Opinion: The simple secret to winning Pennsylvania

Zach Kennedy, Project Director, Firehouse Strategies

How does a candidate win the nation’s most important swing state when it’s part Midwest, part North East and part Appalachia, and so evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans? Only one percent of the vote separated President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania in the 2020 election, with even less between President Trump and Secretary Hillary Clinton in 2016. Pennsylvania is the only state with an evenly split congressional delegation, and the governor’s mansion is rarely occupied by the same party in consecutive election cycles.

This November’s Senate race pits Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor and Democratic nominee John Fetterman against well known celebrity and Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz. The race for Governor features Pennsylvania Attorney General and Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro vs. Pennsylvania State Senator and GOP nominee Doug Mastriano.

Campaigns in the Keystone State are won in the trenches, and the key to success could not be clearer: Show up.

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