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Where Pennsylvania has lost Democrats since 2008, and what it means for the November election
Spotlight PA link: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/05/pennsylvania-election-2024-voter-registration-democrat-republican-independent/
HARRISBURG — For the first time in at least 16 years, the Democratic and Republican parties in Pennsylvania are within half a million registered voters of one another.
Since 2008, Democrats’ registration edge over Republicans has steadily shrunk — from a 12% advantage in April 2008 to about a 4% advantage in April 2024, according to a Spotlight PA analysis of Department of State data. The number of people registered as independents or under a third party has also grown, from 11% of total registered voters in 2008 to 15% this year.
Political consultants who spoke with Spotlight PA said that while registration trends can signal an electorate's moods, they can't tell you everything about how a closely divided state like Pennsylvania will vote.
Stephen Medvic, a government professor at Franklin & Marshall College, said 2010 was a high water mark for Democratic registration in recent Pennsylvania history and that there was “nowhere to go but down” from there in terms of registration numbers.
- more at link -
Since 2008, Democrats’ registration edge over Republicans has steadily shrunk — from a 12% advantage in April 2008 to about a 4% advantage in April 2024, according to a Spotlight PA analysis of Department of State data. The number of people registered as independents or under a third party has also grown, from 11% of total registered voters in 2008 to 15% this year.
Political consultants who spoke with Spotlight PA said that while registration trends can signal an electorate's moods, they can't tell you everything about how a closely divided state like Pennsylvania will vote.
Stephen Medvic, a government professor at Franklin & Marshall College, said 2010 was a high water mark for Democratic registration in recent Pennsylvania history and that there was “nowhere to go but down” from there in terms of registration numbers.
I believe (and hope) that the independents are with us this year as far as the top tier candidates (Presidential and Senate) go, but that won't help the deep red districts. In Pennsylvania we still have many districts where a Democrat cannot get elected, or hardly even get on the ballot.
More outreach is needed in those deep red districts. Independent voters will hopefully have good reason to support Democratic candidates.
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