DV Journal

No Republican has carried Bucks County since 1988, but GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance was in Newtown Saturday to try and break that streak. And trends show the purple county may be in play.

Vance was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of some 1,500 at the Newtown Athletic Club, with supporters chanting “U.S.A.!” and “JD!”

Donald Trump’s running mate delivered the message they wanted to hear, making the case that Vice President Kamala Harris isn’t capable of doing the job.

“The problem with Kamala Harris is she’s got no substance,” said Vance. “The problem with Kamala Harris is she’s got no plan. The problem with Kamala Harris is she has been the vice president for 3 ½ years and has failed this country. Let’s send her back to San Francisco where she belongs and put Donald Trump in the White House.”

Vance hit the three issues Republicans believe are their best sellers with Pennsylvania swing voters: Inflation, energy and immigration.

“We’ve got natural resources in the state of Pennsylvania,” Vance said. “Great natural gas. Let’s get it out of the ground for Pennsylvania workers. When Donald Trump is president, we’re going to drill, baby, drill and bring back the great American economy.”

“Kamala Harris wants us to buy energy from every tin pot dictator from all over the world,” said Vance. “Kamala, we say, ‘no way.’ We’re going to buy it from our own people, right here in the state of Pennsylvania.”

“We’ve got inflation at 40-year highs,” added Vance. “We’ve got groceries at 25 percent higher than when Kamala Harris took office. That’s because Kamala Harris cast the tiebreaking vote to on almost $4 trillion in new spending, printing money that we don’t have to juice inflation and destroy the middle class in the state of Pennsylvania.”

He also blamed Harris, “the border czar,” for the “wide open southern border.”

“It is an invasion in this country,” he said. “When you let in 25 million people, many of whom are bringing fentanyl into this country, and they’re competing against Americans, buying homes that ought by right go to American citizens, that is why we have sky-rocketing housing costs here in Pennsylvania and across the country.” And illegal immigrants are driving down wages for American workers, he said.

Not only will the Trump-Vance administration continue to build the border wall, they’ll deport illegal immigrants. “We’re going to go to war against the Mexican drug cartels,” he said.

Vance said they would deport the criminals first. “There are 13,000 illegal immigrant murderers in the United States America right now,” he said. “They’re in this country because Kamala Harris let them into this country.”

While polls consistently show Pennsylvania is too close to call in the presidential race, the assumption is that Philadelphia’s suburbs are a deep-blue corner of the Keystone State. But Bucks County could be a key exception.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton narrowly edged out Donald Trump in Bucks County by one percent and fewer than 3,000 votes. And it’s the home of Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, whose held onto the seat even in blue-wave elections.

While it’s true that Joe Biden beat Trump solidly in 2020 with a four percent and 17,000 vote margin, since then, Biden’s been bounced from the ticket, and there are now more registered Republicans than Democrats in the county for the first time since George W. Bush was in the White House.

How important is Bucks County?

“If you win Bucks County, you keep the Southeast close, you win Pennsylvania and he’s president of the United States,” said Jim Worthington, owner of the Newtown Athletic Club where Vance spoke.

During his speech, Vance called out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what looked like a partisan campaign stop at a munition factory in Scranton with Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.).

“We spent $200 million on Ukraine.  You know what I wish Zelenskyy would do when he comes to America? Say thank you to the people of Pennsylvania,” said Vance. “Donald Trump is the candidate of peace.”

After the speech, DVJournal asked Vance how a second Trump administration would handle the Ukraine/Russia war and Israel’s military actions against Hamas and Hezbollah.

“I have a very detailed plan for how we’re going to bring peace and prosperity back to the world: elect Donald Trump,” said Vance. “When you have weak American leadership, and you have an American leader that nobody respects, you have wars breaking out all over the world.  If Donald Trump was president, Russia would have never invaded Ukraine. If Donald Trump was president, Hamas would have never attacked Israel.”

“We’ve got to get back to commonsense American deterrence,” said Vance, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq. “You’ve got to make the bad guys worry that if they do something screwed up, somebody is going to make them pay for it…Peace through strength.”

Vance also scoffed at Democrat claims that they’re for the middle class.

“If she stands for the middle class, why does she want to tax the middle class to give rich people money to buy electric vehicles made in China?” he asked. “Why does she want to destroy Pennsylvania energy? If you stand for the middle class, unleash Pennsylvania energy workers.”

Harris has flipped on various positions from banning fracking and private health insurance to embracing them now that she’s the presidential nominee.

“She’s not actually governing that way,” he said. He’s told Trump, “Sir, I think she’s going to show up at your next rally with a red MAGA hat.”

Vance also rejected the claim that Trump is only appealing to the GOP base. He said their campaign is reaching out to Democrats and moderates who agree with them on many issues, noting that former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are backing Trump.

“There are a lot of Democrats out there who want an economy where normal people can afford to buy food and housing, and to those Democrats, I say, ‘You are welcome on the Trump-Vance team.’”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: X@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

Just two months after former President Donald Trump came within inches of dying from an assassin’s bullet in Pennsylvania, a Secret Service agent foiled a second attempt on a Florida golf course.

