One expert called Erie County « one of the ‘swingiest’ swing counties in the United States. »
The gap between registered Republican and Democrat voters in the bellwether Erie County in Pennsylvania narrowed between 2020 and 2024, potentially giving former President Donald Trump a boost.
While there are more Democrat supporters (80,940) compared to Republicans (71,439), the number of those aligning with the Democratic Party had dropped 18 percent over four years. Nearly 99,000 were registered with the party in 2020.
Erie, in the northwest of the battleground state, voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, but he only won by 1 percent.
With fewer potential supporters this time around, Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in the county Monday night, may have a bigger job to do to secure victory.
Earlier in the year, Erie was named one of the top seven swing counties in the election, meaning it could play a pivotal role in deciding the next president of the United States.
« Erie County has voted with the winner in 25 of the last 28 statewide elections, making it one of the ‘swingiest’ swing counties in the United States », Dr. Joe Morris, chair of the political science department at Mercyhurst University, told YourErie in August.
The county was joined by others in swing states thought to be vital for victory, including Maricopa County in Arizona, Richmond County in Georgia, and Oakland County in Michigan.
