With the final month of the 2010 midterm election season drawing to a close, many national political leaders have placed particular emphasis on one state with a number of close races — Pennsylvania.
Across both sides of the aisle, candidates have welcomed both current and former presidents, governors and congressional leaders on the campaign trail, with some political leaders making their third or fourth appearance in the state this general election season.
Candidates in Pennsylvania have utilized these appearances, like other resources, for a variety of purposes, particularly that of energizing their supporters.
Taking note of the large size of Philadelphia’s media market, Saint Joseph’s University History professor and political analyst Randall Miller argued that a rally in the city can produce an “echo effect,” reaching voters in competitive races in the suburbs and New Jersey.
First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama will attempt to do just that, as they headline separate events in Philadelphia between now and Election Day. Michelle Obama is scheduled to speak at 8 p.m. Monday at Wynn Commons, and the President’s rally at Temple University on Saturday will mark the fourth time Obama has visited the city since the start of the general election.
“Obama is not going to change many people’s minds,” Miller added, but the event is “not so much about the undecided as it is about the unmotivated.”
Noting that added enthusiasm from these events could increase turnout, Undergraduate Assembly member and College senior Grant Dubler said, “If [Democratic senatorial candidate Joe] Sestak does not get turnout here, he is not going to win.”
“Philadelphia is not a swing area, but it is a key turnout area,” Dubler added.
Both senatorial candidates — Sestak and Republican Pat Toomey — have brought in additional political heavyweights in just the last week, with each candidate hoping to gain a slight advantage in what has become an increasingly tight race.
Former President Bill Clinton attended a rally yesterday with Sestak aimed at getting out the vote, while former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani rallied Republican supporters in suburban Philadelphia on Friday on Toomey’s behalf.
Two polls released last week had the candidates in a statistical tie, but a more recent poll suggests that Toomey has again taken a slight lead. A Morning Call poll conducted from Oct. 24 to 27 indicated that Toomey leads by eight percent, or 48 to 40 percent.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, has also been actively engaged in Pennsylvania politics this year, attending multiple campaign events over the last month for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett, as well as for Mike Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. congressman running for his old House seat in Pennsylvania’s eighth district. Both John Boehner and Newt Gingrich have also attended events on behalf of Republican congressional candidates in the state.