Trump was not hurt and a suspect is in custody. But officials on both sides of the political aisle say the two close calls show there are serious problems with Trump’s security. And some Trump supporters say part of the problem are partisan elements inside the federal government who are less-than-motivated to make sure Trump stays safe.

During a press conference on Sunday, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters a Secret Service agent working security around Trump at his south Florida golf course was one hole ahead of  the former president when he saw a rifle barrel sticking through a chain link fence. He “immediately engaged” — firing his weapon — and the would-be shooter fled in a black Nissan.

Bradshaw said the suspect was about 300 to 500 yards from Trump before he was spotted. “With a rifle and scope like that, it’s not a long distance,” Bradshaw said.

The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested on Sunday. He reportedly has a lengthy criminal record in North Carolina, and he has frequently posted about politics, particularly the issue of Ukraine. He has declared on social media that “democracy is on the ballot and we cannot lose” in the 2024 election, a theme of the Kamala Harris campaign and other anti-Trump Democrats. He’s also touted his efforts to recruit people to travel to Ukraine and fight against Russia.

Trump released a statement telling supporters, “I am safe and well, and no one was hurt. But, there are people in this world who will do whatever it takes to stop us.”

And in a message of defiance, Trump posted on social media: “0-2,” a reference to two missed attempts on his life.

Many of Trump’s Pennsylvania supporters, however, weren’t laughing.

“It’s unbelievable to me that we’re here at this point again,” said Christian Nascimento, chair of the Montgomery County Republican Committee. “I hope that the Secret Service has better procedures in place than they did in Butler (Pennsylvania). And I hope that the political rhetoric will change. When you continue to call someone a threat for political gain, you invite disturbed individuals to take actions like this.”

Delaware County GOP Chairman Frank Agovino also pointed a finger at the political rhetoric Democrats are directing at Trump and his supporters.

“Democrat leadership continues to antagonize the electorate by knowingly spreading lies about President Trump’s desire for authoritarian rule. These lies are making for dangerous times and every American should call for a stop to this rhetoric,” said Agovino.

And Bruce Johnson, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, said, “You can’t call somebody a Nazi and Hitler and not expect this reaction. They made him out to be a villain who is destroying democracy. People think they’re heroes by killing ‘Hitler.’ He’s well-hated.

“If he was as bad as they say he is, why lie about him?” Johnson added. “Eight years of people saying what an evil person Trump is, it’s got to have an effect on those with weak minds.”

At the national level, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat running against Trump for president, said on X, “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”

President Joe Biden released a statement saying, “I am relieved that the former president is unharmed.” He also added, “I have directed my team to continue to ensure that the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and proactive measure necessary to ensure the former president’s continued safety.”

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick posted on Twitter, “Thank God President Trump is safe after this scary incident. We are praying for him and his family and grateful for the quick actions of our men and women in law enforcement.”

Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) urged that Trump’s security detail be expanded.

“The level of Secret Service protection must be the same for former presidents as it is for current presidents. Both are constant targets of deranged individuals and foreign adversaries. Full USSS staffing is needed to completely secure all perimeters surrounding their protectees at all times.”

David Winkler, the Republican candidate for Congress running against Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery) is a Marine Corps and Army veteran. He called on Democrats to tone down their messaging and social media rhetoric.

“The dangerous rhetoric from the left needs to stop,” said Winkler. “It’s too divided…We’ve got to get back to policy and being Americans again,” said Winkler. “The rhetoric is over the top, as I see it. The Democrats put ads out there against President Trump and Dave McCormick that are to me inciting violence. And on social media. The Pennsylvania Democrats need to tone down their rhetoric. Stick to policy. Because I fear, as a candidate and a veteran, for President Trump’s life if they keep doing what they’re doing.”

Alfeia “Alfe” Goodwin, who is running against Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon in Delaware County, is also an Army veteran.

Goodwin said she “broke out in a cold sweat” after seeing a notice about the assassination attempt on social media. She hopes “American will understand this is not a game. This is real.”

She believes the Biden-Harris administration is signaling it’s OK to be violent.

“They have a level of tolerance for dangerous rhetoric and for violence,” said Goodwin, “that is like we’ve never seen before. And I think it fuels this type of behavior.” People think, “‘I don’t like him so why should he be alive?’ It has installed a sense of fear and for some on the hard left, that has become very traumatizing. I think Trump Derangement Syndrome is real. It’s real. These people are freaking out and becoming violent.”

Bucks County GOP Chair Pat Poprik called it “a travesty.”

“That a presidential candidate could be shot at two times during a campaign, let alone almost 2 months apart. The big question on everyone’s mind is why isn’t President Trump being given the additional protection he needs? It’s obvious to anyone that not checking the perimeter of a golf course where the president is golfing seems to be a dereliction of duty for sure. Thank God, one Secret Service agent saw the barrel of the gun and obviously saved not only the president’s life, but also of those in close proximity to him. It’s a sad commentary that some people think (this) is appropriate behavior when they disagree with someone. America has to learn to disagree with each other without becoming so disagreeable.”

