'Blue' vote for Harris in Chester County not enough to hold back Trump wave
Vice President Kamala Harris performed well at the ballot booth in Chester County, essentially getting the same margin of victory over former President Donald Trump that President Joe Biden received four years ago.
But her overall numbers appeared to have fallen short of the totals that Biden received in 2020, and in the end were not enough to help her across the finish line against the former president in statewide balloting.
In the end, Trump reclaimed Pennsylvania by improving his margins across the state, shaving Democrat Biden's 2020 win in Philadelphia, expanding his own dominance in rural parts of the state, and — at the time The Associated Press called the race at 2:24 a.m. — flipping key suburban counties to the GOP column.
Trump led the state by some 175,000 votes at the time the AP called the race. Even if Vice President Kamala Harris were to carry the outstanding votes — which included ballots from counties she was losing — by 20 points over Trump, she still would not be able to close the gap.
Trump's victory showed up across the state. In populous Bucks County and neighboring Northampton County, Trump was leading — two places seen as bellwethers that Biden won four years ago. Trump did several points better in the populous Philadelphia suburbs of Chester and Delaware. He was winning in Erie in the northwest corner of the state, which Biden took narrowly four years ago.
In Chester County, as of about 7:30 a.m., Harris showed a total vote of 175,686 votes to Trump's 133,497, a margin of 42,189 votes or 56 percent to 42.5 percent. All vote totals are unofficial until certified by the county Board of Elections.
But in 2020, Biden took in 182,686 votes to Trump's 128,565, helping him claim victory in the state by 80,000 votes and send him on to the White House. For Harris, it was not enough. Even in the Democratic stronghold of Philadelphia, Trump was doing 3 percentage points better than he did four years ago.
"We are both encouraged and thrilled by the outcome of the election, particularly with the election of President Trump and all our statewide offices," said Dr. Raffi Terzian, chairman of the Chester County republican Committee. "This resounding victory paves the way for a brighter future for our state and for our nation, guided by common-sense solutions and policies that will significantly improve the lives of the residents of Chester County and all Americans.
"While we celebrate this achievement, we recognize that we did not fare as well locally," Terzian added. "We will continue working to strengthen our grassroots efforts, building stronger connections with our community and positively engaging with citizens to address their key issues and concerns."
Democrats were dismal about the presidential results, even as they pointed to their party's continued success in Harrisburg and in the 6th Congressional District race, which saw the party's incumbent returned to a fourth term in Congress.
"With virtually all votes counted, the results of the 2024 General Election bring some satisfaction to county Democrats with Chrissy Houlahan retaining her 6th District Congressional Seat and incumbent Democratic state legislators fending off Republican challengers," said the Chester County Democratic Committee in a statement issued Wednesday morning.
"Although providing county vote pluralities for Kamala Harris (President), Bob Casey (US Senate), Attorney General (Eugene DePasquale), PA Auditor General (Malcom Kenyatta), and State Treasurer (Erin McClelland), county Democrats are disappointed that they could not contribute greater numbers to those candidates in losing causes," the statement said.
Chairwoman Charlotte Valyo had this to say about the night's results: "Although we are disappointed, we left nothing undone and we accept the decision of the American people. We will continue to work towards bipartisan solutions to the problems that face our nation and the world. Our Democratic elected officials will continue to govern for all their constituents and work to improve the lives of all Americans.
"I'm disappointed in the results nationally and proud of the work locally. I think it's time for leadership in the aggregate," said commissioner's Chairman Josh Maxwell in an email. "We must all do our part to set examples of civility, respect, and empathy."
Said his colleague, Vice Chairwoman Marian Moskowitz: "I had hoped for a different outcome, as I believe Vice President Harris would have brought a renewed sense of what it means to truly embody American values.
"As we look toward the future, I am increasingly concerned about the rise of divisive and hateful rhetoric in our country. I worry that the freedoms many fought for in the 1960s—especially those impacting women—are slipping away, eroding hard-won rights and liberties.
"For the past 248 years, we have held to values and norms that unite us; I fear these may be cast aside in favor of ego and self-interest," she said, "While I sincerely hope these concerns prove unjustified, it is difficult not to feel a profound sense of loss and apprehension this morning. The weight of the election results is still sinking in, and I know many across the nation feel the same."
Meanwhile, Republican Commissioner Eric Roe pointed to the Trump campaign's focus on the economy under the Biden-Harris administration as a reason for his victory.
"In 1992, James Carville coined the famous phrase "It's the economy, stupid." Bill Clinton used that phrase to unseat George H. W. Bush. Similarly, in 1980, Ron Reagan famously asked the voters "Are you better off than you were 4 years ago?" Reagan used that tagline to unseat President Carter.
"The same thing happened this year, and I'm honestly not surprised that President Trump won," he said. "Since becoming a county commissioner, I've met hundreds of people who just can't stretch their paychecks any further due to historic inflation. Families with children resorting to food cupboards instead of grocery stores. People seeking subsidized housing or moving in with family members. Seniors choosing between medications and higher utility bills. People who lived above the poverty line before 2020 and under the poverty line since then.
"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inherited a difficult pandemic and a fearful nation," he continued. "Instead of moving toward the center and embracing fiscal restraint like Bill Clinton, they held firm to their liberal ideology. Biden and Harris spent an insane amount of money, spiking inflation. That decision created unspeakable human suffering for real people, and those people voted.
"Yesterday, Kamala Harris fell victim to her own liberalism," Roe concluded. "I can't say I'm surprised."
Voter turnout in the county was high — with 314,744 voters out of 396,121 casting ballot, but at 79 percent it fell below the numbers that Biden and Trump saw in 2020 — 83 percent. In all, 214,861 votes were recorded at polling places, while 110,487 voters cast their ballots by mail. As of 7:30 a.m., 99,883 of those ballots had been processed.
Unlike early voting in other states that have polling places, Pennsylvania counties saw lines of people seeking to get early mail ballots in part after Trump and billionaire Elon Musk encouraged Republicans to embrace mail-in voting. In 2020, Trump said baselessly that mail ballots were rife with fraud.
Trump performed better in traditionally Democratic Philadelphia than Biden did four years ago and improved his margins in key populous suburban counties. The race was called when it became clear that even if Harris won the outstanding votes by a wider margin than she had been, she couldn't close the gap.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
