During a Monday campaign event, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said the fate of the control of the U.S. Congress will fall to Bucks County, where Republicans have gained a lead among registered voters for the first time in over a decade.
Shapiro delivered the remarks at a Bucks County campaign event in support of Senator Bob Casey, who will face former Trump administration official Dave McCormick in November, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The governor reportedly described Bucks County as “the swingiest of all swing counties in the swingiest of all swing states,” then said its voters will “determine who is in the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate.”
In addition to a choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, voters in Bucks County cast a ballot for either Casey or McCormick and determine whether Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) will receive a second term or be unseated by Democratic House candidate Ashley Ehasz.
Shapiro’s analysis of Bucks County, a suburban area north of Philadelphia, comes after the majority of the county’s voters registered Republican for the first time since 2007.
Bucks County Republican Committee Chair Pat Poprick confirmed in June that Democrats held a majority among registered voters for 17 years prior to Republicans taking the lead that month. More recently, she said her office constantly sees voters coming to ask about yard signs.
“I think this all bodes well, that our county’s in play,” said Poprick to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette earlier this month.
Though Casey continues to lead McCormick in the RealClearPolling aggregate of surveys for the Pennsylvania Senate race, the governor said he would “always” be available for the senator.
“When you think about authenticity, when you think about someone who’s like us, who shares our values, who gives a damn about us, who can go to those halls of power and not forget where he came from, that is Bob Casey,” The Inquirer reported Shapiro told supporters are the Bucks County political event.
Expanding on his relationship with Casey to the outlet, Shapiro said, “Senator Casey put his neck out on the line for me when I was starting out in my political career, when very few people gave me a shot.”
Shapiro and other Democrats have accused the Trump campaign of antisemitism after it speculated that Harris did not select the governor to be her running mate because of his Jewish religion and support for Israel.
The governor has also denied antisemitism played any role in Harris’ decision but simultaneously acknowledged he has heard concerns about religious discrimination.
Despite the condemnation, Trump was not alone in the speculation, as both McCormick and Pennsylvania U.S. House candidate Alfe Goodwin have argued Democrats were concerned about losing votes from factions of the party opposed to Israel if Shapiro was selected.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Josh Shapiro” by Josh Shapiro.