Many of “the American people love and adore [Trump], most of us,” added Goodwin. “It’s just really sad these people are acting out. I just pray for him and his family.”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: X@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

Why did Vice President Kamala Harris hide her boss’s declining cognitive condition? Why does Donald Trump feel the need to demean those who disagree with him?

These are just a few of the questions voters in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties would ask if they were moderating Tuesday night’s debate between Harris and Trump. DVJournal reached out to political activists and average voters to find out what questions are top of mind when the two candidates meet in Philadelphia.

Local lawyer and conservative pundit Christine Flowers said she would ask Trump, “You have said that you would deport all of the ‘illegal aliens’ in the country. Please explain how you would do this, since during your administration, the rate of deportations did not significantly increase and, in fact, decreased with respect to the Obama administration?”

For Harris, Flowers would ask about abortion, faith and conscience.

“You sponsored the Women’s Protection Act, which would have stripped conscience protections for those who refuse to provide abortions due to their religious affiliation. Please explain what conscience exceptions you would provide for Catholic or other religious hospitals and organizations that refuse to perform acts which violate their conscience, and if you would not allow for any exceptions, how would you handle a legal challenge under the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause?”

“I would ask Mr. Trump why he feels it necessary to demean the other candidate rather than tout his own programs,” said lawyer Michael Shechtman, a Cheltenham resident.

“I would ask Vice President Harris, ‘You’ve spent most of 2023 and 2024 telling voters that inflation was under control, yet you now acknowledge it’s a genuine problem. Your first policy speech on inflation—your only policy speech to date—was ridiculed by economists and even The Washington Post. How are you going to bring down inflation—and why should we believe that you now have a plan?” said Guy Ciarrocchi, a writer and senior fellow at the Commonwealth Foundation, who lives in Chester County.

Pat Poprik, chair of the Bucks County GOP, said, “I would ask [Harris] that she stated in her recent interview that she has not changed her values. So, then, if she’s now saying she’s not going to oppose fracking; isn’t that changing her values?”

Elkins Park resident Jerry Fisher said, “Does putting tariffs on goods coming into America tax the other country or the people of our country?”

“I think that I would ask, ‘Do you feel that every American is equal under the law? And what does that mean in your opinion?  And do you think that there’s a problem with the president of the United States being treated differently than me?’” said Roberta Lee of Cheltenham, an artist and author.

Dave Siegal of West Chester said he’d ask, “What is a woman?”  That is a question that Biden-Harris Supreme Court appointee Justice Ketanji Jackson Brown was famously unable to answer during her confirmation hearing.

Montgomery County Commissioner Tom DiBello said, for Harris he would ask, “Why in the last three weeks have you switched positions on basically all your left, progressive policies you promoted for the last 10 years to more conservative policies including building a wall on the southern border? Do you forget about how you bailed out rioters?”

Bala Cynwyd resident Noga Senderowitsch said that she would ask, “What will you do to bring the hostages home and (bring) the war between Israel and Hamas to an end ASAP? What is the timeline for this plan?”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: X@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

(For an alternate point of view, see, “Counterpoint: Politicians Should Focus on Issues, not Gothca Moments”)

Watching the coup going on in the Democrat Party these last two weeks, unseating Joe Biden and installing Kamala Harris with middle-of-the-night phone calls and agreements, sleight of hand to keep campaign money intact and every day a new development as they skirt the ever-more vague rules and seem to think that the world is not going to notice that Democrats have had no say in their new candidate for president.

Just a few months ago, they were assured that Biden was cognitively and physically capable enough to continue for another four years. Then, all of a sudden, he’s not.

And that the voters will not realize that she takes no responsibility for a failed  three and a half years, which has practically destroyed the country, and that this cognitively impaired president is still in the White House. And that we won’t notice or care that Harris was complicit in it all.

Having had the honor of representing Bucks County at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month as one of our three elected delegates, I’m noticing the glaring differences between the Republicans’ and the Democrats’ political process.

How did we do it? The RNC, which followed an above-board and honest process, was a sparkling, electric, loud, proud, joyous, patriotic event with the absolute “who’s who” in Republican politics and supporters who spoke about and modeled our RNC focus as we rolled out the GOP platform to take this country back and frankly save it. Four full days of speakers and experiences, one after the other – at the Pennsylvania delegation’s private breakfasts or in the arena each evening.

Donald Trump received enough votes throughout the months-long primary process to ensure he received the delegates he needed to be our nominee. We then pledged each state’s delegates to him. Nikki Haley, his challenger, pledged support and her delegates to him. Trump then selected JD Vance as his running mate.

Those procedures were closely followed, and the Republican voters can rely on them.

Seeing Vance in Philadelphia, himself a child of addiction, as he came to provide comfort and hope to area families who have lost children in the fentanyl crisis that is destroying the city under Democrat mismanagement and negligence brought to mind Harris, the “Border Czar” though she’s distancing herself from that title as she has yet to visit the border, had laughed about it,  and has overseen an invasion of an estimated 8 million people from 175 countries with an estimated 100 individuals let in from the terror watchlist while we’re losing Americans to crime and fentanyl. We’re losing our children.

