Ben Bradlee Jr. immersed himself in Luzerne County's political culture after the 2016 election to write a book about voters here who helped put Donald Trump in the White House.
The author and retired journalist returned on Thursday with a message: Bradlee is supporting Kamala Harris' presidential run — the first time he ever publicly offered his opinion on a political candidate — and raising concerns about Donald Trump, who he called "a fountain of lies."
"I think it's alarming what's happened with Trump. We're now talking about a twice-impeached convicted felon. It's unbelievable, and yet he's still the nominee of the (Republican) party," Bradlee said.
Visiting Luzerne County Democratic headquarters in Wilkes-Barre, Bradlee expressed fears that a victorious Trump would immediately seek vengeance on his political enemies and "tear the country asunder even further."
"I think we should take him at his word. And again, he's promising not to abide by the results of the election. So, you know, what are we talking? Another January 6, times two," Bradlee said. "I think this is concerning."
Bradlee, 76, got to know the region researching "The Forgotten: How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America," which was published in 2018.
He met with reporters Thursday at Luzerne County Democratic headquarters in Wilkes-Barre.
25 years at Boston Globe
Bradlee joined the Globe in 1979 and spent 25 years there — 10 as a reporter and 15 as an editor. He supervised the paper's Spotlight team behind a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2002 investigation exposing sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.
The namesake son of Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, he also is the author of six books, including "The Forgotten."
After decades in journalism, Bradlee has no compunction about taking sides now.
"No, it's liberating, actually," he said. "I think six years after the fact, I'm entitled to my own opinion now, and felt like expressing it."
'A useful prism'
Democrats held the registration edge in Luzerne County for over 50 years, until Republicans pulled ahead last month.
Their majority peaked in November 2009, when there were 113,013 registered Democrats and 61,909 registered Republicans in the county, a difference of 51,104.
By November 2015, the Democrats' edge had slipped to 44,655, with 107,018 to the Republicans' 62,363. In 2016, registered Democrats still outnumbered Republicans by nearly 34,000.
Despite this, the county which had elected Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 flipped dramatically in 2016: Republican Trump carried Luzerne handily, leading Hillary Clinton by about 20 points, capturing 58% of the vote.
Trump's strong showing in the county helped propel him to victory in Pennsylvania — which had not elected a Republican president since George H.W. Bush in 1988 — and the nation.
Journalists and social scientists descended on the region to learn why.
"The premise behind the book was that ... the 2016 election was so shocking. We never had such an unusual candidate get elected president," Bradlee said.
As he was studying the results in Pennsylvania, "Luzerne leaped out."
"It surged for Trump, this traditionally Democratic county, and he built up such a margin here that it was 60% of his victory margin in the state of Pennsylvania," Bradlee said.
"So without Luzerne, arguably, he wouldn't have won the state or perhaps the presidency. So I thought this would be a useful prism to look at the Trump voter," he said.
The book was widely acclaimed as America and the world sought to understand Trump's victory, particularly for its in-depth conversations with white, working class voters who expressed a deep sense of alienation with the political and economic status quo.
Bradlee said he sought to be respectful to the people he interviewed.
"In the writing of this book, I did keep uppermost in mind fairness and and being objective," he said.
"I really enjoyed my experience here in Luzerne — immersing myself in Trump voters and learning more about what their reason for supporting this guy was," Bradlee said.
"I come from Boston, more of a liberal bubble, and it was a very healthy experience for me to to get out of my bubble and to learn what other people think," he said.
Trump again carried Luzerne County in 2020, although by a smaller margin of about 15 points over Joe Biden.
Bradlee expects Trump will win the county again this year, and said he doesn't expect to sway local voters' minds — though he admitted he didn't want to blindside those he interviewed with his announcement.
"I've given the key ones a heads up," Bradlee said, calling the visit "more of a personal journey for me."
'Not a tipping point'
At the same time, Bradlee doesn't see the GOP's newly gained registration edge as a "tipping point," but rather the result of Trump voters formally changing parties, combined with other people dying, or moving away.
"I don't think it's going to be that telling a factor in the results of the election," Bradlee said, noting the performance of Democratic candidates here in 2022.
That year, Josh Shapiro won his race for governor and John Fetterman won his race for U.S. Senate. Fetterman lost Luzerne to Mehmet Oz by just over 10,000 votes, but Shapiro bested Doug Mastriano by over 1,200 votes.
"Fetterman made inroads. Shapiro won Luzerne narrowly. And so I think that that's a promising trend for Harris," Bradlee said.
'Very impressed by her'
Bradlee is heartened by the energy he sees with Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket.
"I've been very impressed by her. You know what she's done in taking the handoff from Biden, topping the ticket, has been seamless and quite remarkable," he said.
Biden's decision to step aside was "a selfless act of patriotism," Bradlee said.
"It's obvious that the country, especially Democrats, felt that he was too old, and so I think he finally did the right thing," Bradlee added.
Would Bradlee have voted for Biden if he were still the nominee?
"Damn right I would."
