Why Mitt Romney thinks he can win true-blue Pennsylvania
The GOP candidate is making a late push into a state that has gone Democratic in every presidential election of the past 20 years
Mitt Romney is heading to Pennsylvania to campaign this weekend, the most visible evidence to date that his campaign thinks it has a shot at winning the reliably blue state. In addition, the Romney campaign and its affiliated super PACs are flooding Pennsylvania's airwaves with new advertisements, forcing President Obama and his allies to play defense with new ads of their own. GOP candidates have long made noise about competing in the Keystone State, but Pennsylvania has voted for the Democratic candidate in the last five presidential elections (the last GOP winner: George H.W. Bush in 1988). Obama currently holds a nearly 5-point lead in the polls, according to the Real Clear Politics average. So why does Romney think he can pull off an upset?
1. The state is ripe for advertising
"If ever there were a place where a last-ditch torrent of money could move the needle," it's Pennsylvania, says Jeremy W. Peters at The New York Times. With the state long presumed as being in Obama's column, there has "been a void of presidential ads." Indeed, Obama's durable lead in the all-important swing state of Ohio is partly due to the fact that it was "carpet-bombed with negative ads" about Romney, says Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post. "Pennsylvania was relatively free from the onslaught," giving Romney "fertile ground to plow."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2. Obama's support is slipping
Obama's lead in Pennsylvania is only in the single digits, a significant drop from 2008, when he beat John McCain by 11 points. And remember, Pennsylvania is home to "a large number of white working class voters," says Steve Kornacki at Salon, "a group that Obama has struggled with across the country during his presidency." In addition, Romney may be making gains with "upper-middle-class women and Jewish voters" who are socially moderate but unhappy with the direction of the economy, says Peters. "Among recent ads is one in which a woman directly refutes Obama ads that portray Mr. Romney as extreme on reproductive health issues."
3. Romney has no choice
"It's difficult not to compare to this move to an on-side kick in football," says NBC's First Read, "when you're behind by a touchdown with a few ticks on the clock left." With Obama stubbornly holding on to his slim lead in Ohio, Romney has no choice but to explore options outside the traditional swing states. The fact that he's "scrambling to compete in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota is, at this point, a sign of desperation, not confidence," says Kornacki. "It's baffling why the Romney campaign left these states until the last minute," given how tough his electoral path to victory would be without Ohio.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Humza Yousaf clears the decks to battle no-confidence vote
Speed Read First minister is 'done', according to insider, but a single vote could change the balance
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Immunotherapy and hay fever
The Explainer Research shows that the treatment could provide significant relief from symptoms for many hay fever sufferers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A flooded island, a ballistic missile, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published