Harris has been “basement campaigning.” As of this writing, she still has not held a press conference, but Vance showed up and invited unplanned questions from the press. He knocked it out of the park. No preparation. Just experience and truth.

I was proud to be an American and proud to be a Republican. And proud of Vance: Veteran. Senator. Dad. Husband. American.

Across the city, a few hours later, Harris announced Gov. Tim Walz as her nominee. Just as questionable as her sudden replacement of Biden via social media after he won his primaries and the delegates that no one else challenged him for. Isn’t it strange that she would pick Philadelphia as the location for this? What an odd location for the pair of California and Minnesota Leftists.

My bet is that, she had indeed chosen Gov. Josh Shapiro in this critically important swing state, but at the last minute, she decided against him because of antisemitic factions in her party.  She needed someone who wouldn’t mind being in her cackling shadow. Then, with Vance already scheduled to be here, she needed to keep her Philadelphia location.  He showed up and showed her up in more ways than one.

Republicans and Democrats are not the same.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: X@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

Calls of “We love you, President Biden,” filled Mount Airy Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia as the president made a campaign swing to Pennsylvania on Sunday.

Some Democrats called for Biden to bow out of the race in the wake of a disastrous performance in the debate against former President Donald Trump last month. However, on July 7, Biden visited a Black church in Philadelphia hoping to showcase his continued strength among African American voters.

Biden, who lived in Scranton before moving to Delaware when he was 10, considers Pennsylvania his second home and has come to Philadelphia often, including eight visits this year.

Biden was supposed to speak at the National Education Association annual conference in Philadelphia on Sunday. But Biden’s campaign cancelled that event after the NEA’s own unionized employees filed unfair labor practices complaints over how the teachers union treats its own employees. Biden would have had to cross a picket line, so the campaign sent him to a friendlier forum.

The 538 poll average on July 7 showed Trump leads Biden by 3.2 points in Pennsylvania despite all those visits.

Biden thanked the pastor, Bishop J. Louis Felton, and the congregation for welcoming him.

“It’s good to be home,” said Biden. “I got my start as a public defender in the civil rights movement.”

“Our purpose is to serve others,” Biden said. “That’s our purpose. To know everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, to know faith without works is dead. We’re all called to be doers of the world.”

“In this nation, that means keeping our eyes on the north star, the very idea of America,” Biden said. “We’re all created equal in the image of God. And deserve to be created with dignity and respect our entire lives. We’ve never fully lived up to that. But we’ve never fully walked away from it either. That’s because of you and generations before you who led the church from slavery to freedom.”

Biden mentioned his accomplishments in dealing with the pandemic, having the lowest Black unemployment, and his plans to “make housing affordable.”

Along with ensuring “you can follow your dreams without the burden of student debt.”

“To keep our communities safe by getting weapons of war off our streets,” he said. “To give hate no safe harbor.  While there are those who want to erase history, Kamala and I want to make it. Black history is American history.”

“I’ve been doing this a long time, honest to God I’m never more optimistic about America’s future if we stick together,” he said. “We must unite America again. That’s my goal. And may God bless our troops,” he said.

Some Democratic politicians, including Sen. Bob Casey Jr., Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, attended the church service as well. Dean travelled with Biden on both of his Pennsylvania stops Sunday, as did one of the president’s most loyal supporters, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.

“There is only one person in the country that’s ever kicked Trump’s ass in an election —and that is your president,” Fetterman said. “He’s going to do it twice.”

Kenyatta, who is running for auditor general, said, “Joe Biden has delivered for Pennsylvania. Now we have to deliver for him and Democrats up and down the ballot to beat back the radical Project 2025 agenda of Donald Trump and Republicans.”

“Yesterday, Joe Biden couldn’t even be bothered to shake the hand of a Black supporter in the crowd, but today he’s continuing his minority pandering tour in Pennsylvania where his approval rating has dropped to 33 percent.  Clearly, Black voters are no longer buying the desperate and disingenuous faux outreach from Democrats,” said Janiyah Thomas,  director of Team Trump Black Media.

Republican Dave McCormick, an Army veteran running against Casey, said on X, “Today, Bob Casey is campaigning with President Biden in PA. Biden is not capable of serving as our Commander-in-Chief, and Casey knows it — he will lie all the way thru Election Day if he thinks it will help him win.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said, “Joe Biden only has 33 percent approval in the Keystone State because his policies have failed Pennsylvania families. From crippling inflation and housing prices that are making life unaffordable to police shortages and deadly fentanyl that are making communities less safe, it’s no wonder why Pennsylvania voters are lining up to Make America Great Again by supporting President Trump.”

“Short visits in front of overwhelmingly friendly groups are not going to alleviate the concerns the American people have about Biden’s ability to do the job – let alone run for another term,” said Christian Nascimento, chair of the Montgomery County GOP.

