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Presidential campaigning in PA: Celebrities canvass for Harris in Scranton, Trump works drive-thru in Bucks County

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti (left) with Andrew Cutillo, a volunteer, and Adam Scott (right), known for his role in NBC's "Parks and Recreation."
Haley O'Brien
/
WVIA News
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, left, and Andrew Cutillo, a volunteer, speak with Adam Scott, right, known for his role in NBC's "Parks and Recreation."

Election Day is 16 days away and polls are virtually tied in Pennsylvania. And this weekend, both candidates for president made creative attempts to gain likeability in the swing state with the most electoral votes.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, worked at a McDonald’s restaurant in Bucks County on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in Scranton, two celebrity comedians knocked on doors for the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Canvass launch for the Democratic ticket

Ed Helms, known for his role as Andy Bernard in “The Office,” and Adam Scott, who played Ben Wyatt in “Parks and Recreation,” came to Scranton to solicit votes for Harris.

NBC’s “The Office” put Scranton on the map as the show followed everyday workers of a fictional paper company in the Electric City. Many of the actors have visited Scranton since the show debuted in 2005, but not for political reasons — until now.

Before heading out to canvass in Scranton’s South Side, the actors commended local volunteers at the United Association Local Union 524 building, calling them “heroic” during the canvass launch.

“Actually getting in people’s faces, risking confrontation,” Helms said. “That is courageous.”

Ed Helms (left) and Adam Scott (right) visited Scranton Sunday to persuade voters to vote Democrat in the 2024 Presidential Election.
Haley O'Brien
/
WVIA News
Ed Helms (left) and Adam Scott (right) visited Scranton Sunday to persuade voters to vote Democrat in the 2024 Presidential Election.

The actors are known to play comedic roles but didn’t make any jokes about what they believe is at stake in this election. Helms mentioned the American communities currently recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. He has loved ones dealing with the aftermath in Western North Carolina.

“When there’s a disaster, no one cares about politics,” he said. “Everyone helps each other.”

“That is the true American spirit that I feel like the Trump [and] Vance ticket has just given up on,” he continued. “As you get out there and talk to people, use that spirit of neighborliness and looking out for each other."

Scott expressed frustration with the GOP nominee’s inconsistent comments around women’s rights. Trump said during a town hall last week in Georgia that the country’s abortion laws “are going to be redone” without elaboration.

“They are flooding the airwaves with this softened language on reproductive freedom,” Scott said. “And we just can’t let them get away with it.”

The actors found fame portraying real people in mockumentary-style NBC comedies.

Volunteer Andrew Cutillo said their visit to Scranton made them seem even more relatable to Democrats because they, too, fear the consequences of another Trump presidency.

“Donald Trump isn't able to laugh at himself,” Cutillo said. “I'm excited to see two comedians who I love come here and really make the case that Kamala Harris, like the rest of us, is a citizen, is a patriot, is a strong leader and someone who's going to do right for our community.”

Heather Davis is a volunteer canvasser and leader of Lackawanna County Moms Demand Action, a group dedicated in part to helping to elect candidates who will pass common sense gun legislation.

“It’s nice to have the encouragement and backup knowing what we’re up against,” she said. “These little morale boosters are nice."

In Lackawanna County, which includes President Joe Biden’s hometown, Democrats’ voter registration advantage has diminished. Trump lost the county by less than 10,000 votes in 2016 and 2020.

Trump’s weekend in Pa.

In a similar attempt to grab attention and appear relatable, the former president combined two of his favorite things on Sunday – McDonald’s and calling his opponent a liar, according to the Associated Press.

Trump has called her “Lyin’ Kamala” several times, but has most recently become obsessed with Harris’ claim to have worked at McDonald’s, something 1 in 8 Americans have done. Trump says she never worked there, but the claim has not been proven nor disproven.

“Today, Donald Trump showed exactly what we would see in a second Trump term: exploiting working people for his own personal gain," Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson Joseph Costello said in a statement. "Trump doesn’t understand what it’s like to work for a living, no matter how many staged photo ops he does, and his entire second term plan is to give himself, his wealthy buddies, and giant corporations another massive tax cut."

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks from a drive-thru window during a campaign stop at a McDonald's, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024.
Evan Vucci/AP
/
AP
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks from a drive-thru window during a campaign stop at a McDonald's, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024.

Trump worked the fry station and drive-thru at the fast food restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose in lower Bucks County.

“I really wanted to do this all my life,” he said, taking questions from reporters through the drive-thru window.

Trump did not directly answer questions regarding raising the minimum wage but said, “These people work hard. They’re great.”

Supporters of former President Donald Trump cheer outside of a McDonald's in Feasterville-Trevose, Pa., after Trump made a campaign stop Sunday.
Evan Vucci
/
AP
Supporters of former President Donald Trump cheer outside of a McDonald's in Feasterville-Trevose, Pa., after Trump made a campaign stop Sunday.

A large crowd gathered to see the former president at the McDonald's just north of Philadelphia.

Trump held a rally in Latrobe, Pa., near Pittsburgh on Saturday, where he repeated a lot of the thoughts he expressed during a recent visit to Scranton.

He called his opponent a “radical left marxist,” and mentioned fracking, as he has in all recent campaign appearances in Pennsylvania.

“Kamala, you’re fired,” he often says.

Following his stint at McDonald’s, Trump held a town hall in Lancaster and went to the Pittsburgh Steelers home game against the New York Jets.

Surrogate visits planned

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff visited Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties on Monday.

The Team Trump Bus Tour will stop in the Lehigh Valley, Dickson City, Wilkes-Barre and State College this week.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz will campaign in Scranton Friday at a "Friday Night Lights Rally."

Donald Trump Jr. will visit Lackawanna County on Saturday for a Get Out the Vote Fall Festival at Montage Mountain. Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick and Republican U.S. House of Representatives Candidate Rob Bresnahan will be there, joined by other GOP surrogates. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Haley O'Brien is a newscast host on WVIA Radio during All Things Considered, weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m. She is also WVIA's Community Engagement Reporter, and writes a weekly series titled "Eventful," featuring weekend events planned for around the region. Listen to the accompanying radio segment, Haley's Happy Hour, Thursdays at 5:44 p.m.

You can email Haley at haleyobrien@wvia.org