The Pennsylvania Democratic Party coordinated campaign is opening 14 offices across the commonwealth this week, culminating with the opening of the Philadelphia office on March 30. The Pittsburgh office kicked things off, opening on March 23.
The offices will be focused on electing and reelecting Democrats “up and down the ballot,” including President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Offices will host training sessions for volunteers, canvassing kickoffs and volunteer recruitment events.
“The Democratic coordinated campaign is committed to investing across the entire state,” Lancaster Democrats County Vice Chair Stella Sexton said in a statement. “No county, town, or vote is being taken for granted.”
The office openings are timed to highlight the Biden campaign’s recent initiatives in Pennsylvania to mobilize Latino voters and women. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis spoke at the opening of the Pittsburgh office and told volunteers the election would be “a clear contrast between a vision for moving America forward that includes all of us — that protects real freedom— or an America [where] leadership wants to divide us.”
Biden campaign launches outreach for Latino voters in Pennsylvania and across the country
The first series of offices will include key areas for Democrats: Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties are Philadelphia collar counties crucial to winning a statewide election. In Bucks County, perhaps the biggest swing county in the state, Democrats will open three offices in Bensalem, Newtown and Doylestown. Biden won Bucks County in 2020 by 5 points, and Democrat Jim Prokopiak won a special election for a state House seat there last month by more than 30 points.
“This Senate race will be about who is on the side of working people, and our campaign will make sure voters in every county know what Bob Casey and Democrats have delivered across the Commonwealth,” Casey campaign manager Tiernan Donohue said in a statement.
Democrats will also have offices in traditionally red counties, including York, where former president Donald Trump bested Biden in 2020 61% to 37%, and Lancaster, where Trump won 57% to 41%. Swing county Erie, along with Northampton, Scranton and Monroe are also on the list of Democratic coordinated offices opening this week.
“We are building and implementing unprecedented infrastructure to reach voters in every corner of the Commonwealth,” Nikki Lu, Biden’s Pennsylvania campaign manager, said in a statement. “President Biden, Vice President Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot are fighting to lower the cost of prescription drugs, protect the right to abortion, and protect our Constitution and democracy.”
It wasn’t clear whether Trump’s 2024 campaign has opened offices in Pennsylvania yet. An email to the Trump campaign from the Capital-Star was not immediately answered on Tuesday.
Trump has made two campaign visits to Pennsylvania in 2024 so far; one to Harrisburg to address a gathering of the National Rifle Association, and the other to Philadelphia to launch a new Trump-branded sneaker at Sneaker Con.
Trump makes surprise appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia
Biden has visited the state four times in 2024, most recently to Delaware County the day after his State of the Union address. Neither candidate has yet visited the western part of the state, however.
But Republicans are also attempting to mobilize voters in the Keystone State: Casey’s GOP opponent David McCormick launched a 67-county bus tour last month in Lancaster. He’s also participated in a number of roundtable discussions led by “Building America’s Future” around the commonwealth over the past few months highlighting his positions on various domestic and international issues.
McCormick also launched his first TV ad of the cycle on Tuesday. Casey’s campaign sent out fundraising emails in response to the ad, citing McCormick’s personal wealth. And Americans for Prosperity, a conservative super PAC backed by the Koch organization, also pledged to spend $1 million in an ad campaign for McCormick’s candidacy.
And two days after Biden’s campaign launched its campaign in an effort to court Latino voters, the Libre Initiative, which is a center-right Latino organization, launched its Pennsylvania chapter during an event in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania’s primary election is April 23.
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