As excitement builds for the 2024 presidential election, countless Americans will head to the polls in November to make their voices count. Pennsylvanians however, are in a uniquely impactful position: they’ll vote in what’s arguably the most critical swing state of the upcoming election.
Historically, some states consistently favor a particular party. For instance, Massachusetts has backed Democratic presidential candidates since 1988, and Wyoming has supported Republicans since 1968, according to 270toWin. Battleground states, however, are up for grabs by either party and don’t show a clear trend in voting.
According to BBC, seven major swing states will play a key role in this election: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Of these, Pennsylvania is shaping up to be the top target.
Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’s frequent campaign stops in Pennsylvania underscore the state’s importance. NPR reports that Trump has visited Pennsylvania eight times during his campaign, with five of those visits since July. Vice President Harris has also made eight trips to Pennsylvania since her campaign launch in late July.
Both campaigns have also invested heavily in Pennsylvania. AdImpact, an ad analytics agency, has tracked campaign fund reservations for television advertising in the seven critical swing states. Between Sept. 4 and Election Day, presidential advertising in these states totals $401.5 million, with a massive $137.1 million (around 34%) set aside for Pennsylvania alone. This figure surpasses the combined budgets for the next two states: $64.1 million for Georgia and $61.1 million for Michigan.
Why is Pennsylvania so important?
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral college votes, the highest among the seven swing states. Pennsylvania, like most states, has a winner-takes-all system for these votes, meaning the candidate who wins the popular vote statewide receives all the votes which could significantly impact the presidential race to 270.
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