PENNSYLVANIA, USA — As the race for the White House enters the home stretch, major party candidates remain focused on winning over voters in the Commonwealth, knowing whoever wins Pennsylvania will have a significant leg up in their quest for 270 electoral votes.
The most recent polling of Pennsylvania voters from Franklin & Marshall College shows Vice President Kamala Harris maintaining a slight lead with 49% to former President Donald Trump’s 46%.
"It looks to me like the Harris campaign has really done a good job of consolidating the Democratic base and bringing those voters who had sort of slipped away from Joe Biden, back to the Democratic side," said Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall College. "She has a small advantage, certainly within the margin of error."
When it comes to the issues, F&M polling shows Pennsylvanians still favor the former president when it comes to the economy and who they feel would be better suited to serve as commander in chief of the military, though the margin has shrunk some.
"This really comes down, in some ways, to voters who still give Trump an advantage on the economy," Yost said. "Will that ultimately drive their choice, or can Harris do something to change those voters’ minds?"
Meanwhile, the vice president’s lead has widened on questions of trustworthiness and character. Harris has a double-digit advantage in both categories.
The same is true when it comes to the issue of abortion, with 51% of respondents favoring Harris’ stance while 37% feel more aligned with the former president.
"We shouldn’t understate the debate performance and the bounce that Kamala Harris received from that debate," Yost said. "When you look at many of the characteristics we tested, she did show significant improvement."
While the presidential race remains deadlocked, the new numbers on Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race show change.
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey still holds a lead in the most recent F&M poll, but the margin has shrunk. Republican U.S. Senate Nominee Dave McCormick now trails by eight points.
"The race has narrowed a little bit, but in part that’s because many of those Republicans that before hadn’t decided on McCormick have come his way," Yost said. "There’s still room for him to grow there."