL: TOP 5 MOMENTS Paredes, one of roughly 60,000 culinary union workers, went on to say that there are “too many things” to list that he likes about Harris and said “there’s a lot of things she’s offering us.” “She knows the pain that we’re going through with talking to our family,” Paredes said. “There’s a lot of things that we want to give to our family that we can’t at this moment because of this price gouging from these companies and I think she will understand us better. “I don’t think the other person ever standing at a grocery store counting how much money he had. I’m pretty sure he had other people go buy his groceries, right?” Paredes also credited Nevada’s Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, currently in a tight race against Republican challenger Sam Brown, as someone who is “fighting toe to toe” for union workers, which has inspired him to canvass for Democrats. Suldenil Alvarez, a guest room attendant at Caesar’s Palace and a culinary union member for seven years, also told Fox News Digital she hopes to be a first time homeowner and believes Harris can best help her do that. Additionally, she spoke about the importance of abortion access.  ‘SOMEBODY WITH A PLAN’: SWING STATE VOTERS SHARE THEIR TOP ISSUES IN PRESIDENTIAL SHOWDOWN “It’s very, very important because I think any woman have the right about your body, not the doctor and not the government,” Alvarez said. “I believe in Kamala Harris to fix the economy,” Alvarez added. “I’m very, very excited, and I see a lot of positive people. I’m very excited.” In an August statement by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 endorsing Harris, the union said, “Kamala has consistently championed our union and hospitality workers. She stood by us as we negotiated and won the best union contract ever, and we trust her to continue the progress of the Biden/Harris administration by delivering real results that will prioritize and protect working families.” “As the first woman poised to become the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris will continue to be a fierce advocate for working people. She understands our challenges and has engaged directly with hundreds of Culinary Union members and Shop Stewards over the past six years. Kamala has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to tackle issues that are important to guest room attendants who clean hotel rooms, cooks who make gourmet food, and the tip-earning servers who deliver cocktails and unparalleled hospitality.” While Harris is enjoying the benefit of tens of thousands of union workers on paid leave from their jobs leading up to Election Day to focus on campaigning, some experts and recent polling suggest that Trump, who has gained popularity with union workers nationwide with his plan to eliminate taxes on tips, could still end up being the first Republican to win Nevada since George W. Bush in 2004. “We think if the election was today we would lose Nevada,” a Culinary official recently told Politico.

AAPI voters lean toward Harris over Trump on key issues in poll

AAPI voters lean toward Harris over Trump on key issues in poll

Most Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) believe Vice President Kamala Harris will be more effective than former President Donald Trump on issues across the board, a new poll found. The Monday poll from AAPI Data and the Associated Press found Harris leading Trump even on issues where other demographics favor the former president, such as economics and immigration. Harris leads on those issues 41%-34% and 42%-35% respectively. Harris also holds a slim 39%-33% lead on crime. She is crushing Trump on her most popular issues, however. AAPI adults favor Harris 65%-16% on abortion; 64%-15% on race and inequality, and 59%-19% on healthcare. The AP conducted the poll from Sept. 3-9, surveying 1,123 AAPI adults online and via telephone in a variety of languages. The poll advertises a margin of error of 4.7%. TRUMP AND BIDEN TRADE FIRE AS POLITICAL STORM OVER HURRICANE RAGES The Monday poll comes as other polls indicate Trump is making gains with Black men, who are traditionally some of the Democratic Party’s most reliable supporters. OBAMA, STUMPING FOR HARRIS, REPEATEDLY TAKES AIM AT TRUMP The progress is getting a reaction from Democrats, with former President Barack Obama admonishing Black men for their lack of enthusiasm for Harris last week. Harris’ campaign also announced an “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” on Monday aimed at boosting financial and career prospects for Black men. Obama, speaking Thursday at a Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh, referenced the surge in support among Black voters that boosted him toward victory in 2008 to become the nation’s first Black president. He bluntly said he couldn’t understand why Harris wasn’t enjoying the same level of enthusiasm, noting that the hesitation was “more pronounced with the brothers.” PRO-TRUMP BLACK GROUP FIRES BACK AT OBAMA “You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Obama said. “I’ve got a problem with that.” Speaking directly to Black males, the former president said that “part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.” Black supporters of Trump were quick to rebuke the former president. “President Obama’s recent call for Black men to support Kamala Harris based solely on her skin color, rather than her policies, is deeply insulting,” the Black Men for Trump advisory board argued this weekend. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.