Casey was also with Biden to an ice social rally near Harrisburg later Sunday. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

The 2024 presidential race is unlike anything that’s happened in our lifetime. It’s a grudge match for the ages, a replay of 2020 that will likely end with either Donald Trump pulling a Grover Cleveland (by serving two non-consecutive terms), or with Joe Biden being the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to beat the same opponent twice in a row.

The last time a former president appeared on the November ballot for a shot at returning to the White House was in 1912, the year the Titanic sank. Perhaps that’s because, like the Titanic, most ex-president comeback attempts have been disasters.

Take Ulysses S. Grant. Winning the Civil War helped him sail into the White House in 1868. Though personally honest, Grant made the mistake of surrounding himself with men who weren’t. His administration was plagued by scandal, and he often bemoaned the burdens of the office.

In his farewell address at the end of 1876, Grant wrote, “With the present term of Congress my official life terminates. It is not probable that public affairs will ever again receive attention from me further than as a citizen of the Republic.”

But after a round-the-world tour with his wife, where Grant was loudly cheered and frequently feted, he changed his mind and entered the 1880 presidential race.

Unlike Trump, Grant was far from a lock when the GOP convention convened.

Popular Sen. James G. Blaine, R-Maine, had lined up solid support from the delegates and was neck-and-neck with Grant on the first ballot. But after a grueling 36 ballots (the longest-ever Republican National Convention), Grant lost to dark horse candidate Rep. James Garfield of Ohio, who went on the win the presidency. (And was assassinated soon thereafter.)

Another Republican president who desperately wanted redemption but got the boot instead was Herbert Hoover. In perhaps the worst timing in American politics, Hoover was elected in 1928, making him America’s president for the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression that followed. Not surprisingly, unhappy voters showed Hoover the White House door in 1932, replacing him with Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Who, incidentally, went on to shatter George Washington’s two-term tradition by seeking — and winning — the office four times.)

Like Grant before him, Hoover was itching for another bite of the chief executive apple. Unfortunately for him, Republican voters didn’t feel the same way. After flirting with seeking the nomination in 1936, Hoover actually entered the race in 1940. For his trouble, he got nothing more than a mere 17 delegates and a warm round of applause at the convention.

In the pre-Civil War era, ex-presidents Martin Van Buren and Millard Fillmore both ran for the office again. And both failed miserably. But the Mother of all Presidential Comeback Attempts was in 1912. And it was a doozie.

The assassination of William McKinley in 1901 made 42-year-old Theodore Roosevelt the youngest person to serve as president. In 1904, Roosevelt was elected in his own right. Then, in a move that still baffles historians, he did something incredibly stupid. Caught up in a moment of euphoria on Election Night, Roosevelt blurted out that he wouldn’t seek re-election in 1908.

Roosevelt regretted making the pledge but, as a man of his word, he was determined to keep it. And so in 1912, the man who perhaps loved being president more than any other handed over the reins to someone else.

His handpicked successor, William H. Taft, was easily elected. But there was a problem. Roosevelt was a progressive, and Taft was a conservative. The two quickly split, ending their close personal friendship and hurting Taft deeply in the process.

Teddy challenged his former BFF for the Republican nomination in 1912. Taft controlled the party machinery and had no trouble securing the nomination. And Teddy being Teddy, he bolted the GOP and ran on a third-party progressive ticket (nicknamed the Bull Moose Party).

That fractured Republican support, enabling Democratic progressive Woodrow Wilson to win the White House with just 42 percent of the vote.

And still, Teddy was ready to ride again. After considerable fence-mending within the GOP, including patching things up personally with Taft, Roosevelt was planning to run in 1920. Instead, he suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep in early 1919.

Fast forward to 2024:  An incumbent president is preparing to face off against his immediate predecessor. The GOP is hampered by a significant number of Never Trump voters, while the Democrats’ progressive wing is increasingly angry with their party’s soon-to-be 82-year-old standard bearer. Add to that a host of independents (most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) circling around both camps.

How will it turn out? Nobody knows. But this much is certain: You’ll want to have your history book handy once the result is known. Because it will need to be updated.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

As summer heats up, so does the 2024 presidential campaign.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign opened its first Pennsylvania headquarters Tuesday in the Holmesburg neighborhood in Philadelphia. Surrogates emphasized the campaign’s outreach to Black voters.

The narrow, former rowhouse was packed with people, many of them reporters, eager to hear Texas Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt who was the guest speaker.

Pennsylvania GOP Chair Lawrence Tabas said the voting gap between Republicans and Democrats in the state has narrowed from 900,000 to 350,000 in the last few years since he’s been the party leader.

“I think it’s important to recognize we need new leadership in America. We need new leadership in Pennsylvania,” said Tabas. “Bidenomics has been a failure. Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. The cost of living is going up fast. Mortgage rates are at a high.”

Pennsylvanians and Americans are not safe in their “own neighborhoods like they deserve.”

“Finally, the border crisis,” said Tabas. “One of the worst aspects of that is fentanyl, the opioids coming across the border. There’s been over a 70 percent increase in opioid overdose deaths as a result of the fentanyl flooding across our borders. This is a crisis of national proportions. It doesn’t just happen in Philadelphia.”

