Erie (Pennsylvania, United States), special correspondent.
They will (almost) all vote for Donald Trump. Without hesitation and even with enthusiasm. Whether they were early followers or more or less early converts, their alignment with the former president is flawless. This Tuesday, while the primaries are being held in Pennsylvania, the Republicans of Erie County will offer a plebiscite to the one who faces the first of his four trials, a prelude according to their triumphant return to the White House.
As much as their mobilization will only be symbolic for this Republican primary which offers no suspense, it will be decisive on November 5. Erie County is a bellwether, a barometer, almost an oracle, in a state – Pennsylvania – appearing on the short list of swing states, these key states which will tip the electoral college.
In 2016, Donald Trump flipped Erie County (48%, compared to 46.4% for Hillary Clinton) – a first for a Republican since Ronald Reagan – and Pennsylvania (with 44,000 votes ahead of 6, 2 million votes cast). In 2020, in a context of higher electoral participation, Joe Biden regained control in the county (49.7%, compared to 48.6%) as in the state, with an advantage of 82,000 votes out of nearly 7 million of voters.
