After months of campaign advertising bombarding them, many television viewers, cell phone owners and internet browsers might feel election overload.
With Election Day less than a month away, they should bolster themselves for an even more intense final wave.
Already, the two presidential candidates have visited Northeast Pennsylvania once, diverting or snarling traffic in or around Wilkes-Barre.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, is scheduled to return to the region with a rally Wednesday afternoon at Riverfront Sports in Scranton.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, may also return, given the state's and region's importance to winning. Their vice-presidential running mates could visit, too, not to mention a surrogate or two.
Or three. Or more.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of political commercials have jammed local television and streaming services, according to federal records. Often, they crowd out pitches for non-candidate products. Increasingly, campaigns rely on waves of mailed literature, phone texts and social media to reach voters as well.
Federal records show even more is on the way.
“I've been a part of many different election cycles here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and this year, it feels even more intense than usual,” said Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, a top local surrogate for the Harris campaign. “We know that Pennsylvania is the state that seems to be the linchpin for either Harris or Trump, and we're continuing to see a lot of visits from the candidates, which is great, (and) a barrage of ads, which is a double-edged sword … But it does show how important this state is, how important regions like Northeastern Pennsylvania are.”
The last Democrat elected president without winning Pennsylvania was Harry S. Truman in 1948 when Republicans enjoyed a wide voter-registration advantage.
To win the White House, Harris likely has to win Pennsylvania where no woman has won the most high-profile races — president, governor and United States senator, though others have tried. State voters have elected women as lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor general and treasurer.
The RealClearPolitics.com polling average had the Trump-Harris race tied as of Thursday. RealClearPolitics re-publishes politics and government-oriented stories and polling data from across the nation.
Republicans look to control U.S. Senate
This election is especially intense in Pennsylvania because it could have a lot to do with shaping the country’s and state’s next governments beyond the White House.
Control of Congress and the state General Assembly, especially the House, are at stake as voters nationwide vote by Election Day, Nov. 5. In both, the majorities for one party or the other are slim. That means hotly contested Pennsylvania congressional and state House races could help decide control.
Republicans would like to flip the U.S. Senate where Democrats have a two-vote edge.
One of Republicans’ biggest targets is U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Scranton. Casey seeks a fourth six-year term. He’s facing a stiff challenge from former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick, a Pittsburgh resident.
With a Republican heavily favored in the U.S. Senate race in West Virginia – retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s seat - the GOP needs to gain another seat to avoid a tie that could leave Democrats in control if Harris wins. (Vice presidents break ties.) A McCormick victory alone could give Republicans Senate control.
The candidates and outside groups supporting both have poured tens of millions of dollars into the race.
The RealClearPolitics.com polling average has Casey on top by 4 percentage points, and he’s led all but two of the dozens of polls since early last year. In the two he hasn’t led, they tied.
“McCormick is very much in this race,” said Jim Bognet, the former local Republican congressional candidate who runs a polling firm for other congressional candidates. “Casey's having a hard time getting over 50% (in polling) … It's very, very uncommon for the late breaking voters, the late deciders, to break for the incumbent … That race is going to be extremely, extremely close.”
Democrats would like to maintain or expand their Senate control. Re-electing Casey is key to that.
Dems want U.S. House control back
Democrats would also like to flip the U.S. House. Republicans hold 220 House seats, Democrats, 212, and three remain vacant – two formerly held by Democrats and one by a Republican. If you assume the vacant seats remain in the same hands, that’s 221 Republicans, 214 Democrats.
By flipping four seats and holding what they have, Democrats would reach 218 members, a one-vote majority.
In Pennsylvania, four U.S. House races – three Democratic and one Republican - are considered tight, including two in Northeast Pennsylvania. So, control of the House could depend at least partly on who wins them. What happens in other states could also affect House and Senate control.
In the 8th Congressional District that includes Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and part of the Poconos, Democratic congressman Matt Cartwright, who lives in Moosic in Lackawanna County, wants a seventh two-year term. Republican Rob Bresnahan, a businessman from Dallas Twp., seeks an upset.
They are scheduled to debate on WVIA-TV on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
The 7th Congressional district includes the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area and the rest of the Poconos. There, Democratic congresswoman Susan Wild, from South Whitehall Twp. in Lehigh County, is seeking her fourth full term, and faces Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, from Lower Macungie Twp. in Lehigh County.
Members of Congress are paid $174,000 a year.
State House rule up for grabs
The state Senate races in Northeast and North-central Pennsylvania are generally lukewarm as are most House races, but a handful that include parts of Luzerne and Lackawanna counties could determine who controls the state House.
The Democrats have a one-vote House majority.
Both sides are spending heavily on the Luzerne-based 118th House District race between Rep. Jim Haddock, a first-term incumbent Democrat who lives in Pittston Township, and McKayla Kathio, a Republican graduate student at Marywood University in Scranton and Jenkins Township resident.
The district includes the Pittston Area in Luzerne County and Taylor, Ransom Township, Moosic, Old Forge and part of the Abingtons in Lackawanna County.
Republicans are spending heavily on mailed campaign literature to hold on to the 120th House District seat, which incumbent Republican Rep. Aaron Kaufer is leaving. The district includes areas in the West Side of the Wyoming Valley and part of the Back Mountain in Luzerne County.
In the primary election, Republican voters chose Brenda Pugh, of Dallas Township, who owns a company that installs computer systems in police cars and security systems in buildings. She faces Democrat Fern Leard, also of Dallas Twp., a certified nursing assistant and advocate for children with disabilities.
Both sides are also spending heavily on the 121st House District race in Luzerne between longtime incumbent Eddie Day Pashinski, a Wilkes-Barre Democrat, and Dino Disler, a Laurel Run Republican who owns a cleaning business.
That district includes Wilkes-Barre City, Wilkes-Barre Township and several surrounding townships and boroughs.
State representatives and senators are paid $106,422.33 this year with raises based on inflation due Dec. 1.
Voting well underway
County boards of elections began processing applications for mail-in ballots weeks ago and have started mailing actual ballots to voters.
Oct. 21 is the last day to register to vote. Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for applications for mail-in ballots to reach local boards of elections.
All boards of elections must have mail-in ballots in hand by 8 p.m. on Election Day for votes to count.
In-person polls open Nov. 5 at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
EDITOR'S NOTE: WVIA-TV will air an episode of "Keystone Edition Reports" titled "Voting for Your Future" on Monday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m.