Hunt, a former Army captain and West Point graduate who served in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, said he comes from a military family where 18 members served. “We are all Americans. We’re all in this boat together,” he said.

“Black issues are American issues,” said Hunt. “We hate what’s happening at the border.  We don’t like being unsafe.” Like everyone, Black Americans are concerned with inflation, high prices, the cost of housing, he said.

Trump campaign headquarters in Philadelphia

“We cannot have four more years of this,” he said. “We cannot have four more years of Biden and Harris.”

“America is the greatest country in the world,” said Hunt. “God called me to serve my country in combat. We are calling you to serve your country on Nov. 5.”

People should not allow Democrats to divide them “by race, religion, color, or creed. That’s a bunch of crap. We’re all Americans,” said Hunt. “Let’s fight together to save our country.”

Answering questions from reporters, Hunt said the Trump campaign is reaching out to Black voters, who traditionally vote Democratic, because “You have to go fishing where the fish are.”

DVJournal asked Hunt how concerned he is that Trump was convicted in New York and faces other court cases. Billboards that say, “I’m a former Trump voter. I won’t vote for a convicted felon,” are already dotting highways in the Delaware Valley area.

“I am absolutely concerned about it,” said Hunt. “But if you look at the last 72 hours, we have raised almost $200 million, and one-third of those were actually new donors. Look at what’s happened with the American people and how we feel about it. It was a sham. If he was not running for president, he would not be in this position in the first place. And so, we’re like, ‘Know what? How about this? Instead of rioting, instead of looting, instead of going out, we’re going to give our money to fight this election here in November. And, quite frankly, I’m not the only one and I’ve got 200 million reasons why.”

Pat Gallo holds a souvenir Trump bear from a booth selling Trump paraphernalia located across the street from the headquarters.

Asked about Trump now encouraging Republicans to vote by mail, Hunt said, “We’ve got to win outside of the margin of cheating,” said Hunt. “Look what’s happening with every swing state. If we continue this trend and Biden continues his cognitive decline, we’re going to do just fine. The one thing, [Trump] wants to make sure, we want to win outside the margins. That’s why I’m here.”

Hunt said the campaign hopes to garner 25 to 30 percent of the Black male vote.

People who spoke to DVJournal were enthusiastic about Trump. A campaign aide said they’d signed up about 40 volunteers.

“Oh, my God, yeah,” said Jean Berry of Philadelphia, when asked if she plans to vote for Trump. “I love him.” She called the New York trial “a farce.”

“I’m anxious to see how Biden’s son makes out,” she said, about Hunter Biden who is being tried in Delaware for lying on a federal form when he purchased a gun. “He’s going to get away with it. He’s got his father on his side.”

Mina Quarls of Philadelphia, said she is, “Absolutely going to vote for Trump. I can’t wait. I’ll do anything I can to see he gets reelected.”

Huntingdon Valley resident Pat Gallo said, “I really hope (Trump) makes it. “I feel the energy is like 2016. If he has to rule from prison, he has to rule from prison.”

Asked about the Trump campaign effort to reach Black voters, Guy Ciarrocchi, a Chester County resident who ran for Congress and writes for Broad + Liberty, said, “Candidate Trump is doing what he did as president: reaching out to everyone, not only to ask for votes but to listen to their concerns. It’s what he did as an entrepreneur—work with everyone to get the job done and give back. Read what Black leaders said about him in the 80s, 90s and 2000s.

“Democrats and their allies are yelling so loudly because they know two things: Trump’s outreach is effective, and they’ve failed Black voters on inflation, crime, and schools—and those voters know it,” he added.

Later Tuesday evening, Hunt and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) held a “Congress, Cognac and Cigars” event at a cigar bar in Philadelphia, again reaching out to Black voters for Trump.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

As the clock ticks down to the 2024 election, a new Muhlenberg College poll has former President Donald Trump with a narrow three-point edge over President Joe Biden, 44 to 41 percent. But the poll found that if independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the ballot, he takes 18 percent of the vote, leaving Trump and Biden tied at 35 percent.

The same poll of 417 registered voters conducted between April 15 and 25 shows three-term incumbent Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) at 45 percent to Republican challenger Dave McCormick’s 41 percent.

The poll is the second within the past month to show McCormick is closing the gap against Casey, after Emerson College’s April survey found Casey’s lead had narrowed to just four points.

Political observers say both Biden and Trump are well-known to the public and it’s unlikely that many voters will shift their views in the remaining six months until November.

“I imagine we will see little ebbs and flows between Biden and Trump’s poll numbers over the next six months, but I would be surprised by any major shifts given how cemented the candidates are in most voters’ minds. Just like 2016 and 2020, the race in Pennsylvania is likely to be very close,” said Muhlenberg political science Professor Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

Quantum Communications CEO Charlie Gerow said, “This poll confirms that Donald Trump leads in Pennsylvania by an increasingly significant margin. That’s not surprising. The Biden economy is hurting ordinary Pennsylvanians, and they are going to vote against him in November.”

