The Press in Pennsylvania | “We have the weight of the planet on our shoulders”

(Allentown, Pennsylvania) Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both chose Pennsylvania for their final day of campaigning. Harris visited Scranton, Allentown, Reading, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, while Trump set foot in Reading and Pittsburgh. The Press was in Allentown Sunday and Monday.

“Harris for president.” Fifth floor. » The poster at the entrance to the microbrewery is unexpected and intriguing, on this Sunday evening when the sidewalks of the city center are sadly spacious.

The elevator doors open. Multicolored lights illuminate the dark room of 5^e floor. The revelers feast, drinks in hand. It sways to the sound of Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Tina Turner and her classic What’s Love Got to Do with It.

“The volunteers need to relax a little,” explains a lady who welcomes us.

However, the war effort is not over for the dozens of Democratic Party volunteers still on site around 9 p.m. Kamala Harris arrives in town the next day. The vice-president and candidate in the November 5 election chose Pennsylvania, the most important of the seven swing states, to conclude her campaign. The state counts for 19 major voters and the last poll of the New York Times places the two candidates neck and neck, at 48% each.

Lori McFarland, director of the Lehigh County Democratic Committee, leaves her guests for a few moments. “I spoke to more foreign journalists than local journalists,” she laments. I’ve spoken to journalists from Italy, South Korea, the UK, Australia, now a Canadian, and I’m talking to a Finn tomorrow.

“We have the weight of the planet on our shoulders. »

The battle on the ground

Monday may have been that of the Democrats in Allentown, but we are not idle at the Lehigh County Republican Committee.

The volunteers follow each other in the modest premises. “Trump is in Reading, he was here last week. So much the better, because we can now concentrate on our work,” explains Joe Vichot, director of the county Republican committee.

“One of our big problems is that we put up signs of Trump, of Dave McCormick [candidat au Sénat]and they are all removed or vandalized with swastikas or the word “racist” the next day. It’s deplorable. The Democrats are doing this, it’s part of their plan. We have to replace them and we waste resources. »

Mr. Vichot has been involved with the Republicans since 2018, therefore before the accusations of fraud launched by Trump in the 2020 elections, allegations dismantled in Court in a very large majority. Still, these suspicions mobilize the base around here. He speaks of “impossible to monitor” offices in Philadelphia.

One volunteer, Mike Tripaldi, put it plainly: “I think the last election was fraudulent, and I wanted to help. »

Like Mr. Tripaldi, most volunteers come to get their election supervisor accreditation (poll watcher). One of them shows up wearing a black “Make America Great Again” cap and asks about the dress code at the polls. “In the training, they asked that we not wear anything partisan,” explains Judi Gore, a Republican who will work this Tuesday as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking voters.

— But I am very partisan! the man replies.

— Yes, but it is to avoid intimidating voters.

— But I want to intimidate voters! “, he says, laughing.

M^me Gore is a former FBI agent who is against “crime, illegal immigration and the use of my former employer against Trump”. She lived in Florida for the past few years, but moved back to Pennsylvania because she wants the state to “go red again.” “Horrible things are happening. We will lose the country if Trump loses. »

A line of almost a kilometer

Kamala Harris’ visit to Allentown is big. Schools are closed, several roads too.

People are flocking from everywhere. Daphne Berger traveled from the Boston suburbs to help with door-to-door knocking and tallying. She describes herself as an independent, but sees Trump as “an existential threat to our democracy.”

Sebastian Javadpoor ​​comes from New York — he studies political science at Columbia, but is from Arizona. “My friends in Pennsylvania are tired of texts, calls, people knocking on their doors. I understand them, you can’t take two steps without a sign jumping in your face! It’s the same in Arizona. But it’s nice to know that your vote counts for a lot. »

It is at Muhlenberg College, a university in a wealthy neighborhood, that Harris is expected. The line is 800 m long, and even then, people have already started to enter. Some 3,500 people were admitted.

Puerto Ricans display their territory’s flag, a week after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage” during a Republican rally in New York. Allentown is home to a large Puerto Rican community, a community which formed, in 2021, 8% of Pennsylvania’s population according to the Pew Research Center.

Will these comments influence the vote? “At this point, it might get the vote out, but I don’t think anyone will change their mind,” opines Banessa Mercado, born in New York to Puerto Rican parents. Members of my family voted for Trump, even after Tony Hinchcliffe’s comment.

Maria Rios was born in Puerto Rico. Her sadness is palpable when she says that her son intends to vote for Trump. “I sent him a message to tell him to make the right decision, otherwise he will offend his culture.

“He listens a lot to Joe Rogan, who just did a three-hour podcast with Trump. Maybe that’s why he voted for him. »

At the end of the line, Idalis Ortiz and Shanice Torres are also of Puerto Rican origin and did not digest Tony Hinchcliffe’s words. “After the hurricane MariaTrump simply came to throw rolls of paper towels. Houses are still in ruins. If this is why he described Puerto Rico as an island of garbage, the person he supports is responsible,” insists Idalis Ortiz.

The young woman is a convinced democrat, but the great seduction of the two parties leaves her perplexed. She recalls that people here nickname the state “Pennsyltucky”, a contraction of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, to illustrate the duality between the skyscrapers of Philadelphia and the rural regions.

“We are an eclectic mix, but the recent elections have really divided people. It seems that during election season, people are pushed towards hatred to get their vote. In that sense, it’s a shame that eyes are on us, because it’s not us. We’ve always been purple, not blue or red. »