Andrew Dovan wants to turn Pennsylvania red. The Marywood University freshman was one of many to attend Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rally in Scranton on Wednesday.
Experts say a big demographic that could sway the presidential election is new voters, specifically college students. Dovan acknowledges the impact that his age group has on the future of the United States.
“I think it’s super important to go out and get as many people voting as possible, and hopefully turn Pennsylvania [into] a red state,” he said.
The Wood Word spoke with rally attendees before Trump’s speech at Riverfront Sports and viewed the event outside the venue through a livestream. The campaign rejected The Wood Word’s request for press credentials for a reporter and photographer to report from inside the rally. The campaign did not respond to an email inquiring about the reason for the denial.
Trump’s opponent, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, held a rally at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre on Sept. 13.
Multiple vendors were set up outside the facility on Wednesday, selling hats, shirts and figurines to those in attendance.
Before the former president could get a word out, the crowd began with “U-S-A” chants.
Trump began by thanking the city of Scranton. After playfully joking about the microphone not being loud enough, he was confident that he would soon return to office.
“In just 27 days from now, we are going to win Pennsylvania,” Trump said.
Pennsylvania is one of the seven states considered a “swing state.” Early Vote Action is an organization founded by Scott Presler to register voters across the country. The group’s most recent focus is prioritizing these swing states. Chase Poplawski, a regional coordinator for Early Vote Action, spoke before the rally about the importance of voting in Pennsylvania.
“[Pennsylvania is] a critical battleground state,” Poplawski said. “No matter which camp you ask, they’ll say that Pennsylvania will win the White House.”
Trump spoke to the attendees about the usual topics, such as immigration, the economy and the recent hurricanes that have ravaged the southeastern portion of the United States. Trump made promises to cut energy prices “50% within 12 months of taking office,” while also saying Harris had the “worst rescue operation in history” for victims of Hurricane Helene.
Lindsey Clark, a Luzerne County resident, realizes how important these issues are and why voters should vote for whichever candidate they agree with most on these issues.
“The main reason [why] I support Trump, because I think that it will be a safer country,” Clark said. “I think everybody’s vote matters. and everyone should go out and vote on Election Day.”
The last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Oct. 21. You can visit pavoterservices.pa.gov to register online.
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