“Biden’s approval ratings continue to sink as Americans and Pennsylvanians in particular see someone who simply doesn’t have the capacity to lead,’ Gerow added.

The poll also found that Biden’s 2024 campaign to win Pennsylvania, a key swing state, is being undermined by poor job approval ratings (35 percent). And, only 33 percent of voters believe that Biden deserves a second term.

However, Biden and Trump both must contend with high unfavorable ratings among Pennsylvania voters. Some 57 percent disapprove of Biden and 55 percent hold similar negative views of Trump.

“The Presidential race will have an impact on the Senate race in terms of keeping the Senate votes fairly close to the presidential results, but by no means determine the winner. There is room for both Casey and McCormick to build enough separation from their presidential candidates that they can find a path to victory even if their party loses the presidential race,” Borick said. “A significant portion of voters either haven’t heard of McCormick, or have no opinion about him, so both his and Casey’s campaign will be active in defining him for that audience.”

Gerow said, “The poll also shows that Dave McCormick has an excellent shot at defeating Bob Casey. Casey’s lackluster record will be contrasted by McCormick’s service in the military,  as a job creator and as someone who has accomplished a great deal.”

“Bob Casey has spent his entire adult life in politics pushing the Democrat party line while his family got rich off his Senate office—that’s why he’s in the race of his life against Dave McCormick. Pennsylvanians need a senator who will put them first, not a career politician like Bob Casey,” said National Republican Senate Committee Spokesman Philip Letsou.

An election survey of Pennsylvania voters ages 50 and older conducted by Fabrizio Ward & Impact Research on behalf of AARP was also released this week. Not surprisingly, those voters are concerned about Social Security, Medicare and the cost of prescription medications.

In the 2020 elections, older voters accounted for 55 percent of all Pennsylvania voters and in the 2022 mid-terms, they comprised 62 percent of the state’s voters. Eighty-five percent of voters ages 50 and older say they are “extremely motivated” to vote in this election.

Among these older voters, Trump leads Biden by 52 percent to 42 percent. Casey leads McCormick 48 percent to 44 percent.

Elizabeth Gregory, a spokeswoman for McCormick, said, “Pennsylvanians from across the commonwealth are joining Dave’s movement to send a 7th-generation Pennsylvanian, combat veteran, and PA job creator to the Senate to deliver new leadership and fresh ideas. From day one of this campaign, Dave has been laser-focused on uniting the party and training our fire on career politician Bob Casey, who has voted for Joe Biden’s failing agenda 98 percent of the time, fueling a border crisis that has killed over 4,000 Pennsylvanians from fentanyl, violent crime, record inflation and regulations that are killing the commonwealth’s energy sector. On November 5, Pennsylvania will retire empty suit Bob Casey and send Dave McCormick to the Senate.”

The Casey campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

One day after Pennsylvanians filed their income taxes, President Joe Biden visited his hometown of Scranton on Tuesday and promised to cut middle-class taxes if given another term.

Biden will also visit Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Friday—the eighth time the president or vice president will have come to Pennsylvania this year, according to his campaign. It’s yet another sign of the key role the Keystone State will play in the Electoral College in November.

Former President Donald Trump was in the Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

During a Monday press call, Biden campaign officials bashed Trump for the tax cuts he enacted in his first term, saying they favored billionaires and corporations. Former National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said that if Trump were reelected, he would bring “a plan our economy and our country simply can’t afford.”

He said Trump would extend the tax cuts for high-income individuals and give billionaires more than $3.5 million in tax relief every year. That would come by repealing the Affordable Care Act. They said Trump would also give large corporations a $1.5 trillion “windfall,” letting them use special loopholes to pay little or nothing in taxes.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris would also increase taxes on millionaires by 25 percent to make the “wealthy” pay “their fair share” toward Medicare, Deese said.

In fact, the Tax Foundation reports top earners are already paying a disproportionate share of taxes.

“The current federal tax system is highly progressive. For the individual income tax alone, the top 1 percent of earners pay about 45.8 percent of total income taxes, and the top 10 percent of earners pay nearly 76 percent of total income taxes, said Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst with the Tax Foundation.

“Looking at the federal tax system overall, the federal tax rate in 2019 began at 0.5 percent for the bottom 20 percent of earners to a 30 percent effective tax rate for the top 1 percent of earners, which show the system is progressive. The share of all federal taxes paid by the top 1 percent stands at about 25 percent, up from an average of 14.3 percent in the 1980s,” Wilson said.

“We have also looked closely at the entire tax and transfer system within the U.S, including non-tax transfers at all levels of government,” he said.

“The lowest quintile experienced a combined tax and transfer rate of negative 127.0 percent, meaning that for each dollar they earned, they received an additional $1.27 from the government, netting transfers (gains) and taxes (losses), while the top quintile had a rate of positive 30.7 percent, meaning on net they paid just under $0.31 for every dollar earned,” he said.

The Biden campaign also charged that Trump would help wealthy tax cheats by repealing the $87 billion Democrats have dedicated to increased IRS audits.

