Democrats and Republicans in a Pennsylvania county that former President Donald Trump previously won in 2016 and 2020 told Newsweek they are "optimistic" their candidate will win.
Cumberland County is in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, which boasts 19 Electoral College votes. In 2016, Trump took the Keystone State by a 0.8 percent margin, though he lost it in 2020 to President Joe Biden by 1.2 percent.
According to state data, the county has over 28,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Republicans remain confident that Trump will win for a third time.
Republican Mike Sariano told Newsweek, "We're very optimistic. We're hoping that President Trump can pull it off." His wife, Peggy, added, "Oh, I'm optimistic. I got two thumbs up—we're going."
Mike said that Cumberland County is difficult to poll because different sections appear to have different political signs.
"I think the borough has been traditionally blue, but we're hoping—we've been seeing some good signs. We're really hopeful."
On the other hand, local Democrats told Newsweek that they remain optimistic about Vice President Kamala Harris' chances of winning the county this year.
Margaret Spirnak of Camp Hill, a borough of around 10,000 people in Cumberland County, said she is "confident and optimistic but really still a little bit concerned" about the forthcoming election results. Earlier in the day, she worked as a greeter at the local polls.
"Our area has changed a lot. I think we've moved a little bit to Democrats," Spirnak told Newsweek.
According to the state's election data, in 2024, there was a 1 percent decrease in both registered Democrats and Republicans in the county. As of November 4, there were 63,197 registered Democrats in the county, compared to 91,473 Republicans, down from 64,058 Democrats and 92,614 Republicans in 2020.
However, Democrats experienced an almost 15 percent increase in registered voters from 2016 to 2020 in the county, tightening the margins of Trump's second victory there. In 2016, there were 55,715 registered Democrats and 85,322 Republicans.
Trump overwhelmingly won the county against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016 with 57 percent of the vote. He secured it again in 2020, with tighter margins of 54 percent to President Joe Biden's 45 percent, about 15,000 votes.
Another local voter, Navy veteran Charlie Dunn, told Newsweek that he "certainly" hopes Democrats will prevail in the county.
In 2012, the county went for the Republican nominee, Senator Mitt Romney, garnering 58.5 percent of the vote to President Barack Obama's 40 percent. The county also went for Senator John McCain in 2008.
Tammy Rice, a Republican in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was a little less confident about the county going to the Republican nominee, telling Newsweek, "I'm hoping Trump wins.
"It's so close. I just feel like it's close. It's going to be to the very last person. Everybody's vote counts, so I'm just hoping everybody goes out and votes," she said.
Voting in the county will close at 8 p.m. local time.
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