WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Former Vice President Joe Biden intends to flip Pennsylvania, his birthplace, to go ahead with in-person events in the battlefield state amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A Monmouth University poll released this week shows Biden tops President Trump among the registered voters 53-40 percent in the state. But the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate still lags a bit behind the Republican Party’s business, according to another poll. A Susquehanna Polling and Research / Fox 43 poll last month shows Trump leads Biden by a 51-36 margin among those who viewed the economy as the top issue.
“If this turns out to be a pocket budget election, you can’t rule out Donald Trump because, on the key issue that concerns most voters, he is winning among job voters,” said Jim Lee, president and Susquehanna Polling & Research CEO. Fox 43.
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A Monmouth University poll shows Biden outperforming Trump among voters 53 to 40 in Pennsylvania.
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However, over the past week, Biden has presented ambitious proposals on manufacturing and climate change, setting the stage for a confrontation of the economy during the election year. The two proposals, which together require nearly $ 3 trillion in government spending, are part of their broader plan for economic recovery and would generate millions of new union jobs, Biden said.
“These funds will provide reliable and predictable demand for products made by American workers and supply chains like this here for the American interest,” Biden said after launching his “Buy American” campaign at McGregor Industries in Dunmore last week.
Biden’s plan has sparked mixed reactions in the Wyoming state valley. The area, which includes industrial townships like Dunmore, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Pittston, is notable for its undecided voters.
Luzerne County, where Wilkes-Barre sits as the county seat, voted for Trump in 2016 after he campaigned to regain coal and manufacturing jobs. He had gone to former President Barack Obama in consecutive elections. Many see the region as a benchmark for Rust Belt counties in November.
Luzerne County, which was overturned by Trump in 2016 after voting for Obama in consecutive elections, is a leading-edge county in the state of the battlefield.
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“For a long time, we have heard [Biden’s] Our native son. He hasn’t lived here in over 70 years, ”said Chris Chermak, who serves as the Republican County Commissioner in neighboring Lackawanna County.
“And as for the economic recovery, he was our vice president for eight years, and this region really didn’t see any help at all,” he added.
Northeast Pennsylvania, known for its abundance of coal, has struggled for decades, spurred by declining coal.
“We always tend to lag a little behind the state of Pennsylvania in terms of employment, unemployment,” said Satyajit Ghosh, professor of economics at the University of Scranton.
But, Ghosh said the region saw some improvements as it restructured its economy and increased its dependence on the retail and service sectors. In fact, data from the state Department of Labor and Industry shows that until the coronavirus arrived, the unemployment rate in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties had been declining steadily for nearly a decade. Now, the latest May figures show that at 14 to 16 percent, both counties have one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.
Biden’s economic proposals on manufacturing and climate change set the stage for a confrontation of the economy during the election year.
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“Right now, we are seeing a moment of transition in our country in general,” said Ed, a local who declined to give his last name.
Ed, a registered Republican who voted for Trump in 2016, said he is disappointed with the President.
“I don’t think the president has done something wrong internationally, but perhaps on a national level things are a little weak,” Ed said.
At the same time, it is not sold in Biden. He is skeptical that anyone can provide the economic recovery the area needs.
“It helps when a politician steps in and does something, but it’s really a business investment and people who want to come to the area and open a business here where all of our heavy equipment is gone,” Ed said.
Ghosh agrees that while Biden’s manufacturing plan has some good aspects, the recovery is a long way off.
“Voters would like to see exactly what kind of policies perhaps the two campaigns can present to deal with our immediate reality as we see now, because there is absolutely no chance that by November we can say that we are out of it,” he said. Ghosh