“You’re…allowing tax cheats to operate with impunity,” said Deese.

However, according to The Wall Street Journal, 63 percent of new audits last year targeted the middle class, despite promises audits would be aimed at those making $400,000 or more.

And Biden’s proposed $7.3 trillion fiscal year 2025 budget includes a $4.9 trillion tax increase.

“This is a classic tax-and-spend budget that continues large deficits even after big tax hikes,” according to Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute.

Dan Kanninen, Biden’s campaign battleground states director, said the Biden campaign has seven offices in the Delaware Valley and is aggressively reaching out to voters.

Kanninen said Biden has helped “create half a million jobs” in Pennsylvania.

“We’re building roads and bridges across the state. Meanwhile, Trump and his MAGA allies in Pennsylvania are saddled with a deeply unpopular agenda,” he said.

“Trump’s MAGA brand has become toxic in the Philadelphia suburbs, which are key swing areas that decide any Pennsylvania race statewide,” he said. Despite recent losses in statewide races, Republicans are becoming “more extreme,” he said. While Democrats are winning on their pledges to safeguard democracy, abortion and LGBTQ rights, he said.

Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the important issue is the economy.

“President Trump proudly passed the largest tax cuts in history. Joe Biden is proposing the largest tax hike ever which would take nearly $40,000 away from the average American family who is already losing thousands every year due to Biden’s record-high inflation crisis.

“When President Trump is back in the White House, he will advocate for more tax cuts for all Americans and reinvigorate America’s energy industry to bring down inflation, lower the cost of living, and pay down our debt.”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal

President Joe Biden fired a salvo this week, releasing a new 2024 campaign ad.

Called “For You,” it’s part of a $30 million campaign targeting voters in battleground states, including Pennsylvania. The spot begins with Biden talking directly to viewers and touting his accomplishments as president. In the ad, Biden seems like a friendly father or grandfather.  He talks about what he’s done and claims former President Donald Trump lacked achievements during his term.

In the commercial, the 81-year-old Democrat highlights his age and experience as helping him get things done in Washington.

“Y’all want to talk about age? Let’s talk about age,” said Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden-Harris campaign. “At 77, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump. At 78, he led us through the COVID crisis, put us on a path to creating nearly 15 million new jobs since the day he took office, and passed the bipartisan infrastructure law to repair our roads and bridges and expand access to broadband internet to every community.

“At 79, he got us the most significant gun safety legislation in a generation and became the first president to beat Big Pharma and cap the cost of insulin at $35 for seniors. At the same time, he made the single largest investment in history to combat climate change – all before his 80th birthday. Meanwhile, the only helpful thing Donald Trump did for the American people in four years was lose the 2020 election to Joe Biden – and it’s the one thing he won’t take credit for,” said Tyler.

“Now, Joe Biden is 81, and he’s going to beat Donald Trump again because he wakes up every single day fighting for the American people while Trump wages a campaign of revenge and retribution focused on himself. Trump may be four years younger than Joe Biden, but his ideas are old as hell, and they’ve already been rejected by the American people. Joe Biden is running to make sure we reject them for good.”

An Axis/Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance poll from Feb. 25 to 27 had Biden ahead with Pennsylvania voters by 1 point. The poll had Biden at 40 percent, Donald Trump at 39 percent, Robert Kennedy Jr. at 8 percent, Jill Stein at 2 percent, and Cornell West at 1 percent.

However, a Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll taken Feb. 12 to 18 showed Biden at 36 percent, Trump at 45 percent, Kennedy at 8 percent, West at 1 percent, and Stein at 1 percent.

“Biden could put millions more behind this ad, and he’d still be missing the mark,” said GOP consultant Charlie Gerow. “He doesn’t even address the mess he’s created at the southern border, which is on every voter’s mind. Nobody is buying that we have the strongest economy in the world while they struggle to pay for their groceries. He can’t get around the age issue because it’s about much more than age. The American people can see that he’s failing. Telling them they’re wrong won’t work.”

“The close is cute, but cute doesn’t cut it,” Gerow added.

The six-week ad run will air on national and local broadcast and cable television in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina. The ad campaign will target audiences in the key markets of Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Phoenix, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Raleigh, focusing on voters of color and young voters.

The ad will be shown on popular entertainment and sports programming on stations like ESPN, TNT, FX, Adult Swim, and Comedy Central during high-viewership moments like the NCAA March Madness Tournament. It will also run digitally across platforms – heavily emphasizing Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

“Joe Biden is burning cash gaslighting Pennsylvania voters, but they aren’t buying his lies,” said Rachel Lee, Republican National Committee spokeswoman. “Keystone State families and workers know that his failed agenda has driven up prices, threatened their safety, waged a war on American energy, and exacerbated the opioid crisis in the commonwealth. With Biden underwater in Pennsylvania, voters are enthusiastic to support President Donald J. Trump and restore American prosperity once again!”

Please follow DVJournal on social media: Twitter@DVJournal or Facebook.com/DelawareValleyJournal